Editor’s Note: The statement below has been issued by Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, David Orazietti, in response to vigorous backlash to media reports yesterday exposing the four-year solitary confinement of 23-year old First Nations man, Adam Capay. The head of the provinces Human Rights Commission exposed that Capay has been held in solitary for over 1500 days in a plexi-glass cell under 24-hour a day artificial lighting. Yesterday’s Globe and Mail report on the matter quoted Orazietti who stated that he could not “commit to releasing any individual from segregation”.
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The conditions being described in relation to segregation in Ontario are unacceptable. We take the care and well-being for our inmates and staff very seriously. I can confirm that Mr. Capay is no longer in a segregation unit. His current cell is equipped with lights that can be dimmed. He has access to a dayroom and spends time out of his cell for showers, phone calls and TV. Mr Capay has requested to remain in the new cell, rather than being moved to another facility. We will continue to consult with the individual and his lawyer to ensure his needs are being met, including the physical location of the cell.
Our goal in every individual case is that segregation is used only as a last resort, when all other options have been exhausted. I have ordered a more comprehensive, external review on the correctional system as a whole. We have been working to reduce the use of segregation in Ontario’s institutions, but I know that more needs to be done as we move forward with a transformation our correctional system.
–David Orazietti, Minister
1 Comment
What a bunch of bullshit. The gaurds beat an inmate to death. Try to cover it up by blaming another inmate. By trying to hold him in custody for as long as they can to deflect their crime. If cops wear body cameras why is there none watching inmates. I see cover up. What ever happened to the cops that put TimMMitchell in a coma. What ever became of Tim. Why no follow up story.