Jail concerns remain

I appreciate the coverage the Leader Post gave to the hunger strike of March 2 and 3 at the Regina Correctional Centre, and I am glad to learn that inmates will be given access to a smudging unit.

I am troubled, however, that administrators were unwilling to listen to inmate concerns about a lack of outside time.

Currently, inmates only experience the outside for one or two hours a day in the form of “fresh air rooms”, which are rooms with long windows that crack open. According to the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the treatment of prisoners, inmates “shall have at least one hour of suitable exercise in the open air daily if the weather permits.” A creative interpretation of this rule might suggest that opening a window means that the prison is in compliance, but it is very clear that it is not.

While access to a smudging unit is a very positive move that should be commended — a provision that I hope will be extended to all inmates in the province — improvements need to be made to ensure that prisons are operating according to internationally recognized minimum standards.