The Minister of Community Safety and Corrections (MCSCS) will appoint an independent advisor on corrections reform Jan. 1.
MCSCS announced Nov. 8 that Howard Sapers will assume the job in 2017 and produce an interim report within 60 days of taking his post. His responsibilities include reviewing how segregation is used in its various forms across Ontario’s correctional facilities and advising government on how to affect specific changes.
One of the key goals listed by the government is to “build a system in which appropriate alternatives to segregation are made available for people with acute mental health issues and other vulnerable inmates.”
CMHA Ontario is very pleased about this announcement because of its consistent opposition to the use of segregation for people with mental health and addictions issues. CMHA Ontario has provided submissions in the segregation review consultations led by MCSCS in 2015.
CMHA Ontario has also recently supported the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s supplementary submissions to the segregation review, which revealed statistics confirming that the practice of segregation is overused in Ontario jails and particularly for people with mental health and addictions issues.