A three-year investigation by B.C. ombudsperson Jay Chalke concludes the provincial government’s practice of placing jailed youth in solitary confinement is 'unjust and unsafe.'A three-year investigation by British Columbia’s ombudsperson concludes the provincial government’s practice of placing jailed youth in solitary confinement is “unjust and unsafe.”
Chalke says B.C.’s laws should be changed to boost oversight abilities and to set a maximum of 22 hours that the youth, aged 12 from to 17, can be placed in solitary.B.C. has two youth custody centres in Prince George and Burnaby, and the study found the average duration of confinement increased over a three-year period, including in one case when a youth spent 78 out of 81 days in solitary.
In response to the report, Children and Family Development Minister Mitzi Dean says B.C. is developing a framework to improve and modernize its youth justice system. “Both the child welfare system and the justice system are overly involved in the lives of Indigenous people, children and families. It is part of the damaging colonial legacy that continues to this day — and as part of our commitment to reconciliation, we need to address it head on,” she says in a statement.
Health Health Latest News, Health Health Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: VancouverSun - 🏆 49. / 61 Read more »