Social media post last strike for Regina jail employee
In the wake of firing a corrections worker at the Regina jail who made a crass remark about First Nations inmates on social media, the provincial government is also reviewing its hiring practices.
The Ministry of Justice confirmed Friday that the man is “no longer in the employment” of the Regina Correctional Centre.
Ministry spokesman Drew Wilby said the “vast majority, if not all staff,” are dedicated to their jobs and work hard to represent Saskatchewan’s correctional system professionally.
This latest social media issue followed problematic posts, revealed publicly in May, also made by correctional workers.
Despite reiterating confidence in the hiring practices for corrections workers, Wilby said that, “in light of some of these recent allegations, and in particular this case, we will be reviewing our hiring practices.”
In this instance, the man recently posted on social media: “I ride enough Indians in jail. Now I’ve got my own to ride.” It was accompanied by a photo of the man straddling an Indian brand motorcycle in front of the statue — an oversized Indigenous head wearing a headdress — located in the town of Indian Head.
Wilby confirmed last week that the social media post belonged to an employee of the Regina jail, and it had been brought to the Ministry’s attention.
“Comments that were made on social media have no place in our workplace, and not just the comments but those feelings,” said Wilby, adding a jail was “not the appropriate environment” for people who have such viewpoints to work.
Following a brief investigation, the employee was dismissed.
Disciplinary measures for the workers can include a discussion with the employee, having a formal letter put on their file, an unpaid leave from work and termination of employment.
According to Leader-Post sources close to the matter, this particular employee’s brief tenure with the correctional system also included other instances in which red-flags should have been raised.
Shortly after being hired, the man allegedly got into a physical altercation with a colleague after making racist remarks to another colleague. This, according to sources, took place at a ceremony, welcoming new correctional workers, to which he brought live gold fish in hopes others would swallow them.
Efforts to reach the terminated employee were unsuccessful Friday.
Wilby would not confirm if any disciplinary action resulted out of that welcoming event, saying only, “We were aware of some of that previous behaviour,” and that it is not indicative of correctional workers’ attitudes.
Sources familiar with the corrections system contend that the man continuing on as an employee after the initial problems is an example of the Ministry of Justice struggling to retain workers, who complain of long hours and low pay.
“The Ministry hires professional men and women to do the job that they are being asked to do,” said Wilby, who said the employees are “valuable people” to the public service.
In May, the Leader-Post reported on a series of other social media posts made by people working in Saskatchewan jails. They were posted roughly a year earlier, but surfaced publicly this spring.
“Hey buddy did you just use a toothbrush to cut your throat? Let me cuff you and help you with that,” wrote one employee in that instance.
It was among several responses made by corrections employees to the question, posed on a Facebook group, “Name something you never thought you’d have to say to another person until you got into corrections?”
The Ministry of Justice confirmed that correctional workers at Saskatchewan jails were disciplined — but nobody lost their job — as a result of the string of inappropriate posts.
Comments that were made on social media have no place in our workplace, and not just the comments but those feelings.