Class-action trial in Manitoba to challenge province’s use of segregation jail cells on children

Manitoba’s practice of putting incarcerated children in segregation jail cells − including some who are as young as 12 and 13 years old − will be challenged this fall when a landmark class-action lawsuit goes to trial.

The case, which has been about seven years in the making, will be the first major piece of litigation dealing with youth inmate segregation to go to trial in Canada. It follows several recent lawsuits against governments in the country that have successfully challenged aspects of how solitary confinement is used in adult prisons.