Prisoner advocacy group calls on Nova Scotia to launch independent review of jails

A prisoner rights group says the Nova Scotia government must pass a law requiring independent monitoring of the province's jails.

In a report released today, the East Coast Prison Justice Society says provincial inmates complain of issues such as prolonged lockdowns and poor access to health care.

The group's annual report is a compilation of comments gathered from nearly 800 phone calls with inmates in the jail system from Sept. 1, 2022, to Aug. 31, 2023. Its findings also come after six people died while in provincial custody since January 2023.

"Nova Scotia's provincial government should no longer be permitted to enjoy executive discretion on whether to hold a public inquiry when a death in custody occurs," the report reads.

The report criticizes the province's approach to reviewing jail deaths by "committees that meet in secret, lack robust powers of truth-finding, and are not obliged to share factual conclusions with the public."

It said Nova Scotia should join the Canadian provinces that order public reviews of deaths in custody.

Among the complaints from inmates are the frequent use of lockdowns and solitary confinement; difficulty having health-care requests granted; loss of personal items during cell searches, and "excessive force" sometimes used during strip searches; poor access to cultural and spiritual support programs, particularly for African and Indigenous Nova Scotians; and unhygienic conditions in jails.

The group issued 42 recommendations, including one that asks the province to launch an independent review to identify necessary changes to the jail system, such as how it approaches health care.

N.S. Justice Minister Barbara Adams told reporters on Tuesday the province is open to an independent review of its jails, but offered no details.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.

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