Solitary confinement continues in Canada, just by any other name: SIUs, Mental Health Monitoring, Medical Isolation, Dry Celling, Lockdowns.

Join groups and individuals from across the country to put a spotlight on the ongoing practice of solitary confinement. Join us for daily events, discussion, and action.

Today we wrap up our 15 day spotlight on solitary confinement and call for action

In conversation with:

Jennifer Metcalfe

Jennifer Metcalfe is the Executive Director of Prisoners’ Legal Services, which provides all prison related legal aid to federal and provincial prisoners in British Columbia, other than appeals. She has worked as a lawyer at Prisoners’ Legal Services since 2006 where her work includes representing prisoners with human rights complaints. Jennifer is the vice-president of the Canadian Prison Law Association and is a member of the Canadian Bar Association Committee on Imprisonment and Release. She has presented to Senate and Parliamentary committees on the liberty and human rights of prisoners. She received her law degree from the University of British Columbia and was called to the bar in 2004. She has an undergraduate degree in Native Studies from Trent University. ​​

Catherine Latimer

Catherine Latimer has been the Executive Director of the John Howard Society of Canada since 2011. Previously, Ms. Latimer was a policy lawyer for the federal government providing analysis and policy advice for the Departments of the Solicitor General, the Privy Council Office, and Justice and had a lead responsibility in the development of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Her law degree is from Queen’s University, Kingston and her Masters in Criminology is from Cambridge University. She is a Broadbent Fellow, past President of the National Associations Active in Criminal Justice and a Member of the Order of Canada.

Emilie Coyle

Emilie brings over 15 years of leadership and management experience in the non-profit sector to her role as Executive Director of CAEFS. Her experience in civil society has taken her from Canada’s west, to the east, and she now makes her home in Ottawa with her two children – Maia and Niko – and her partner, Adam. Emilie is passionate about the power of community and actively pursues ways to animate community-building. This includes supporting the essential on-the-groundwork of the many Elizabeth Fry Societies across the country. She has a BA in International Studies, a Master of Education, and a Juris Doctor in law. She also loves a good book and welcomes suggestions for ones to add to her ever-growing collection.

Adelina Iftene

Dr. Adelina Iftene is an Assistant Professor and the Criminal Justice Specialization Coordinator at Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, as well as the Associate Director of the Health Law Institute at Dalhousie. Adelina teaches criminal law, evidence and imprisonment and prison policy. Her major research work explores issues related to prison health and access to justice for prisoners, and her manuscript “Punished for Aging: Vulnerabilities, Rights, and Access to Justice in Canadian Penitentiaries,” was published by University of Toronto Press in 2019.

This event is pre-recorded and will go live on our YouTube channel at the event start time.

Organizing partners: Prisoner Legal Services, Schulich School of Law - Dalhousie University, the John Howard Society of Canada, and the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies.