The day after Patrick White’s April 29 Globe and Mail “Ferguson outlines parole shortcomings” story appeared, another Globe article was published under his byline. “New inmates often denied essential medications for weeks”, from the paper’s April 30 edition revealed that the delay in medical assessments for incoming inmates in the federal system was a dangerous practice with potentially serious consequences, particularly for prisoners with mental health issues.

This time, the source was an unreleased prison ombudsman investigation into the flaws with Correctional Service of Canada’s drug plan. According to Howard Sapers, Canada’s Correctional Investigator, his latest Annual Report notes that CSC is conducting a prevalence study of chronic health care conditions within the system, and he applauds what is a challenging initiative for an increasingly complex population’s health care needs.

Nonetheless, health care in the federal prison system has been an ongoing source of friction for decades as institutions struggle to stay within their budgets while inmates clamour for the attention to which the law says they are entitled. Lately, CSC is facing further budget constraints imposed by a federal government that makes no excuses for cutting funds at a time when new and expensive therapies for conditions such as Hep C offer benefits that will eventually make for healthier and safer communities.

Through all these years, and even now when faced with dire conditions threatening the health of thousands of men and women who will eventually come back into our neighbourhoods and become a burden to already overstretched health care resources, CSC has consistently tried to paint a very different image. In response to the April 30 Globe article and Patrick White’s request for a comment from Ottawa, Esther Mailhot acted as CSC’s spokesperson. She not only argued the situation was not as CSC’s own prison doctors claimed, but defended the practice of withholding some medications for the sake of offender and staff safety. This position contradicts both the evidence that these policies have negative impacts on the security of everyone in the system, but also the opinions of their own health care professionals.

Nothing seems to change. We couldn’t resist sending off a note to Ms. Mailhot:-

May 4, 2015

Ms Esther Mailhot,
Correctional Service of Canada,
340 Laurier Avenue West,
Ottawa, ON K1A 0P9

Re: New inmates often denied essential medications for weeks
Globe and Mail, Thursday, April 30, 2015

Ms Mailhot:

It’s become a striking hallmark of CSC over the twenty plus years I’ve observed the Service for management to deny, deflect and distract critics and criticisms, even when evidence is as close to irrefutable as is possible.

The sources the Globe and Mail cite warrant attention, and one would expect you to at least review the material, and go further still by dispatching a head office agent to determine the degree to which CSC policies are followed.

My own research over the years has found that health-care within the federal prison system is problematic, to be as kind as possible on the subject. I’m willing to allow that CSC looks to reexamine policy, but changes are slow in coming, and there remains a difference between what comes out of CSC Ottawa and how health-care is delivered in the trenches.

Yours truly,

Charles H. Klassen

In a report tabled on Tuesday, April 28, by federal Auditor-General Michael Ferguson, since Correctional Service of Canada is making it harder for inmates to get parole, it’s causing a spike in prison populations, an increase in the number of maximum-security ex-offenders released directly into the community, and a jump of $91 million in costs.

Patrick White’s Globe and Mail April 29 column, “Ferguson outlines parole shortcomings”, quotes Catherine Latimer, executive director of the John Howard Society, saying, ”Not only are you imperilling the community, but there is a greater cost as well. People are coming out in greater numbers at statutory release when they have not taken the programming that would make them more likely to succeed at being law-abiding citizens.”

The Auditor-General concluded that this environment creates a potentially turbulent transition for many inmates with grave public safety risks.

But, true to form, Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney saw all this in a positive light. We couldn’t help but let him know he’s not firing on all cylinders:-

May 4, 2015

The Honourable Steven Blaney,
Minister of Public Safety,
Ste. 306, Justice Building,
House of Commons,
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6

Re: Ferguson outlines parole shortcomings
Globe and Mail, Wednesday, April 29

Minister Blaney:

“I am pleased that the Auditor-General found that our ‘truth in sentencing’ measures have worked because more prisoners are staying behind bars for a greater portion of their sentence.”

Good gracious, give you a change to shoot yourself in the foot, and you respond on cue.

I am pleased to add this to my file of verbal ammunition reserved for candidates for your party in the upcoming election. By this fall, I should have enough material to put some off canvassing for a week.

I’m grateful.

Charles H. Klassen

Edward Snowshoe, a 24 year-old aboriginal man from Fort McPherson in the NWT, hanged himself with a bedsheet on August 13, 2010 in Edmonton Institution. He’d spent 162 days in segregation, after having his security classification bumped up from medium to maximum for fashioning a makeshift weapon from a cardboard juice carton and holding it menacingly toward prison staff.
An Alberta judge issued what the Globe and Mail described as a scathing five-page report on this death last year. It took Mr. Head ten months to write a dismissive response. Refer to the Globe and Mail web site for more details on Edward Snowshoe.

