A Montreal woman has been given the green light to file a class action lawsuit against Correction Service Canada for being isolated in solitary confinement for too long.
Arlene Gallone spent nine months in a Joliette prison for her part in an armed robbery. Six of those nine months were in solitary confinement.
"I don't know how I got through it. Honestly there was times when I just wanted to finish it, I just wanted to get it over with and I was like what's the point of me even being alive?" Gallone told CTV Montreal.
She was alone for all but one hour each day, could not receive phone calls, had windows blocked in her cell and was never told how long she would be spending in isolation.
"Imagine being locked up with no windows in your room, no nothing, they feed you through a trap in the door," she said.
Gallone's lawyer, Clara Poissant-Lesperance, said placing someone in this type of situation can have serious effects on their mental health, and pointed out the United Nations considers any stay in solitary more than 15-days as torture.
The lawsuit is seeking $10,000 in compensation for anyone who spent more than 72 consecutive hours in solitary confinement over the past three years.
The union representing Canadian Correction Officers said placing an inmate in solitary is used as a last resort in order to protect other inmates and staff.
"This union has called repeatedly since 2005 for a special handling unit for high-risk women offenders who self-harm who are aggressive and who have mental health issues and yet it's fallen upon deaf ears," said Jason Gondin. "So before we start removing a tool that's important for all kinds of reasons give us alternative tools that we can use in those situations."
The latest numbers show around 20 per cent of Canada's inmates spend more than 120 days in isolation.
A similar class action was certified in Ontario in December.