THE NOT-SO-NEW JAIL: GROWING PAINS, OR PERMANENT PROBLEMS?
According to Monte Vieselmeyer, a Toronto-area correctional officer and OPSEU union representative, several factors have undermined efforts to make the Toronto South Detention Centre institution a success.
CHRONIC UNDERSTAFFING
Vieselmeyer said the ministry is short at least 300 full-time and 500 fixed-term or “backfill” correctional workers across the province. All of this stems from a hiring freeze several years ago that has since been lifted, Vieselmeyer said, but will continue to impact staffing for years to come. The ministry said it is actively recruiting and training new staff. Vieselmeyer said lockdowns at the Toronto South harm the effectiveness of the open, free-range living environment the province was trying to create in building a new institution based on the U.S. direct-supervision model.
LOW CONFIDENCE IN NEW MODEL
The direct-supervision model places correctional workers inside communal living units with inmates, rather than having guards observe from afar. Most units at the Toronto South follow that model; each unit has a TV area, a small fresh-air space and a series of cells. (A few regular units house inmates who need extra monitoring.)
When implemented properly, the direct-supervision model has been shown to reduce jail violence. Vieselmeyer, who toured institutions across the U.S. to learn about the model, said he developed a good sense of what is needed to make it work. “But I’m just not seeing it at the Toronto South,” he said. He said the ministry failed to heed concerns raised by its front-line staff, so the buy-in has been low and tensions are high. Deficiencies in the building design — inmates have shattered “unbreakable” glass and flooded their cells by yanking down sprinkler heads — have further weakened confidence.
NEW FACILITIES STILL CLOSED
The jail has a state-of-the-art infirmary, 26-bed mental health assessment unit and gymnasium, but none of these facilities opened when the institution did. Prisoners with physical and mental illnesses were kept in solitary confinement during the jail’s first year of operation. Fourteen beds in the mental health unit are now open and in use, but the infirmary and gym remain closed due to staffing issues. The jail is currently using one of the direct-supervision units as a medical wing.
Vieselmeyer said the lack of services and programs has contributed to inmate unrest. The ministry countered that many programs are currently available to inmates and a plan for the gym will be determined when additional staff are hired.
THE ROLLOUT
The bottom line, Vieselmeyer said, is that the jail wasn’t ready to open when it did and the problems that have evolved will require major interventions to fix. “We want this to work,” Vieselmeyer said.
But in order to do that, he added, the ministry needs to hire more front-line staff, work on communicating effectively with employees and offer further and ongoing training on the direct-supervision model. “Sometimes,” he said, “you have to hit the reset button.”
In a statement, the ministry countered: “We have complete confidence in our correctional officers to perform their jobs effectively and professionally, and we are confident that direct supervision will lead to a more secure and safe environment for our staff and all those in our custody.” Amy Dempsey