A few bad apples do not reflect all corrections staff

Bob Bymoen says most aim to make positive difference.

Over the past few months, I have followed several reports in the media about unfortunate situations in our province’s correctional centres. The public regularly hears about difficulties within the province’s jails but we don’t often hear about the day-to-day success stories.

The situations that are reported on involve overcrowding, drug use and overdoses, suicide, racism, gang-related activity and violence, unacceptably high numbers of Indigenous people in custody, inmates with serious mental or physical health issues — the list goes on.

Occasionally, the news also features incidents that reflect badly on staff. Recently, the public heard about inappropriate comments made by a corrections officer on social media that led to a termination. Other recent events include an insensitive complaint form passed to an inmate and published online, and unacceptable comments by corrections workers on a Facebook page.

Let me be clear, that I, and the vast majority of SGEU’S membership, denounce any racist, insensitive, unprofessional comments, or actions that are disrespectful toward inmates. As such, there are policies and procedures in place to investigate and discipline, if necessary, those who take such actions as they happen.

Unfortunately, it’s usually the negative headlines that the public will recall, making us forget that these types of incidents are few and far between.

It needs to be pointed out the overwhelming majority of the workers in Saskatchewan’s correctional centres fulfil their roles with the utmost integrity and professionalism under highly demanding conditions.

We rarely hear the heroic stories about a corrections officer who intercepted a drug transaction, or who saved the life of an inmate or co-worker involved in a violent assault. Nor do we hear the stories of staff who help rehabilitate inmates so that they have a chance to turn their lives around. These stories best reflect the everyday reality of staff in correctional facilities.

Throughout my time as an elected official at SGEU, I have met hundreds of corrections officers and other correctional staff. I can say that, by far, the majority are trying their best to make a positive difference.

Corrections officers keep the inmate population and staff safe, while managing all the risks associated with overcrowded jails and inadequate staffing and programming. Many of the workers wish they could do more within their respective facilities, but struggle with the overwhelming demands of a growing inmate population and fewer resources.

At any given moment, a corrections officer must be a counsellor, a disciplinarian, a first responder, a firefighter, or a medic, as the situation requires. They work with sex offenders, gang members and lifelong criminals. They also work with those suffering from mental illnesses and infectious diseases. Staff regularly get accosted, assaulted, spit on and worse.

The task faced by corrections officers is not an easy one, especially given the provincial government has reduced rehabilitative programs to the point of offering little assistance in improving an inmate’s ability to function in society upon their release.

In addition to some of the more well-known problems within the corrections system, addressing the revolving door of staff is long overdue. The government needs to look at what’s going wrong and stop burying its head in the sand about a toxic environment it created.

There are many steps the government could take to improve the situation inside correctional centres. The recruitment process could be improved and should include First Nations communities to help increase the number of Indigenous staff employed in facilities. The orientation and training process for new employees could be changed to ensure staff are properly equipped to do their jobs, and the level of support that staff receive from management could be increased.

More supports could be extended to staff to help them deal with the extraordinary stress and risk they face on the job, such as additional training in first aid and drug overdoses, and a more flexible work and vacation schedule. Government needs to take these things seriously if it wants to recruit and retain high-quality staff within the corrections system.

SGEU is ready and willing to share its ideas and help implement solutions to the challenges facing our provincial corrections system — we only wish the Saskatchewan government showed that same commitment.