April 6, 2015

Don Head, Commissioner,
Correctional Service of Canada,
340 Laurier Avenue West,
Ottawa, ON K1A 0P9

Re: Prison head concedes few mistakes on treatment of Snowshoe
Globe and Mail, Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Commissioner Head:

The primary job of every person employed by Correctional Service of Canada is to put themselves out of work.

I think you’re more concerned about your next public service assignment than you are with the direction CSC takes in doing the right thing.

You might be interested in http://www.theflatearthsociety.org. It could fit into your mindset.
Yours truly,

Charles H. Klassen

Back in 2008/2009, we spent some time looking at CSCS, the Ontario provincial jail system. Good grief, if taxpayers would only pay attention. You can look at the January 24th posting, “Ontario’s Provincial Jails – a Comment”, for an update. What follows is another letter to Yasir Naqvi around health care in particular.

March 10, 2015

The Honourable Yasir Naqvi,
Minister of Community Safety & Correctional Services,
18th Floor,
George Drew Building, 25 Grosvenor Street,
Toronto, ON M7A 1Y6

Minister Naqvi:

Over many years, health care in our provincial jails has come to my attention as leaving much to be desired. This may be a generalization, and while I have numerous examples of professionals in the system working as we would expect, there are just too many instances of callous, negligent, and even dangerous responses to the medical needs of inmates.

Why would certified health-care workers not exercise best practices? In one case on file, a nurse in a Toronto facility told an inmate that, “health care is a privilege, not a right.” Frankly, minister, this makes no sense. That is, until a casual conversation on the subject with someone inside your ministry provided a likely explanation.

Whether remuneration and benefits in jail health-care units are competitive with the private sector is debatable, but in any case, money is not necessarily central to the situation as it exists. What is more to the point are the CSCS hiring practices for positions such as registered nurses. I’ve been told that persons holding valid certifications as RNs are considered eligible for available openings, without additional vetting. This has led to some questionable hires.

Minister Naqvi, I don’t expect to hear from you on the subject, but too many people in the community know a problem persists. If nothing else, your conscience demands that the rhetoric on health-care in our jails matches the reality.

Yours truly,

Charles H. Klassen

The text of these two letters is self-explanatory. What a joy to write them:

March 9, 2015

The Right Honourable Stephen Harper,
Prime Minister of Canada,
Office of the Prime Minister,
80 Wellington Street,
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2

Re: Government, judiciary set to clash over no-parole bill
Globe and Mail, Saturday, March 7, 2015

Prime Minister:

As with so much of the Reform Party’s so-called tough on crime legislation, your latest regressive effort around sentencing will cost taxpayers millions of dollars to implement, millions of more dollars to defend, and even further millions in compensation.

So, why would an intelligent person persist in governing by looking through the rear-view mirror? There are two relevant explanations. Firstly, he is pandering to an uninformed and mean-spirited voter base. And then, he is reaffirming his position as Canada’s leading troglodyte.

Nonetheless, neither is an excuse for discreditable behaviour.

Yours truly,

Charles H. Klassen

March 13, 2015

The Honourable Peter MacKay,
Minister of Justice & Attorney General of Canada,
509S Centre Block,
House of Commons,
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6

Re: Life Means Life Act

Minister MacKay:

Perhaps the nicest thing that can be said about C-54 is that it’s a piece of troglodytious lex talionis legislation.

Yes, I think that fits.

Yours truly,

Charles H. Klassen

The primary job of everyone employed by Correctional Service of Canada is to put themselves out of work. Charles Klassen

February 23, 2015

Monte Vieselmeyer,
Corrections Division Chair,
Ontario Public Service Employees Union,
100 Lesmill Road,
Toronto, ON M3B 3P8

Re: Prison guards say province must prevent drug-smuggling.
Increased violence, overdoses a result of ongoing problem
Toronto Star, Thursday, February 19, 2015

Dear Mr. Vieselmeyer:
What’s been left unsaid here is a Catch 22 you’ve hesitated to identify but which threatens your membership with unwelcome difficulties.
I’m a federal prisons’ specialist, and although I’m less familiar with Ontario’s provincial jails, I can speak to the drug problem you addressed for the Toronto Star.
There’s no doubt that if every prisoner was turned inside-out upon admission to provincial institutions, the price of drugs would increase beyond their already inflated values. But, they would still be available. I was only a little surprised to learn a number of years ago how easily a clean-as-a-whistle and enterprising inmate could arrange for whatever he wanted to be put into his hands.
I take no pleasure in the quandary, but you should be careful for what you wish until all involved are prepared to cope with what lies beyond more stringent prohibition practices.
Yours truly,

