The rights of prisoners
There was considerable outrage around the province last fall, after pregnant prisoner Julie Bilotta’s pleas for help were ignored by prison nurses until she started to give birth on the concrete floor of her cell. The way officials at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre treated Bilotta triggered calls for a thorough investigation, and we applaud the action so far taken by the Ontario government to ensure no inmate ever has to go through that again.
Last week, the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services said it has reprimanded, suspended and fired detention centre employees who were involved in the shameful incident. A big part of the problem is a fundamental disrespect for inmates, many of whom have not even been convicted of a crime. Holding jail officials accountable sends a clear message to everyone in the correctional system that people in jail have the same right to dignity and humane treatment as any other Canadian, and failure to uphold this basic principle will be met with serious sanctions. This week, the government unveiled a 21-point health care protocol, which sets out standardized practices and procedures on how to deal with pregnant offenders before and after the birth of their children. The plan, aimed at building a “better and more responsive health care system” for those behind bars, includes better training for officials on governance, oversight, women’s health issues and communication to ensure inmates receive the care and support they need while in custody.
These measures are an important first step but more can, and should, be done. A report this summer by Ontario ombudsman André Marin fingered the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre as one of the worst in the province in terms of use of excessive force. The detention centre is also seriously overcrowded, adding to the stress of both prisoners and guards. And then there is the larger issue of lack of proper mental health care for women. We expect the government to turn its attention to these much larger issues because we don’t need prisoners to come back into the community after serving their sentences or time in remand, angrier or worse off than they were.