Violence against prison staff laid bare

More than half the frontline correctional officers in Ontario (53 per cent) feel unsafe working in their facilities, a new report from the Independent Review of Ontario Corrections finds. Two-thirds worry at least once a week about being assaulted, a survey of correctional officers across Ontario for the report concluded. The survey also “revealed a strained relationship between front-line officers and various levels of management,” the report concluded.

“For example, 38 per cent of correctional officer respondents did not feel supported by sergeants at their institution, and over twothirds did not feel supported by senior administrators.”

Only 13 per cent believed there was good communication between staff and management.

The report, Institutional Violence in Ontario, makes 42 recommendations to improve the safety of employees and inmates, and is expected to be the last from independent corrections investigator Howard Sapers. “Implementing the recommendations contained in the report ... could dramatically improve the safety for staff and inmates working in Ontario’s correctional facilities,” Sapers said in a news release. “The provincial government must maintain the momentum of recent reform efforts in order for Ontario Corrections to become a leader in humane, safe, evidencebased and rights-respecting correctional practices.” Violence, smuggling, crowding, health-care gaps and other problems have plagued Ontario jails, with London’s Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre high on the list of troubled facilities.

The previous Liberal government hired Sapers to investigate and recommend improvements.