Charles H. Klassen
cc turnoverarocktoday.com

This has come up….again….because two inmates died from overdoses in two southern Ontario jails in mid-February, and there was at least another two overdoses where the inmates survived. I’ve become more than a little cynical on the subject of drugs in provincial institutions. While I don’t doubt the sincerity of the concern for the safely of staff and inmates, this is also an on-going political football in which sides are chosen, points are scored, games are won and lost, and the battle continues.

Fighting crime by building more jails is like fighting cancer by building more cemeteries.
Paul Kelly

Not only is solitary confinement in our federal prisons and provincial jails “a broken and dangerous system”, no matter how the practice is labeled, the policies, safeguards, and restrictions put in place are neither followed nor enforced with any consistency. Management has no option but to deny irregularities are common, and no authoritative body exists to which recourse is available.
The letter to Julia Payson of B.C.’s John Howard Society was also sent to Carmen Cheung, Senior Counsel, at the B.C. Civil Liberties Association which is the other party to this lawsuit.
The British Columbia action has been filed with the B.C. Supreme Court. A few days later, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association in partnership with the Elizabeth Fry Societies petitioned the Ontario Superior Court, challenging the constitutionality of isolation.
The letter to Jason Tamming is one of those delightful tasks that make life worthwhile

January 27, 2015

Julia Payson, Executive Director B. C.,
John Howard Society of B. C.,
763 Kingsway,
Vancouver, BC V5V 3C2

Re: Rights groups sue Ottawa over solitary confinement
Globe and Mail, Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Dear Ms. Payson:
Sunny Dhillon and Patrick White’s Globe article begins with, “two rights groups have sued the federal government over the use of solitary confinement in prisons, arguing Canada remains committed to a broken and dangerous system that increases inmates’ suffering even as jurisdictions around the world scale back its use.”
The Toronto Star editorial on Monday, January 26 calls your lawsuit “welcome news”, and opines that, “it’s not as if Canada doesn’t know better.”
Thank you, and the B. C. Civil Liberties Association, for taking an action you wouldn’t have to if our public servants weren’t so hell bent on being on the wrong side of right.
Yours truly,

Charles H. Klassen
cc turnoverarocktoday.com

January 27, 2015

Jason Tamming, Press Secretary to Steven Blaney,
Ministry of Public Safety,
Ste. 306, Justice Building,
House of Commons,
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6

Re: Rights groups sue Ottawa over solitary confinement.
Globe and Mail, Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Mr. Tamming:
You’ve got to be kidding! The Canadian government is “taking action to keep our streets and communities safe.” “[Correctional Service Canada] uses all of its tools to make sure the corrections system actually corrects criminal behaviour, including the use of segregation.” Now really, only the uninformed would believe you, and only the mean-spirited would want to believe you.
As the Toronto Star’s editorial on Monday, January 26, pointed out when it called this lawsuit “welcome news”, “it’s not as if Canada doesn’t know better.”
The minister for whom you work and the government he represents are so hell bent on being on the wrong side of right, they make no effort to hide their position as anything more than pandering to a particular voter base.
Yours truly,

Charles H. Klassen
cc turnoverarocktoday.com

January 26, 2015

The Honourable Yasir Naqvi,
Minister of Community Safety & Correctional Services,
18th Floor,
George Drew Building,
25 Grosvenor Street,
Toronto, ON M7A 1Y6

Minister Naqvi:
I’ve been following the Toronto Star’s Amy Dempsey’s work over the last number of weeks on the use of segregation in Ontario’s jails, and in particular at the new Toronto South Detention Centre. The one persistent question I would have in your position as this sorry tale unfolds is, how is it possible that this could be allowed to happen? But then, I’m able to see from your ministry’s response to the media that comments such as the health of inmates and staff is a “top priority”, or that inmates continue to receive the medical care they require in population or in segregation, is only fodder for public consumption.
If you were genuinely concerned about jail operations, you might imitate television’s “Undercover Boss”. I doubt though you’d find one person in your professional circle who would recommend this course. You’d have to be a very courageous politician to take that step.
The federal prison system is one of my specialty areas of activism and advocacy, but I was persuaded to look at Ontario’s provincial jails over a number of months in 2008 and 2009. What I found led me to write a series of questions “To Ontario’s Provincial Jail Superintendents”, a copy of which I’ve attached.
I suspect not a whole lot has changed over the years.
Yours truly,

