British Columbia Solitary Confinement
A settlement worth up to $60 million has been reached in the class action against the Province of British Columbia concerning the use of separate confinement and/or segregation in B.C. Correctional Centres.
On October 22, 2025, the Supreme Court of British Columbia approved the settlement.
Criteria
You may be eligible if between April 18, 2005 and October 22, 2025:
✓ You were placed in Separate Confinement and/or Segregation for 15 or more consecutive days (Prolonged Class), or
✓ You were placed in Separate Confinement and/or Segregation while suffering from a Mental Illness that B.C. Corrections knew or ought to have known about (SMI Class)
✓ In one of the following B.C. Correctional Centres:
• Alouette Correctional Centre for Women
• Ford Mountain Correctional Centre
• Fraser Regional Correctional Centre
• Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre
• Nanaimo Correctional Centre
• North Fraser Pretrial Centre
• Okanagan Correctional Centre
• Prince George Regional Correctional Centre
• Surrey Pretrial Services Centre
• Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre
You are not eligible if:
× You previously opted out of the class action,
× You settled similar claims with B.C. and signed a release,
× Your placement was due to COVID-19 protocols,
× Your claim is statute-barred and not validated through the verification of incapacity process.
If your only placement(s) in Separate Confinement and/or Segregation ended prior to November 26, 2016 or occurred between December 23, 2020 and July 30, 2022, you are only eligible to make a claim through the Statute Barred Claims Process and must establish that you were a person under a disability for a sufficient period of time such that your claim is not statute-barred. If this applies to you, you should fill out a Claim Form and the Administrator or Class Counsel will contact you with regards to the Statute Barred Claims Process.
“Separate Confinement and/or Segregation” means any placement apart from the general population pursuant to ss. 17, 18, 24 or 27(1)(d) of the Correction Act Regulation, BC Reg 58/2005.
To learn more about how Mental Illness is defined in the context of this settlement, please refer to the FAQ.
What does the Settlement provide?
Awards from the total fund of up to $60 million Settlement Fund will be distributed as follows:
• $30,000,000 – Common Experience Fund
For all Eligible Claimants:
◦ Up to $3,000 for members of the Prolonged Class
◦ Up to $6,000 for members of the SMI Class
• $25,000,000 to $30,000,000 – Serious Harms Fund
For Eligible Claimants who experienced:
◦ Lengthy or repeated placements in separate confinement and/or segregation
◦ Specific and recorded harms such as:
▪ A new diagnosis of a mental illness during or within 90 days of an eligible placement.
▪ A transfer to a designated mental health facility during or within 60 days after an eligible placement (excluding court-ordered transfers, probation or sentence conditions, or transfers related to addiction recovery, rehabilitation or detox).
▪ Self-injurious behaviour while alone or in the presence of BC Corrections staff within 60 days of an eligible placement; and
▪ A suicide attempt within 60 days of an eligible placement.
What are my options at this stage?
Potential Class Members are encouraged to file a claim between January 10, 2026 and January 11, 2027. Make sure you have all supporting documents when you file your claim.
When will the compensation be distributed?
Payment of compensation to approved Eligible Claimants will be issued only when all Claims have been processed and approved. No payments are expected before 2027.
Consult our FAQ to find answers to your questions!
Frequently asked questions
If you have any questions related to this class action, please contact us at:
Proactio 418 647-3211 877 916-1122 bcsegregation@proactio.caIf you are sending your opt-out form by mail, please send it to the following address:
Proactio
Class Action – BC Segregation
140, Grande Allée Est Bureau 200
Québec, QC G1R 5P7