Inmates launch hunger strike over jail conditions

A group of 12 inmates on a gang unit at Regina Provincial Correctional Centre have begun refusing food, apparently to protest conditions and a lack of juice on their unit.

Correctional officials say they are monitoring the situation but will not negotiate until the prisoners begin eating again.

The information was first conveyed to the Leader-Post by members of the advocacy group Beyond Prison Walls Canada. Prisoner B.J. Crawford then called to lay out their demands. He said the inmates are concerned about their access to canteen, hair clippers and medical care, as well as changes in mail delivery at the jail.

They are also frustrated over the refusal to hire inmates for a cleaning job on the unit, he said. Then there’s anger over a juice embargo.

“Everybody in this jail gets juice except for us,” Crawford said.

Justice Ministry spokesman Drew Wilby confirmed that the inmates refused their lunch trays on Monday.

“All are on the same tier of one of the units,” he said. “It would be a high-security unit that is primarily used for members of security threat groups or, in plain language, gangs.”

He said correctional staff are aware of some of the demands, but noted many are “in contravention of provincial and local policies.”

Many of the changes the prisoners oppose were made for security reasons, he said.

The inmates were deprived of their sugar-rich juice because it was being brewed into alcohol, according to Wilby. “When you’re in jail, that’s not a good thing to be having, because it causes chaos,” he said. “We’ve had to quash the juice on the unit for that reason.”

The mail policy change was made about a year ago, he pointed out, in response to concerns over contraband entering the facility. A one-week delay in accessing canteen for secure units is provincial policy.

As for the hair clippers, Wilby said they were taken away after inmates allegedly used them to break glass.

The cleaning job involved handling food trays, raising health and safety concerns.

Wilby added that correctional staff are “highly trained” and have dealt with similar situations in the past. He’s unsure of precisely how long the protest will go on, but stressed that there will be no compromises so long as it continues.

“I think it’s important to note that we do not negotiate with offenders that are refusing their trays,” he said. “We wait for them to eat and then have a discussion with them.”

Crawford said the prisoners are determined to stick it out for as long as it takes.

“Until people drop,” he said. “These guys are all willing to go all out.”