Learning from the study of the Government of Canada’s apparent attempt to end solitary confinement: The “Structured Intervention Units” in Correctional Service Canada institutions
Anthony N. Doob
Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies, University of Toronto
When Parliament created “Structured Intervention Units” in 2019, Correctional Service Canada (CSC) took the position that the new legislation had abolished Administrative Segregation and they no longer practiced solitary confinement. Four years later, it is clear that the term Administration Segregation is no longer part of the official toolbox for CSC, but the practice of solitary confinement is alive and well in Canada’s penitentiaries. After over four years of examining Canada’s approach to solitary confinement, it is clear that there are two separate, but related topics that can be examined. The first is straightforward. It involves the understanding of what is happening in Canada’s penitentiaries in the area normally referred to as solitary confinement. The second is more complex. It involves using the study of “Structured Intervention Units” as a tool for understanding how Correctional Service Canada operates its institutions for all prisoners.
