Province will no longer keep Manitoba youth waiting for bail in solitary confinement at remand centre

The Manitoba government will no longer keep youth waiting for bail in solitary confinement at the Winnipeg Remand Centre, following pleas from defence lawyers for the province to end the unusual practice.

An internalmemo obtained by CBC sent to justice staff Thursday afternoon by Michael Mahon, Manitoba's assistant deputy attorney general, says minorsin custody at the remand centre would be transferred to the Manitoba Youth Centre.

The memo saysgoing forward, youths entering the justice system will be isolated in a cottage at the Manitoba Youth Centreto reduce the chances of COVID-19 being brought intothe facility.

The memo does not say when the province would make the change.

• Lawyers raise alarm bells as youth waiting for bail sit in solitary confinement

The movecomes after a CBC News storyThursday morning, in whichdefence lawyers raised concerns about youthbeing held in solitary confinement at the remand centre while waiting for bail.

Manitoba Justicehadbeen keeping youth in segregation in adult cells at the Winnipeg Remand Centre since April 2, part of an effort the governmentsaid wasmeant to keep COVID-19 out of provincial jails.

WATCH | Province will no longer house youth at Winnipeg Remand Centre:

Province backs down, will no longer house youth at Winnipeg Remand Centre

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Duration 1:44

The move comes after a CBC News story Thursday morning, in which defence lawyers raised concerns about youth being held in solitary confinement at the remand centre while waiting for bail.

The province is isolating everyone coming into custody for up to 14 days to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister was asked Thursday if he was concerned about youth being held in solitary confinement.

"If they're not in solitary confinement and they're placed in some other location where they're exposed to COVID, I would say it would be better to be in solitary confinement, but I don't know the details of the specific situation that you're raising," he said.

"Beyond that, I can only say that we're concerned, obviously, about the safety, health and well-being of allManitobans, whether they're incarcerated or not."

Hillarie Tasche, a defence lawyer with the Regency Community Law Centre, a branch of Legal Aid, said she isincredibly relieved by the decision. She was vocal in her call to the province to stop housing youth at the remand centre.

"I'm just so thankful that corrections and Manitoba Justice listened so quickly and put the needs of these young people in mind when they were deciding on what to do with them in reversing this decision of having them held at the remand centre," she said Thursday night.

She said the remand centre is ill-equipped for the needs of young people, unlike.the Manitoba Youth Centre which is able to offer special care.

"They have the opportunity, we're hoping, to have less time alone and even if they aresocially isolated from either peers or guards they'll have more access to mentors and counsellors that they know and trust," she said.

In addition to different sleeping times and lightingmore appropriatefor youth, as well as a large green space outside with basketball court and baseball diamond that youth can use while physically distancing, there is fresh food prepared by young people at the facility, she added.

"They learn a lot there. They get a lot of mentorship and it's one of the first places that we see where these young people start to take pride in their work and have some hope for the future."