The head of the union local that represents jail guards at the Southwest Detention Centre in Windsor fears someone is going to be killed on the job if the government does not rethink changes to the rules on segregation in Ontario jails.
Randy Simpraga, the president of OPSEU Local 135, says ever since the province limited the amount of time inmates can be kept in segregation under Bill 6 Correctional Transformation Act, acts of violence against guards and staff have skyrocketed. He insists it is a problem at the jail in Windsor, and across the province.
"What we've seen are political decisions are being made on operations," says Simpraga. "They are actually empowering the offender population, who can't follow the rules of society on the outside, who are now empowered on the inside to inflict harm upon our staff, our volunteers, and amongst each other."
Windsor's South West Detention Centre, January 7, 2016. (Photo by Mike Vlasveld)
Simpraga says inmates are taking advantage of the changes.
"Should they be the tough guy and lash out, they are praised by a certain percentage of the other population," he asserts. "In discussions with other leaders, [they say] that not one day goes by that assaults are not happening towards us."
The legislation defines segregation as "any type of custody where an inmate is highly restricted in movement and in association with others for 22 hours or more a day". It is prohibited for any inmate that is pregnant or has given birth recently, is suicidal or self-harms, has a significant mental illness or developmental disability, or has a significant mobility impairment.
Inmates cannot be held in segregation for more than 15 consecutive days, or for more than 60 days over a year. Independent Review Panels will review each case every five days. Only in exceptional cases will an inmate be held more than 60 days a year, and in those cases, the corrections minister will be informed, and a second review may be requested.
Simpraga admits the old rules around segregation needed changing, but he believes consultation with the jail guards was lacking and now workers are paying the price.
"Quite frankly, I'm terrified that you and I will be talking about the death of a staff member somewhere in Ontario corrections," adds Simpraga.
Statistics from the Ministry of Public Safety and Correctional Services say there were 70 incidents at the Southwest Detention Centre in 2016. At the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre, there were 54, while province-wide 793 incidents were recorded. The latest numbers are from January to June 2017 and show 37 incidents at the jail in Windsor, 41 at London's facility, and 617 across Ontario.
The Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre in London.
Spokesman Andrew Morrison told BlackburnNews.com in an emailed statement Friday, "Inmate-on-staff workplace violence may include cases that involve multiple threats and multiple assaults within a single incident, and may involve more than one staff member."
The statement continues,"assaults or threats against staff are not tolerated, and there are consequences when it occurs. The ministry has policies and procedures in place for dealing with inmate violence, and all correctional officers receive comprehensive and ongoing training to help manage these risks. The police are immediately contacted to investigate an incident if staff or inmates are assaulted or threatened. The ministry is working with frontline staff and OPSEU Corrections to explore ways to enhance staff and inmate safety."
