Ottawa takes risks with an over-reliance on solitary confinement in Canadian prisons

Three inmates held in segregation at a prison north of Chilliwack died over an eight month period in 2012-13. The B.C. Coroners Service scheduled an inquest, and advocates for prisoners called for reforms.

It's estimated that over a third of inmates entering Canadian prisons have some sort of mental health condition, and that a disproportionate number of those people are held in isolation.

Stakeholders outside and inside the penal system maintain that there are effective and cost-efficient alternatives to solitary confinement, but authorities are not utilizing them.

In a three-part series, the Georgia Straight explores how Correctional Service Canada uses solitary confinement in B.C. prisons, sometimes with deadly results.

	Part one: Deaths in solitary confinement prompt B.C. coroner’s inquest and calls for reform
	Part two: Mentally ill inmates increasingly held in solitary confinement at Canadian prisons
	Part three: Correctional Service Canada ignores repeated calls for reform on solitary confinement