The lockdown ‘crisis’ at Ontario’s worst-off jail
Facility is ‘the worst-off institution’ in Ontario, local union head claims
Ottawa’s jail had more lockdowns in the first six months of this year due to staffing shortages than in all of last year, according to new statistics released by the ministry that oversees the institution.
There had been 45 full or partial lockdowns at the chronically overcrowded jail by the beginning of July, two more than the 43 lockdowns that occurred in all of 2014. And the trend could be accelerating, with inmates and their families reporting at least five lockdowns in the last two weeks alone.
The situation at the jail has become a “crisis,” according to public service union local president and Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre correctional officer Denis Collin.
Collin said both correctional officers and inmates are on edge because of the repeated lockdowns at the 525-bed jail. The lockdowns result in prisoners being kept in their cells around the clock, the cancellation of visits with their lawyers or families and no access to the already limited counselling and other programming offered at the jail.
“Ottawa per capita is probably the worst-off institution staffing-wise right now in Ontario,” said Collin.
“(Inmates) basically are left in their cells for 24 hours a day because in that situation we can’t even afford to be able to give these guys fresh air. You do that for any period of time and the tension builds up fairly quickly,” said Collin. “You can feel it, it’s in the air. You can sometimes cut the tension with a knife.”
The Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services was unable to confirm how many lockdowns have occurred in July. It said the number won’t be available until mid-to-late August.
But Collin said staffing shortages due to the lack of hiring by the ministry have led to not enough employees to cover for vacations or sick days. The shortages are leaving less time for searches, leading to even more lockdowns as correctional officers try to catch up.
“Our main concern is the necessities of life. When you are in lockdown mode it is as acute as going to a night shift mode where basically we’re making sure everyone is alive, everyone is safe, everyone is being fed and the bare necessities are being provided at the institution,” said Collin.
The spike comes after Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services statistics released earlier this year showed lockdowns due to staffing shortages had soared over the past three years. After only four lockdowns due to staffing shortages in 2012, the number increased tenfold by 2014 and is now on pace to more than double in 2015.
Correctional Services Minister Yasir Naqvi, who is the MPP for Ottawa Centre, was unavailable for an interview but said in a written statement that the ministry is “working to address the root causes of these lockdowns by hiring more officers and continuing to work closely with staff to manage daily staffing requirements.”
Naqvi said the ministry hired 450 new correctional officers provincewide since 2013, including 14 at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre. It is currently in the midst of hiring an additional 300 correctional officers across Ontario, according to Naqvi.
“Transformations cannot take place overnight and that is why we continue to work with our staff towards a system that focuses on greater mental health supports, and enhanced rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates while ensuring the safe and secure operation of our facilities,” said Naqvi.
Collin said he has been told the ministry is prepared to add 40 new staff in Ottawa, but there is no timeline for the hiring. Collin alleged the problem is that a pool of “unclassified” staff that can fill in for full-time correctional officers has dropped from approximately 100 officers to about a dozen in the past few years.
The lockdowns are denying prisoners timely access to legal counsel, according to one Ottawa lawyer who had a meeting with a client abruptly cancelled as a result of a lockdown on July 24.
Michael Spratt said he had already waited 10 days for a professional visit with a mentally ill client, only to turn up at the jail and be told that the officer who regularly handles professional visits was reassigned to other duties because of the lack of staff. It was at least the second time professional visits had been cancelled that week, Spratt said.
Spratt’s client, who has been in jail several months after being denied bail, now must wait another 10 days to see his lawyer to discuss whether he should go to trial or resolve the case.
“The practical impact for him is that his matter is going to be delayed by a minimum of two weeks before a (court) date can be set one way or another,” said Spratt.
Irene Mathias, a community member for the support group Mothers Offering Mutual Support, said inmate visits need to be scheduled long in advance. Being “turned back at the gate” is devastating for both family members and an inmate who may have been looking forward to it for a week or more, she said.
“That visit is simply gone, lost,” said Mathias. “It also affects their yard time, which is very precious. It is their only opportunity for natural light and fresh air.”
The lockdowns can also mean reduced access to showers or medical care, she said.
“Everybody understands there are lockdowns in jails,” she said. “Lockdowns and other services curtailed due to staff shortages ... is unacceptable because that means that an institution is not able to provide the services it is mandated to provide.”