Woman blasts Oliver jail staff, treatment
Inmate’s mother, 77, says OCC apology just won’t ‘cut it’ after change
A Kelowna woman is calling out staff at the Okanagan Correctional Centre in Oliver after what she describes as mistreatment when attempting to visit her son.
The Daily Courier has agreed to identify the woman by only her first name, Ruth, because she claims OCC staff said her son may be assaulted by other inmates if his name appears in the media.
Her son has been in custody since December, but after a phone call from him on April 1, she arranged to pick him up on his release date the next day.
“I live in Kelowna, I’m 77 years old. I got up at 5 a.m., drove all the way down there,” said Ruth, who arrived to find her son was not going to be released that day because he had new charges.
“It was freezing cold, and (the OCC employee) didn’t even offer me to step inside that door, which only went in a small cubicle to another locked door,” Ruth said.
After returning to Kelowna, someone associated with the OCC called to apologize, Ruth said.
“I said, ‘Sorry doesn’t cut it buddy.’ I said, ‘When did you actually know he wasn’t going to be released?’”
He said ‘Oh, about a week ago.’ I don’t believe this place,” Ruth said. “Why wasn’t I given a phone call?”
The Justice Ministry declined to comment directly on Ruth’s story, but did offer some general responses in an unsigned statement.
“BC Corrections makes every effort to convey accurate information to the individual or individuals whom an inmate has authorized to receive information regarding an inmate’s release,” the statement explained.
“However, unforeseen circumstances — such as, for example, new criminal charges — may affect release planning with respect to information sharing, despite our best efforts.”
The statement goes on to note last-minute changes to a person’s status in custody affecting release plans “do not occur frequently.”
Ruth, a retired nurse, described another incident where OCC staff informed her that two pairs of reading glasses she had purchased at a dollar store and sent to the jail for her son tested positive for cocaine.
After saying she would call the media, one of the pairs was apparently given to her son.
“We understand that many items visitors choose to bring to a correctional centre may not be seen as a security risk; however, items are searched based on policy and procedures to ensure the safety of the centre,” the Justice Ministry’s statement explained.
Ruth suggests jail staff get a lesson in public relations.
“When I went in there, you are treated like dirt. The minute you walk up to that counter. There’s not even a cordial ‘hello.’ It’s just, ‘Put your stuff in that locker over there and sit over there.’ It’s like you’re joining the army,” she said. “I was treated like scum.”
The jail has also been named in at least four inmate lawsuits since November alleging mistreatment and mistakes by staff that resulted in injuries and privacy violations.