Woman who spent 16 days in extreme solitary confinement sues federal government
CBC
A woman who spent 16 days in an extreme form of solitary confinement in a Nova Scotia prison is now suing the federal government for damages.
In 2020, Lisa Adams and her lawyers successfully argued before a Nova Scotia judge that her Charter rights had been breached after she spent 16 days in a "dry cell" on suspicion that she hid drugs in her vagina while serving a sentence at Nova Institution for Women in Truro.
A "dry cell" can be used for male and female inmates suspected of ingesting or hiding contraband inside their bodies. It is a solitary room with no flushing toilet or running water.
The inmate is observed through a glass window and a security camera at all times, even while using the toilet, until the item is removed through the person's bodily waste. There is always some form of lighting in a dry cell, as guards are required to take notes on what the inmate is doing every 15 minutes.
Adams eventually requested a pelvic examination by a doctor, which found she had no objects inside her.
In response to her case, the federal government changed the law and placed new restrictions on the use of "dry cells." The amendments set a 72-hour maximum for dry celling, although the head of the institution can extend that by an extra 24 to 48 hours under certain conditions.
"This whole thing has been a roller coaster, in all honesty," Adams said in a recent interview in Halifax.
Adams now lives in Saint John, near her mother and two sons. She was released from prison in early 2021 after a two-year sentence for drug trafficking, and she is no longer under any conditions.
Her civil case is scheduled to start on June 16, and Adams says it's been difficult to prepare herself mentally.
In the dry cell, the medical staff noted she had a mental break in which she mumbled to herself, was unable to follow directions, rubbed her hands on her arms continuously, pulled at her hair and appeared "jumpy" and "scared at noises and sudden movements."
Adams said she's tried to "compartmentalize" the experience, but the legal case has stopped her from moving forward.
"I know that I'm going to have to revisit it, and revisit it properly when it does go to trial," she said.
"So I've kind of set it to the side as opposed to fully healing from it yet, because I didn't want to have to re-experience all of the details and have to go through it all over again."
Adams's 2020 case was a Charter challenge and not a lawsuit, so there was no compensation attached to the decision. That's why her lawyers are returning to court with a civil case now.
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