Reply from Hon. John Horgan
Dear Ian Morrison:
Your letter and email of December 7, 2020 addressed to Premier John Horgan, regarding solitary confinement – known in British Columbia as separate confinement or segregation – has been referred to me for response.
The Province of British Columbia has been working to review and change its segregation practices to better safeguard the well-being of individuals in custody, while not compromising the safety of others in our care and correctional centre staff. Changes to the Correction Act Regulation in June 2020 introduced a 15-day limit to disciplinary segregation placements, improved standards of confinement for those in segregation units, and further enhanced administrative fairness of disciplinary decisions.
Separate confinement, sometimes known as administrative segregation, is used as a last resort and is limited to a maximum of 15 days, unless the reasons for the separate confinement remain. Reasonable alternatives are first considered prior to a separate confinement placement. These alternatives may include referral to healthcare supports and the use of supportive specialized living units that offer a modified living unit routine and case management plans to address complex and high-risk behaviours that lead to separate confinement or may be preventing integration with other individuals in
custody. Individuals who are separately confined receive written reasons for their placement and may request an independent review.
Opportunities for meaningful interactions, wherever safely and operationally possible, are provided to individuals who are separately confined or in segregation to prevent the negative effects of isolation on the individual’s physical and mental health. A minimum of two and a half hours out of cell and access to mental health support is offered every 24- hours. Many programs and services that others in custody receive are available, including
daily exercise, reading materials, mail, phone calls, personal visits, healthcare and hygiene facilities. As well, participation in programs is facilitated if participation is beneficial and there is no safety risk.
BC Corrections continues to engage with Indigenous partners to support Indigenous individuals in custody and reduce the number of people in correctional centres and in segregation.
Currently, renovations are in progress to facilitate opportunities for meaningful interactions with others and to enhance staff and individual safety. While plans and designs differ between correctional centres, some common considerations to achieve areas for meaningful human contact include:
Creation of secure interview rooms and/or alternative placement units;
Installation of secure/sliding windows at staff stations to allow direct interaction between staff and individuals (in appropriate circumstances / with appropriate individual profiles);
Expansion of programming and association spaces;
Increased access to amenities on general living units, such as serveries; and
Improvements to general conditions such as increasing access to natural light, fresh air, exterior recreation areas, and views of the horizon where possible.
With respect to the outstanding recommendation from the BC Ombudsperson report, Under Inspection: The Hiatus in BC Correctional Centre Inspections, BC Corrections provides regular updates to the Ombudsperson on progress made with justice partners to implement a new process for external inspections.
BC Corrections regularly provides data via DataBC regarding the number of individuals in custody, including some demographic information. This data may be accessed at: https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/organization/corrections. To access information related to use of segregation and separate confinement, you may submit a request for information to Information Access Operations (IAO) at the following address:
Freedom of Information Request PO Box 9569
Stn Prov Govt
Victoria BC V8W 9K1
Thank you for writing. Sincerely,
Mike Farnworth Minister of Public Safety
and Solicitor General
pc: The Honourable John Horgan