By Karen Nickel
Dialog Reporter

Mandy Hiscocks, file photo

Amanda Hiscocks, jailed G20 activist, is taking the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services (MCSCS) and Vanier Centre for Women before the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal.

According to the claim filed on Nov. 22, MCSCS and Vanier place prisoners into arbitrary security classifications based on discriminatory beliefs around gender, race, citizenship, disability, mental health and creed; and these beliefs are what’s used to make decisions on where the prisoner ends up, not on the facts of individual cases.

Hiscocks, a self-identified anarchist, says her politics was the reason she was put in maximum security, not for any security issue. She will argue that political beliefs should be included in the term ‘creed’ and as such prohibited as a basis for discrimination.

Hiscocks is seeking systemic changes with her claim. Among her remedies are: A transparent and accountable process for security classifications with clear processes for prisoners to understand why they are classified a certain way; a fair grievance procedure; the end of discriminatory applications of security categories based on race, gender, mental health, or immigration status; and an accessibility audit of facilities under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. Hiscocks states that prisoners with mobility devices are arbitrarily placed in maximum security because medium security is not wheelchair accessible.