Human rights-based data collection for inmates in segregation

The ministry is committed to publicly releasing annual data on the Open Data Catalogue regarding the use of segregation for all inmates in Ontario’s adult correctional system, excluding those on lockdown. This report is released annually on a reporting period between April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024, which aligns with the government’s fiscal year.

Data releases include the following:

• the duration of time each inmate spent in segregation, including continuous and total days over the last year
• the reason the inmate was placed in segregation
• the number of inmates who had a suicide alert or suicide watch alert

Demographic information entered in the ministry’s Offender Tracking Information System (OTIS) is largely self-reported and may change over time. OTIS displays the most recent details for an inmate and maintains a record of information previously entered in the system.

The data posted is disaggregated based on:

• inmates with mental health alerts
• gender
• facility/institution
• region
• race
• age
• religion or spiritual affiliation. 

Disclosure on data collection method

Segregation is defined in Ontario Regulation 778 as any type of custody where an inmate is in highly restricted conditions for 22 to 24 hours or does not receive a minimum of two hours of meaningful social interaction each day, excluding in circumstances of an unscheduled lockdown.

This data was collected through the Offender Tracking Information System (OTIS), an electronic database used to track inmates under the supervision of the ministry and includes demographic, institutional housing and placement history. Inmate information is entered into OTIS manually and, due to technological limitations, may be recorded through other means and entered into OTIS at a later time. The ministry reviews information in OTIS to ensure accuracy. 

A record is required to be created each time an inmate meets the conditions of segregation and closed when the inmate no longer meets those conditions. A break in a segregation placement is defined as occurring when an inmate is out of segregation conditions for 24 or more continuous hours.

The report generated through OTIS identified all inmates with a segregation placement within the identified period. For these inmates, the report captured:

• the number of placements
• the duration of placements
• reasons for placements
• demographic information
• alerts for mental health concerns, suicide risk and suicide watch

Demographic information entered into OTIS is largely self-reported and may change over time. OTIS displays the most recent details for an inmate and maintains a record of information previously entered into the system. The report generated for this release captured demographic information that was active at the time of an inmate’s most recent period of supervision.

OTIS records inmates’ gender as either “male” or “female”. Additional gender identities are recorded by a “transgender alert”. Where an inmate has a transgender alert, the gender field in OTIS will reflect the inmate’s preferred gender identity and may change over time.

The information on race and religion or spiritual affiliation extracted from OTIS is aligned with the Anti-Racism Data Standards (ARDS). Data is also collected on Indigenous identity, ethnic origin, race and religion in order to align with the ARDS under the Anti-Racism Act, 2017 (ARA).

The identification of inmates with mental health concerns is based on the presence of a mental health alert that is recorded in OTIS. Mental health alerts do not indicate a confirmed mental health diagnosis. However, they signal the presence of potential mental health concerns.

Serious mental illness alerts are also included in the list of mental health alerts in OTIS. The identification of an inmate requiring a serious mental illness alert is made when one of the following occurs:

• a regulated health professional who is qualified to make diagnoses within their clinical scope considers the inmate to be experiencing at least one disorder as identified in Ontario Regulation 778 (O. Reg. 778)
• an institutional staff member has determined that an inmate is experiencing at least one of a list of symptoms outlined in O. Reg. 778

All mental health alerts, including serious mental illness alerts, are required to be verified by mental health professionals. Healthcare staff are required to assess inmates and verify mental health alerts in OTIS within 48 hours of the alert being entered. To capture the potential presence of a mental health concern, the data for this release includes both verified and unverified mental health alerts present on the inmate’s file at the beginning of each segregation placement.

Review of all inmates in segregation between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024

Throughout the reporting period, an average of 3.3% of inmates were held in segregation on any given day. There were 10,881 (27.7%) inmates identified as having at least one placement in segregation between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024, out of a total population of 39,258 inmates. Forty-one per cent of inmates in segregation conditions had a single placement over the reporting period. In total, there were 48,237 segregation placements during this period.

