US EditionFederal inmates allege pandemic ill treatment in class-action lawsuit
- On June 6, 2025, a B.C. Supreme Court certified a class-action lawsuit led by inmate Dean Roberts against the federal government for COVID-19 prison isolation policies.
- The lawsuit alleges that starting March 2020, inmates faced medical isolation comparable to solitary confinement causing inhumane rights restrictions during the pandemic.
- Roberts, serving a life sentence for murders committed in 1994, described inmates confined 23 hours daily in small cells with 20-minute out-of-cell time, leading to severe mental distress.
- Justice Michael Tammen noted the claims have merit despite government arguments medical isolation differs from punitive solitary confinement and declared the case suitable for class action.
- The ruling enables potentially thousands of inmates to challenge Correctional Service of Canada's policies affecting their rights during COVID-19, with the case advancing pending trial.
20 Articles
20 Articles
Judge approves B.C. inmate's class action over 'inhumane' prison isolation during pandemic
Dean Christopher Roberts, 56, is the lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit against Ottawa that was greenlit by the B.C. Supreme Court on Friday. The case claims the medical isolation that began in Canadian prisons in March 2020 subjected prisoners to "inhumane rights restrictions" that amounted to solitary confinement.
B.C. federal inmate's proposed class-action over COVID lockdowns certified by judge
A proposed class-action lawsuit filed against the federal government for confining prison inmates in their cells for 20 hours a day during the COVID-19 pandemic has been certified by a B.C. Supreme Court judge.
Creating a prevention mechanism integrated exclusively by civil society is what Nafarroa Salhakata proposes to tackle the bad...
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