Segregation sometimes necessary to keep ‘dangerous’ prisons safe, court told
TORONTO — No proof exists that solitary confinement will necessarily hurt an inmate’s mental health, while international law sets no definitive limits on the length of segregation, a federal government lawyer argued Wednesday.
On the second day of a four-day court hearing, Justice Department lawyer Peter Southey said isolating inmates who are either at risk of harm to themselves or who threaten the safety of others is a last-resort practice circumscribed by constitutional laws and carefully crafted policies.
“Penitentiaries are difficult and dangerous places,” Southey told Superior Court. “The law and policy very carefully balance the competing issues.”
Administrative segregation entails spending up to 23 hours a day without any meaningful human contact, a practice critics say can cause serious psychological harm to inmates.