On the heels of the controversial segregation of Adam Capay at the Thunder Bay District Jail, the province has appointed an independent advisor on the use of segregation and ways to improve the corrections system.
Howard Sapers, formerly the Correctional Investigator of Canada and Ombudsman for offenders in federal correctional institutions, is charged with reviewing the use of all forms of segregation in the province's corrections facilities, as well as recommending longer-term changes to the system.
His appointment was announced today by David Orazietti, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services.
Last month, Capay's situation garnered national attention when it was revealed he had spent the last four years in segregation at the district jail, after being charged with the murder of a fellow inmate at the Thunder Bay Correctional Centre in 2012.
He was subsequently removed from his jail cell, and put in an area of the jail that Orazietti said has "appropriate lighting, access to a day room, spending time out of (his) cell for showers, phone calls, and access to TV."
However, the head of the union local representing guards at the jail said Capay was transferred to a new cell only because of construction being done in the segregation unit. Mike Lundy said he "would anticipate" that Capay will be moved back to segregation when the work is completed in several weeks.
A government news release states that Sapers will give advice on ensuring that segregation of inmates is used only in rare circumstances, and on improving the conditions for those who must be segregated from the general prison population for their own safety or the safety of others.
The statement also says he will make recommendations on how to build a system in which alternatives to segregation are made available for people with acute mental health issues.
As well, Sapers will look into the feasibility of creating "a permanent external oversight body" for correctional institutions.
In the news release he's quoted as saying that he shares the government's goal "to reduce the use of segregation and to improve the care and custody of those who must be housed separately...This is a timely and pressing issue."
Sapers is expected to file an interim report by the end of February, 2017, with a final report due in the spring.
