Three men hospitalized after Edmonton Institution altercation

Three men were taken to hospital after an “altercation” at Edmonton’s maximum security men’s prison Saturday, days after the release of a report criticizing safety at the facility.

Ambulance crews transported the three men — aged 22, 23, and 27 — to hospital with serious injuries after police were called to Edmonton Institution just after noon Saturday, police said in a news release.

Alberta Health Services spokesman Gregory Harris said two of the men were in “serious, potentially life-threatening” condition while a third was in serious but stable condition.

Located in the city’s northeast, Edmonton Institution is home to about 260 prisoners.

News of the Saturday incident comes four days after Canada’s correctional investigator released an annual report which singled out Edmonton Institution for its “toxic” work environment.

A staff survey, cited by correctional investigator Ivan Zinger in his report, said employees at the prison “feared one another more than they did inmates.”

The report found the prison had the federal correctional system’s highest number of inmate-on-inmate assaults, as well as the highest number of use of force incidents by guards and the highest rates of inmate self-harm.

Earlier this month, an Edmonton Institution inmate was sentenced to an additional 30 days after being caught with a knife he claims he fashioned to protect himself.

Zinger said violence “appears to be more rife in institutional settings where abuse of power and authority are prevalent features.”

Correctional Service Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment.