SOLITARY CONFINEMENT IN CANADA YOU SAY?

The December 24/15 Waterloo Region Record carried the following story by Gavin MacFadyen, titled "Solitary confinement has no place in a just society". There have been several well known jailhouse suicides by convicts including the infamous death of Ashley Smith at Kitchener's Grand Valley Institution for Women several years ago. It probably isn't even exactly fair referring to Ashley Smith as a convict. She was nineteen years old and had been incarcerated for four years after throwing apples at a postman. Yes you heard that right.

Several coroner's inquests have demanded an end to the practice and in a civilized society that should have happened a long time ago. Apparently our new government and prime minister are in favour of eliminating the practice hence we can only hope it happens sooner than later. Far too often have we seen that authority without serious accountability leads to abuses of the powerless. It is long overdue that many Canadian institutions face greater not less scrutiny and accountability. Corrections Service Canada is high on that list. I would add hospitals and especially school boards as well followed by municipal governments. Some are a hotbed of truth abusers and manipulaters for their benefit not for the benefit of the public.