Yukon Gov’t denies Michael Nehass’s segregation claim
'We haven't seen anybody spend over two years in segregation. That just hasn't happened'
The Yukon Government is rejecting a prisoner's claim he spent more than two years in segregation at the Whitehorse Correctional Centre.
Michael Nehass complained to the Yukon Human Rights Commission that he was held in segregation for a total of 28 months at the Whitehorse Correctional Centre.
A spokesperson for the Justice department, Dan Cable, is discounting Nehass's numbers.
“We haven't seen anybody spend over two years in segregation. That just hasn't happened.”
Cable says over the past decade, the longest anyone was held in segregation in any one calendar year was seven months, and he says those seven months were not all consecutive.
Nehass also complained about being held naked on the floor while he appeared in court by video conference.
Cable says the prisoner was brought naked into the court hearing because the court ordered him to attend, but he refused to go, or to get dressed.
Nehass now says he wants to attend court.
Earlier this week he refused to take part in another video conference from the jail.
He's now due for an in-person hearing next month.