Inmates in prisons administered by Quebec correctional services will have to be content to follow Monday’s eclipse on television, the Ministry of Public Security said on Friday.
From 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., it will be prohibited to follow the phenomenon on grounds outside Quebec’s 18 detention facilities, a spokesperson said.
“Given the health risks of looking towards the sun during the solar eclipse, whether from a region where it is total or partial, outings to the exterior courtyards of all detention establishments will be suspended,” responded Robert Maranda in a written statement.
The prison administration will not distribute glasses to observe the eclipse to incarcerated people.
“They will therefore not be able to observe the eclipse, but if they are there during the eclipse, they will be able to follow the event on television in their accommodation area if they wish,” said the spokesperson.
According to the ministry, a press release was sent to detainees, who do not have access to the Internet, to inform them of the risks associated with observing solar eclipses. The instruction is “to avoid observing the sky between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., for example through the window of a cell or when traveling in a cell van”.
In New York State, six inmates obtained the right to observe the eclipse in the courtyard of their prison with protective glasses on Thursday after challenging a directive similar to that of Quebec in court.
An out-of-court settlement was reached between the US State Correctional Service and the inmates, who complained of an infringement of their constitutional rights by putting forward religious reasons.
Exits already not guaranteed
Lawyer specializing in prison law, Nadia Golmier is not surprised by the confinement directive in Quebec, since the legal obligation to go out into the courtyard for one hour a day is regularly flouted, notably due to a lack of staff.
“In a society in which we respect the rights of detainees, we could indeed allow them to have their exit in the courtyard as the law provides, but in a more supervised manner, with for example warnings or the necessary means to protect themselves of the eclipse,” she said in a telephone interview.
Me Golmier believes, however, that public health reasons could be legitimate for prohibiting outings to prison courtyards during the eclipse. But according to the lawyer, the imposed confinement is not a significant problem for detainees in the current context.
“The eclipse at the moment, I think that in the prisons of Quebec, it is the least of their worries, in the sense that they have not even gone out for an hour a day in the courtyard for weeks, even months, did she say. So right now, the concern is not so much seeing the school team, but just that their basic right to go on the court is respected, which it’s not. »