Approximately 80 correctional staff from Warkworth Institution held a rally early Wednesday, November 27, 2019 to bring attention to the conditions inside the prison.
The demonstration started at 6:30 a.m. and went until approximately 8 a.m. with workers handing out pamphlets.
President of the local union for the Canadian Correctional Officers, Rob Essex said the point of the demonstration was to try and bring attention to the issues inside the facility.
Essex explains the facilities concerns in the video interview in which he wants the public to understand their concerns.
Essex says he believes Warkworth Institution is the “worst staffed jail in the country.”
At the present moment Warkworth Institution staff are severely understaffed at Warkworth Institution to the point there is mandatory overtime. This takes away from the work and outside life balance that is incredibly essential to having a safe and well employee. If Correctional Officers are working outrageous amount of hours to allow the Institution to run this takes away from the Safety and Security of the Institution as well as Public Safety.
Not only in Communities, but inside the fences there is an opioid crisis that is impacting the Health and Safety of Correctional staff and Inmates. Fentanyl and Carfentanyl are two narcotics that in trace amounts are deadly, and quite often THC products are “cut” with Fentanyl.
Staff have brought offenders back to life on about a dozen occasions this year using Naloxone, and yet usage appears to be on the rise.
Because of the size of Fentanyl and Carfentanyl it is very difficult to prevent getting into the Institution. The most concerning issue with this is that Offenders who had drug use as a contributing factor (possibly 70%) to their criminality continue their use and still have the same unmanageable habit when released, therefore no rehabilitation and in turn a potential threat to public safety. As well, the Correctional Service of Canada at some Institutions are issuing needles to Offenders to stem Infectious Diseases for use with Contraband and allow them to perpetuate a contributing factor to their criminality. This is not like Safe Injection Sites on the street where the mandate is ensure people manage their habit safely and contribute to society.
At this time in the Correctional Service of Canada we are going through the most dramatic and unknown change in this Organization’s history with the elimination of segregation.
If used appropriately segregation was a great tool to manage risk and determine the level of Intervention needed for Offenders to be compliant with his/her Correctional Plan.
This status of segregation is being replaced with a Special Intervention Unit where there will be one in Ontario with approximately 50 beds. Staff are very concerned with the rising violence and incidents at Warkworth Institution that this alone will not allow us as Correctional Workers be able to effectively mitigate risk to our Health and Safety, but also failures in the Rehabilitative process that effects Public Safety. At the time of authoring Warkworth Institution have had 565 incidents that could be deemed acts of aggression and 462 incidents that relate to drug or contraband consumption, and throw in 165 seizures of homemade alcohol.
An Inmate made very specific threats towards an Officer and he was transferred out of the Institution, however with the closure of segregation by end of week he is coming back. This has brought on high degree of Stress, and forcing the Officer to take time off work and it is perceived that the employer is choosing the Offender over their Employee’s Wellness.
When you drive by an Institution or see some sensational news story or even a stereotype in some movie, please realize we are human beings with families, interests and do an occupation that leave most of us with a diagnosis of depression or PTSI at some point in our career.
“We do not expect to be heralded, but would like to be respected,” said Essex.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
