B.C.'s handling of youth confinement an 'embarrassment': ombudsperson
B.C.'s ombudsperson says the Ministry of Children and Family Development should be embarrassed by its neglect toward its commitment to reduce the practice of isolating youth in custody.
Jay Chalke said Tuesday that the ministry had failed to take action on a 2021 report by his office that called for “separate confinement,” or solitary confinement, of young people to be limited and its prolonged use abolished.
Chalke's remarks came as his office issued an update to the report.
Minister for Children and Family Development Grace Lore said in a written statement that no youth in custody have been separately confined in the last five months.
She said she was reviewing the report and directing ministry staff to “report back to me on all outstanding recommendations.”
Chalke's 2021 report examined youth in provincial youth facilities in Burnaby and Prince George who were subject to the practice between 2017 and 2019, and “what we found was alarming,” Chalke said in a conference call with reporters on Tuesday.
The report found that youth in danger of suicide and self-harm were those most commonly subject to separate confinement, and “prolonged isolation periods were experienced almost exclusively by Indigenous and racialized girls.”
“Separately, confined youth had limited and inconsistent educational, mental health and cultural supports and in several cases, youth were subject to repeated use of force and forcible removal of clothing,” he said.
The report said youth were exposed to “significant harm” from separate confinement, in particular Indigenous youth who have long been overrepresented in provincial custody.
The update to the report said that in many cases the ministry was “moving backwards.”
It found vulnerable youth in provincial custody were still being isolated from others in care for long periods.
“To date, there's been a serious lack of progress by the ministry on these recommendations,” Chalke said, adding that he was “deeply concerned.”
He said that the number of youth in custody has dropped since the release of the 2021 report, entitled “Alone: The Prolonged and Repeated Isolation of Youth in Custody,” and that should have made its recommendations easier to implement.
But the update said the ministry had made no progress on 15 of the 2021 recommendations, despite a “commitment to implement every recommendation” when the report was released.
“To say I am disappointed is an understatement,” Chalke said in a news release.
“I am calling on the ministry to account for and address its delay in meaningfully implementing the recommendations, in order to ensure more humane treatment of youth remanded while awaiting trial or serving a custodial sentence.”
He said that in 2021, the ministry had committed to a longer implementation period for the recommendations than the report suggested.
Chalke said in the release that the ministry “has so neglected this issue, they've been unable to meet even their slower pace of implementation. This should be cause for embarrassment.”
“Youth in custody who are further isolated through separate confinement are placed very far from the site of justice,” he said on the conference call. “The ministry must do better.”
Lore said in her statement that her expectation “as minister and as a mom, is that all kids in our province are safe, cared for and connected, whether they are at home with their families or in our care. That includes youth in our custody.”
“My direction is that we continue to do the work to address all the issues in the report, regardless of whether we can provide a public update,” she said.
A response letter from deputy minister David Galbraith, dated April 3, is appended to Chalke's update of the report. It says the Ministry of Children and Family Development was provided a draft of the update in February.
Chalke had sought a progress report from the ministry by the end of March, but Galbraith's letter said “in consideration of pending legal action related to the topic of the Alone report, the ministry is currently unable to provide a further update on the progress of the implementation of the recommendations.”
In October 2023, B.C. law firm Hammerco Lawyers announced a class action against the ministry for alleged Charter violations related to youth solitary confinement in B.C. dating back to 1984.
Lore said she expects “in absolutely every case possible, that youth in custody should not experience prolonged periods of disconnection and isolation.”
“Should additional steps be needed to keep our children safe, they will be taken,” Lore said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
BREAKING 15-year-old boy stabbed Thursday in Nepean dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Nylander defends Leafs' core after playoff exit, Toronto again picks up the pieces
The Maple Leafs battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss.
Amid climate change warnings, Canadians lukewarm on electric vehicles
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
Three dead, two hospitalized, following collision in Fredericton: police
Three people have died and two have been hospitalized after a speeding car struck a tree and landed on another vehicle in Fredericton Sunday morning.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Madonna's biggest-ever concert transforms Rio's Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
Mexican authorities say thieves killed 2 Australians and an American to steal their truck
Thieves killed two Australians and an American on a surfing trip to Mexico in order to steal their truck, particularly because they wanted the tires, authorities said Sunday.