A riot at the Lindsay jail was brought under control just before midnight according to the union. Two people were injured.
The Institution Crisis Intervention Team was called in to regain control.
The jail has a capacity of nearly 1,200 inmates and is chronically over crowded according to the union. Two units were damaged during the riot. Officials say fires were set and there was some flooding and other damage.
It’s unclear what caused the riot. The units are closed until they can be deemed safe.
Union President Chris Busch tweeted today that the jail’s mental health unit has been closed and they have been advocating for it to re-open. He also said the infirmary has never been used and that inmates with medical issues are segregated.
A report by independent adviser Howard Sapers, released today calls on the Ontario government to bring the use of segregation in line with international standards, involve frontline staff in policy decisions, and put more money into the correctional system.
The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) says it is “encouraged” by the recommendations in today’s report on the use of segregation in Ontario jails, calling it “a useful guide to addressing part of the crisis in corrections in this province.”
Among his recommendations, Sapers calls on the government to replace jails in Ottawa and Thunder Bay and retrofit the Toronto South Detention Centre; build separate housing spaces to better accommodate the reasons for separating offenders from the general population; and hire more staff and provide better training, especially where segregation is concerned.
Warren (Smokey) Thomas, President of OPSEU, said “the ball is in the government’s court now. We’ve been recommending all these things for years now. We need to see the government move, and move quickly, on Mr. Sapers’ recommendations,” he said.
The Ontario Government announced today it would build new jails in ottawa and Thunder Bay. Thomas welcomed the announcement but said “What about the other 26?” he asked. “As Mr. Sapers notes, most are over four decades old. Will the government use more public-private partnerships, like Toronto South Detention Centre? Because that was an out-and-out fiasco. Let’s build them right – the first time – by consulting frontline staff, not private interests more concerned about building their bottom line.”