An inmate’s custodial location may change across placements. As a result, the location in the following tables is specific to unique inmates and reflects the information on file for the most recent placement during the reporting period. The location specific to placements reflects the information on file at the time of each placement.

Population breakdown

Of the 10,881 inmates who were in segregation between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024, 1,724 (16%) identified as female and 9,157 (84%) identified as male. These numbers include 160 inmates who self-identified as transgender during this period. Transgender inmates are captured in the dataset based on their gender identity.

Of the overall population in provincial institutions, 31% of females in custody and 27% of males in custody experienced at least one placement in segregation. 

Number of placements

There were 4,553 (42%) inmates who had a single segregation placement during the time period and 6,328 (58%) had two or more segregation placements. The highest number of times an inmate was placed in segregation was 106.

Duration of time spent in segregation 

Across all regions, the consecutive length of segregation placements for both males and females ranged from a minimum of one day to a maximum of 54 days. The median number of days consecutively spent in segregation was two days for females and two days for males. The most frequent, or mode, consecutive placement length was one day. These placement lengths include time that was spent in segregation conditions prior to April 1, 2023 if the placement continued into the April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024 reporting period.

Ministry policy requires that inmates placed in segregation be reviewed within 24 hours, and every five days thereafter. An independent review of inmates in administrative segregation conditions is required at least once every five consecutive days. These reviews consider alternative strategies that can be utilized to remove inmates from segregation conditions and into appropriate and less restrictive conditions as soon as possible.

Inmates in segregation receive a baseline assessment by a nurse upon entering segregation conditions and have their physical and mental health status assessed daily by a member of the healthcare services team. Segregation is to be used only as a last resort. In addition, inmates are not to be held in segregation for more than 15 consecutive days.

Across all regions, the aggregate number of days for segregation placements ranged from a minimum of one day to a maximum of 229 days for males and from a minimum of one day to a maximum of 275 days for females. The overall median aggregate number of days was four, and the most frequent aggregate number of days spent in segregation was one.

Aggregate days are calculated based on the total number of days in segregation during the one-year reporting period. The total number of aggregate days in segregation were counted to March 31, 2024.

Reports of inmates in segregation for 15 continuous days are provided directly to the Assistant Deputy Minister of Institutional Services and the Solicitor General. These reports include additional details about the circumstances of each inmate’s segregation placement and the alternatives to segregation considered to the point of undue hardship. This level of detail also applies to the 60-day aggregate reports that go to the Assistant Deputy Minister of Institutional Services.

Reasons for placement in segregation

The ministry’s policy during this time period required that segregation only be considered for an inmate if they require confinement following misconduct, or for non-disciplinary reasons, they:

• need protection for medical concerns
• pose a security or safety risk to others for medical reasons
• pose a security or safety risk to others
• require protection for other concerns
• refuse to be searched or resist a search

For the 2024 data release, the category “other” was added to reflect anomalous non-disciplinary segregation placements that were identified through an internal review. This category will be temporarily used for the 2024 and 2025 data releases.

Note: One placement in segregation may include more than one associated reason. As a result, the total number of placements in this table exceed the actual number of segregation placements.         
Note: Percentages have been rounded to the nearest tenth decimal place and do not add to 100%.

Throughout a segregation placement, the reason for the placement may change. Of the 48,237 placements, 48,178 (99.9%) had one associated reason, while 59 (0.1%) had more than one reason associated with segregation placements. The most frequent reasons for segregation placement included:

• 15,257 (32%) placements where inmates required protection for medical reasons
• 11,862 (25%) placements where inmates posed a safety or security risk to others due to medical reasons
• 9,905 (21%) occurrences where inmates posed a safety or security risk to others due to other reasons

Mental health alerts

A mental health alert is recorded in an inmate’s file by staff including correctional, medical and clinical staff, if the inmate:

• discloses a mental illness
• is showing signs of, or has disclosed thoughts about self-harm or suicide
• is demonstrating behaviour that may suggest a mental illness

The ministry’s policy requires an initial mental health screening to be completed within 48 hours of an inmate being admitted to an institution. All active mental health alerts are required to be verified by mental health professionals within 48 hours of the alert being entered into OTIS. If an inmate screens positive for a possible mental health condition, they are further assessed by healthcare professionals and may be referred to a psychiatrist or physician. Additionally, inmates are also reassessed for mental healthcare needs at least once every six months of continuous custody. Mental health professionals are required to add mental health alerts, verify new and existing mental health alerts and expire inactive alerts as appropriate throughout an inmate’s stay in custody.

