Jonny Wakefield
21/01/2022
Edmonton’s maximum security prison is dangerously short-staffed and descending into violence, an inmate said in a desperate appeal to a provincial court judge Friday.
Edmonton’s maximum security prison is dangerously short-staffed and descending into violence, an inmate said in a desperate appeal to a provincial court judge Friday.
© Provided by Edmonton Journal Edmonton Institution is dealing with mounting tensions as a result of staffing shortages.Aaron Moore, an inmate at Edmonton Institution, appeared in Drumheller provincial court Friday to be sentenced for stabbing an inmate during a brawl last year at the city’s federal prison.
When given a chance to address the court, Moore detailed for Judge Bruce Fraser how conditions inside Edmonton Institution have worsened since he was transferred there in August.
Appearing by video from a conference room in the lockup, Moore said that addictions programming, educational opportunities and out-of-cell time have all fallen by the wayside as the prison grapples with staffing troubles.
Moore also said he witnessed a Jan. 8 fight in which three inmates were injured, one of whom remains in hospital. Moore claimed a correctional officer fired an “assault-style” rifle during the altercation.
“I witnessed officers dragging an inmate’s non-responsive body,” he said. “I fear for my life here, as do the staff.”
‘Burnt right out’
James Bloomfield, prairies regional president with the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, said persistent, region-wide staffing shortages have been exacerbated by COVID’s fifth wave.
“There are lockdowns, and we are managing movement within the institution based on staffing levels,” he said.
“Today we have 12 people off due to COVID-related reasons,” he added. “Everybody is burnt right out. Overtime is being ordered, people are being forced to stay (at work).”
The flareup is the latest in the troubled history of Edmonton Max, which many consider to be among the worst prisons in Canada. Multiple reports have been written on its “toxic” workplace , and as of 2020 Edmonton had the worst rates of inmate-on-inmate assault, use of force by corrections staff, and self-harm by inmates.
CCTV image showing inmates at Edmonton Institution throwing food at “protected status” inmates, in a photo published by Canada’s correctional investigator in 2020.
Jill Shiskin, Moore’s lawyer, said she has repeatedly run into problems reaching clients at Edmonton Institution due to the frequent lockdowns. Moore’s own hearing was delayed a week after court staff were unable to reach the prison.
After Fraser said there was little he could do about the conditions of Moore’s confinement, Shiskin said Moore’s statement was intended to put “on the record the conditions people are currently facing in Edmonton Max.”
Bloomfield said Edmonton Institution is well below its full staff complement of 266 correctional officers. Before COVID-related absences, the prison was operating with a staff of about 210. Around 50 positions are unfilled, while another 50 staff are on leave for WCB-related issues.
He said that has led to the scaling-back of classroom and group programming intended to help prisoners reintegrate.
“It creates a lot of tension within the walls, when you have to adjust routines to match your staffing,” he said.
The situation came to a head on the evening of Jan. 8, when a fight broke out between two inmates. According to Correctional Service of Canada spokesman Jeff Campbell, both inmates were taken to hospital after the fight. One was returned to the prison that night, while the other remains in hospital.
During the fight, correctional officers attempted to “de-escalate” the situation by firing “impact munitions” and “warning shots,” Campbell said. He was unable to immediately clarify whether the warning shots were live ammunition. A third inmate who was uninvolved in the fight suffered scrapes that did not require further medical attention.
Edmonton police continue to investigate the fight, a spokesperson said Friday.
Moore said he hopes to one day return to Drumheller, where there is a GED program, as well as Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous meetings.
He said he has seen numerous violations of Bill C-83, which was intended to eliminate the use of solitary confinement in federal prisons. Since the beginning of January, inmates on Moore’s unit have received the mandated four hours out of cells a day on just four occasions, he said. On the remaining days, they have been confined to cells for all but 15 minutes.
The prison had no active COVID cases as of Thursday.
Fraser agreed to sentence Moore to an additional three months for his role in the stabbing, which he called “extremely lenient.” Shiskin said provocation and self-defence would have been issues had the case gone to trial.
Jill Shiskin, Moore’s lawyer, said she has repeatedly run into problems reaching clients at Edmonton Institution due to the frequent lockdowns. Moore’s own hearing was delayed a week after court staff were unable to reach the prison.
After Fraser said there was little he could do about the conditions of Moore’s confinement, Shiskin said Moore’s statement was intended to put “on the record the conditions people are currently facing in Edmonton Max.”
Bloomfield said Edmonton Institution is well below its full staff complement of 266 correctional officers. Before COVID-related absences, the prison was operating with a staff of about 210. Around 50 positions are unfilled, while another 50 staff are on leave for WCB-related issues.
He said that has led to the scaling-back of classroom and group programming intended to help prisoners reintegrate.
“It creates a lot of tension within the walls, when you have to adjust routines to match your staffing,” he said.
The situation came to a head on the evening of Jan. 8, when a fight broke out between two inmates. According to Correctional Service of Canada spokesman Jeff Campbell, both inmates were taken to hospital after the fight. One was returned to the prison that night, while the other remains in hospital.
During the fight, correctional officers attempted to “de-escalate” the situation by firing “impact munitions” and “warning shots,” Campbell said. He was unable to immediately clarify whether the warning shots were live ammunition. A third inmate who was uninvolved in the fight suffered scrapes that did not require further medical attention.
Edmonton police continue to investigate the fight, a spokesperson said Friday.
Moore said he hopes to one day return to Drumheller, where there is a GED program, as well as Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous meetings.
He said he has seen numerous violations of Bill C-83, which was intended to eliminate the use of solitary confinement in federal prisons. Since the beginning of January, inmates on Moore’s unit have received the mandated four hours out of cells a day on just four occasions, he said. On the remaining days, they have been confined to cells for all but 15 minutes.
The prison had no active COVID cases as of Thursday.
Fraser agreed to sentence Moore to an additional three months for his role in the stabbing, which he called “extremely lenient.” Shiskin said provocation and self-defence would have been issues had the case gone to trial.
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