Remand Centre on lockdown after series of deaths, suspected overdoses
The Edmonton Remand Centre is on lockdown following a series of inmate deaths and a string of eight apparent overdoses.
A spokesman for the union representing correctional officers at the provincial jail said Wednesday that the remand is locked down “while staff perform a thorough search of the entire facility for contraband.”
The lockdown began Friday. “This lockdown is in an effort to protect the safety of staff and inmates during the search,” Alberta Union of Provincial Employees spokesman Tyler Bedford said in a message.
The search comes after a 26-yearold man incarcerated at the facility was found unresponsive in his cell Friday. A spokesperson for Alberta Justice and Solicitor General said the man died despite being treated with Narcan — a medication used to block the effects of opioids in people who are overdosing.
Another six inmates at the centre were administered Narcan that day, the spokesperson said, all of whom have been treated and returned to the centre.
An eighth inmate was found unresponsive and administered Narcan Sunday. That inmate was hospitalized and later returned to the centre.
Melissa Hunder, whose partner is an inmate at the facility, said he has been locked down since Friday, with limited time outside cells.
The facility, completed in 2013, is designed to minimize in-cell time for inmates.
Alberta Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley told Postmedia Wednesday it’s always a concern to see deaths and injuries in custody.
She said her government has taken a number of steps to curtail the problem of drugs getting into jails — drug dogs, searches and a drug scanner at Edmonton Remand, for example — which have been “very effective.”
“The challenge can sometimes be a very small amount only is necessary (for an overdose),” she said.
As with any fatal incident in a jail, Ganley said there will be an internal review into what happened. That review will determine whether there will be a fatality inquiry. She said there are currently no plans to
broaden the scope of reviews.
An Alberta Justice spokesperson said in an email Tuesday that privacy legislation prevents them from publicly releasing health information about inmates, including whether they overdosed and, in the case of deceased inmates, causes of death. However, the Fatality Review Board reviews each death in custody to determine whether a public fatality inquiry is needed, the spokesperson said.
Alberta correctional facilities recorded more than 120 overdoses between January 2016 and Nov. 30, 2017, according to provincial statistics.
More inmates died in Alberta jails in the first half of 2018 than in all of 2017, according to provincial statistics. The four recent deaths at the Edmonton Remand Centre bring the total number of people who have died in provincial jails so far this year to eight.