2016.01PU CESSATION OF THE USE OF SOLITARY CONFINEMENT IN FEDERAL PENITENTIARIES
Whereas #1 in 2011 the National Council of Women of Canada adopted as policy that Canada’s penal system be based on:
a. a rehabilitation model including probation, sentencing treatment, and parole of prisoners which takes into account not only community safety but also the rehabilitation of offenders;
b. appropriate facilities for mentally ill offenders, both male and female;
c. alternative approaches to sentencing which not only protect the community but also work towards the rehabilitation and more positive outcomes for offenders; and
d. work with other levels of government to ensure that poverty reduction strategies as well as community programs for the support of at-risk families and youth are in place.
Whereas #2 international treaty bodies and human rights experts consider solitary confinement, which dehumanizes a person, to be a form of torture, and many jurisdictions, including Ontario, are moving away from its use; and
Whereas #3 solitary confinement of inmates over undue lengths of time is being used as a disciplinary tool in federal penitentiaries, and the steadily increasing numbers of prisoners due to changes in federal laws has caused overcrowding of these facilities, which has exacerbated the situation; and
Whereas #4 persons with mental health challenges are particularly at risk of self-harm and suicide; therefore be it
Resolved #1 that the National Council of Women of Canada (NCWC) adopt as further policy that solitary confinement of inmates not be used as a disciplinary tool in federal penitentiaries and that there be sufficient, independent, secure facilities for persons with mental health issues; and be it further
Resolved #2 that NCWC urge the Government of Canada to cease using solitary confinement as a disciplinary method in federal penitentiaries and ensure sufficient, independent, secure facilities for persons with mental health issues.