letter writing: isolation in prison

martha merry
Jun 16, 2015
2 min read

“It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.” ― Nelson Mandela

Learn about this issue: at Amnesty International and CBC.ca

Below is a letter you can copy-paste, and email to your member of parliament.

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To: your Member of Parliament

From: your contact details

Dear Your Member of Parliament,

I’m writing with great concern about the issue of isolation, otherwise known as segregation or solitary confinement, in Canada’s prison systems for men, women and youth. I’m hoping that you can address this issue in Parliament as my Member of Parliament.

In particular, I am concerned that isolation is being mis-used and over-used in prisons, to the detriment of the inmates mental health, and ultimately to their ability to be properly rehabilitated before being released back into free society.

“Canada's correctional investigator, Howard Sapers, told CBC News he has "serious concerns" about the overuse of segregation, its impact on vulnerable inmates and ultimately on rehabilitation and public safety.” [Source: CBC.CA http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/isolation-of-inmates-rising-in-crowded-prisons-1.1310608]

I request that you voice this concern, and put forth the need for immediate action that would see the following:

abolish solitary confinement; pending the abolishment of solitary confinement…
immediate enforcement of stricter policies for prison staff, to limit and better guide the use of isolation of prisoners
immediate update in policies that limit the amount of time a prisoner can be in isolation
an update to the degree of isolation and sensory deprivation encountered in segregation — perhaps there is a “middle ground” that could see prisoners isolated without also experiencing 24-h sensory deprivation
immediate policies in place that prevent prisoners with known mental illness from being placed in isolation
immediate reflowing of government funds into more effective rehabilitation for prisoners, including more appropriate mental health support
immediate action concerning reflowing of governmental spending into family and community resources, education, and better access to mental health resources for all Canadians, with the goal of reducing the prison population overall