Charles H. Klassen
cc turnoverarocktoday.com

The Attachment

July, 2009
TO ONTARIO’S PROVINCIAL JAIL SUPERINTENDENTS
HOW MANY INMATES HAVE BEEN BEATEN BY GUARDS IN YOUR INSTITUTION THIS WEEK?
HOW MANY INMATES HAVE BEEN INTENTIONALLY PUT IN SITUATIONS WHERE THEY WILL BE BEATEN BY OTHER INMATES IN YOUR INSTITUTION THIS WEEK?
HOW MANY INMATES HAVE BEEN VERBALLY OR PHYSICALLY HARASSED WITH REMARKS BY STAFF, SUCH AS, “FUCK YOU, YOU FUCKING INMATES”, “I HATE INMATES”, “WHO DO I OWE A BEATING TO TODAY”, OR BACKHANDED/SLAPPED BY STAFF, IN YOUR INSTITUTION THIS WEEK?
HOW MANY INMATES HAVE BEEN SUBJECT TO IMPLIED OR OVERT RACIAL SLURS, OR SINGLED OUT FOR HARSH TREATMENT BECAUSE OF RACE, IN YOUR INSTITUTION THIS WEEK?
HOW MANY INMATES HAVE BEEN DENIED A SHOWER AND A HOT MEAL ON COURT DAYS IN YOUR INSTITUTION THIS WEEK?
HOW MANY INMATES HAVE BEEN DEPRIVED OF CLOTHING AND/OR FOOD AND/OR BEDDING AND/OR HYGIENE PRODUCTS, OR PLACED IN SEGREGATION FOR NO SPECIFIED OR VERIFIABLE REASON, IN YOUR INSTITUTION THIS WEEK?
HOW MANY INMATES HAVE BEEN THE THIRD OR FOURTH OCCUPANT IN A CELL IN YOUR INSTITUTION THIS WEEK?
HOW MANY INMATES HAVE HAD THEIR CANTEEN ORDERS DESTROYED BY STAFF IN YOUR INSTITUTION THIS WEEK?
HOW MANY INMATES HAVE BEEN DENIED THE USE OF A TELEPHONE, PREVENTED FROM CONTACTING THEIR LAWYERS, OR THE ONTARIO OMBUDSMAN, IN YOUR INSTITUTION THIS WEEK?
HOW MANY INMATES HAVE BEEN DEPRIVED OF PAPER AND/OR PENCILS TO PREVENT THE FILING OF INSTITUTIONAL FORMS SUCH AS AN “INMATE STATEMENT FORM” IN YOUR INSTITUTION THIS WEEK?
HOW MANY INMATES HAVE BEEN DENIED PRESCRIBED MEDICATIONS OR MEDICAL ATTENTION OR TOLD THAT MEDICATION IS A PRIVILEGE AND NOT A RIGHT IN YOUR INSTITUTION THIS WEEK?
HOW MANY INFRACTIONS OF POLICY, PROCEDURE AND THE LAW HAVE JAIL CHAPLAINS WITNESSED IN YOUR INSTITUTION THIS WEEK, BUT CAN’T DO THEIR WORK UNLESS THEY KEEP THEIR EYES, THEIR EARS, AND THEIR MOUTHS SHUT?
HAVE JEWS, CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS EACH HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORSHIP IN COMMUNITY IN YOUR INSTITUTION THIS WEEK?
HOW MANY INMATES HAVE RECEIVED “PACKAGES” THROUGH THE COLLABORATION OF JAIL STAFF IN YOUR INSTITUTION THIS WEEK?
HOW MANY STAFF MEMBERS ARE NOT WEARING A CORRECTIONAL SERVICE ISSUED IDENTIFICATION TAG WHILE ON DUTY, OR WEARING A CORRECTIONAL SERVICE ISSUED IDENTIFICATION TAG IMPROPERLY, IN YOUR INSTITUTION THIS WEEK?
HOW MAY LOCKDOWNS HAVE OCCURRED IN YOUR INSTITUTION IN THE LAST MONTH BECAUSE OF STAFF SHORTAGES OR EXTENDED STAFF BREAKS, AND HOW MANY VISIT DAYS HAVE BEEN CANCELLED BECAUSE OF STAFF SHORTAGES, PARTICULARLY ON WEEKENDS?
WHY AREN’T RECORDS KEPT OF LOCKDOWNS AND CANCELLED VISITS IN YOUR INSTITUTIONS?