Supreme Court of Canada to hear appeals on solitary confinement
Published February 13, 2020 at 4:05 pm
OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada will revisit the decisions of courts in British Columbia and Ontario that said the federal law allowing prolonged solitary confinement in prison was unconstitutional.
In a pair of rulings today, the high court agreed to jointly hear the federal government’s challenges of the provincial appeal-court decisions.
The Supreme Court also said it would hear cross-appeals from civil liberties groups in each case that argue the provincial decisions didn’t go far enough.
Although it contested the appeal-court decisions, the federal government brought in new legislation it said would end the practice of segregating prisoners who pose risks to security or themselves.
Human-rights organizations have criticized the changes as a cosmetic rebranding with insufficient safeguards.
As usual, the Supreme Court gave no reasons today for agreeing to hear the cases.
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