Can Solitary Confinement in Canada Be Reformed or Abolished?
The McGill Faculty of Law is delighted to invite you to its campus for the 2022 Proulx Roundtable on April 5. Two leading experts will discuss their prominent reports on ongoing legal reforms to abolish or reform solitary confinement in Canada. Solitary confinement is increasingly recognized as a human rights violation and form of torture, especially if inflicted for long periods. Solitary nonetheless remains commonplace in the prisons of Canada and other democratic societies.
Our distinguished speakers will be Anthony Doob, Professor Emeritus of Criminology, University of Toronto, and Jane Sprott, Professor of Criminology, Ryerson University. Their research on solitary confinement has garnered attention from scholars, practitioners, and the media, given its profound implications for Canadian criminal justice. Professors Doob and Sprott will describe their findings on the state of solitary confinement, from immobilism to prospects for change.
Consistently with public-health regulations, attendees will need to present proof of vaccination and wear a procedural mask (available at our entrances). Please RSVP here.
Following a long winter, this year’s Proulx Roundtable marks the beginning of spring and the return to diverse campus activities. The Roundtable is named after the Honourable Michel Proulx (1939-2007), who devoted his life to the improvement of the criminal justice system and to the advancement of human rights in Canada. Called to the Quebec Bar in 1963, he quickly became known as one of the finest criminal lawyers nationwide. In 1989, he was appointed to the Court of Appeal of Quebec. In 2006, he was awarded the Prix de la Justice du Québec in light of his devotion to the improvement of justice in Quebec. Michel Proulx equally taught Criminal Procedure and Evidence in Criminal Matters for over twenty years as an adjunct professor at the Faculty of Law of McGill, besides supporting our international human rights programs. His commitment to the Faculty of Law was constant and devoted, providing counsel and encouragement to students, teachers, and deans. The Faculty of Law hosts the Michel Proulx Roundtable Conferences in Criminal Law to honour his memory. The McGill community is grateful to the Proulx family for making this event possible.
The event is organized and hosted by Professor Mugambi Jouet of the McGill Faculty of Law. Please feel free to reach him at mugambi.jouet [at] mcgill.ca with questions about the program.