Koskie Minsky and McEwan Partners Commence Solitary Confinement Class Proceeding Against British Columbia Government
TORONTO, Nov. 27, 2018 /CNW/ - On November 26, 2018, Koskie Minsky of Toronto and McEwan Partners of Vancouver commenced a class proceeding in Vancouver on behalf of certain groups of prisoners who were held in solitary confinement in the British Columbia Correctional System.
The proposed class is made up of those in prisons operated by British Columbia who were placed in "separate confinement", which is more commonly known as solitary confinement, for a period in excess of 15 days, and/or while suffering from a mental illness. The Notice of Civil Claim alleges that British Columbia's overuse of solitary confinement is negligent and constitutes a number of breaches of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Kirk Baert of Koskie Minsky stated: "Canadian governments need to stop using solitary confinement in prisons. Thousands have been irrevocably harmed. It has no place in a modern society".
Ken McEwan Q.C. of McEwan Partners has stated: "Prisons in Canada continue to use solitary confinement even in the face of international consensus on its unjustifiable harm. The practice exacerbates a mental health crisis".
SOURCE Koskie Minsky LLP
For media enquiries, please contact: James Sayce of Koskie Minsky -416-542-6298; Emily Kirkpatrick of McEwan Partners - 604-283-7981
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