Of the 10,881 inmates identified as being placed in segregation over the period of April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024, 4,208 (38.7%) had an active mental health alert on file for at least one of their placements in segregation. Fifty-five per cent of females in segregation and 36% of males in segregation had an active mental health alert on file for at least one of their placements. Of the overall population in provincial institutions, 42.5% of all females in custody and 27% of all males in custody had an active mental health alert on file at any point between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024.

The ministry has prohibited the use of segregation for individuals with a diagnosis of certain disorders or for those individuals observed to be experiencing specific behaviors.

Suicide risk alerts

A suicide risk alert is recorded in an inmate’s file when they require enhanced supervision or if they are at risk of posing harm to themselves. Suicide risk alerts are broken down into the following categories:

• enhanced supervision
• previous suicide attempt(s)
• suicide watch

Of the 10,881 inmates covered in the review, 3,098 (28%) had a suicide risk alert on file for at least one of their placements in segregation. There were 26% of females and 29% of males in segregation who had a suicide risk alert on file for at least one of their placements. In comparison, 23% of females in the overall custodial population and 20% of males had a suicide risk alert on file at any point between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024.

A suicide watch is a type of a suicide risk alert that indicates when an inmate requires increased supervision due to a high risk of suicide or self-harm. Of the 10,881 inmates included in the review, 1,989 (18%) were on suicide watch. Eleven percent of females in segregation and 20% of males in segregation had a suicide watch alert on file for at least one of their placements. Overall, 9% of females and 11% of males in custody had suicide watch alerts on file at any point between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024.

Ministry policy requires that an assessment, monitoring and documenting process including frequent in-person checks occur at least once every 10 minutes. Between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., correctional staff are required to interact verbally with the inmate on an hourly basis. 

Demographics

Demographic factors were extracted as they were recorded in OTIS at the time of the most recent supervision period and therefore do not reflect where the information may have changed over time.

In cases where an inmate reported more than one race or religious affiliation, these inmates have been included in the categories of “more than one reported race category” or “more than one reported religious or spiritual affiliation”.

Age

The average age amongst all inmates in segregation at the start of the reporting period was 35 years old.

Race

Of the 10,881 inmates covered in the review, 4,621 (42.5%) self-identified as white, 1,357 (12.5%) self-identified as Black, and 1,215 (11.2%) self-identified as Indigenous. There were 265 inmates (2.4%) who identified as South Asian, 229 (2%) as Middle Eastern, 166 (1.5%) as another race category, 119 (1.1%) identified as East Asian and 121 (1.1%) as Latino. There were 672 inmates (6.2%) that reported more than one race. There were 2,116 inmates (19.4%) who did not report this information, or it was unknown. 

Religion or spiritual affiliation

There were 4,123 (37.9%) inmates covered in the review who did not report a religious or spiritual affiliation or it was unknown, while 2,591 (23.8%) stated they had no religious or spiritual affiliation, and 1,732 (15.5%) self-identified as being Christian. There were 461 (4.2%) who self-identified as having Indigenous spirituality and 476 (4.4%) self-identified as Muslim. Of the remaining inmates, self-identified religions included: 96 (0.9%) Sikh, 51 (0.5%) Hindu, 42 (0.4%) Jewish and 45 Buddhist (0.4%). There were 356 inmates (3.3%) who reported “another religious or spiritual affiliation” and 908 (8.3%) who reported more than one religious or spiritual affiliation.