Human Rights Commissioner slams EMDC as 'overcrowded, unsanitary and dangerous'

Ontario's human rights commissioner has slammed the Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre as an overcrowded, violent and unsanitary place where "warehousing" inmates is favoured over rehabilitation.

Chief Commissioner Renu Mandhane toured the provincial jail, located on Exeter Road in London, Ont., in March, and last week wrote a letter to Ontario's Solicitor General, Sylvia Jones.

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"The conditions at EMDC are amongst the worst I have seen in Ontario. Fourteen prisoners have died at EMDC in the past decade. The institution is overcrowded, unsanitary and dangerous," Mandhane writes.

"Prisoners' mental health, addictions and creed-related needs are not being adequately accommodated. Correctional officers do not have adequate training or support. The conditions are dehumanizing, antithetical to rehabilitation and reintegration, and pose a serious risk to the health and safety of prisoners and correctional officers alike."

Conditions at the jail fall "well short" of the UN minimum standards for treating prisoners, Mandhane writes.

The Ministry of the Solicitor General is aware of the problems but hasn't done enough to resolve the issues at the jail, she added.

Among the problems she outlines:

• The jail is overcrowded, with cells built for one holding three to five people.
• Although the jail was cleaned for Mandhane's visit, there was a "noticeable smell" throughout the institution and there was poor air quality and concerns about mould.
• Every prisoner spoke about "the near constant threat of violence," including for not bringing in contraband drugs into the jail. "A prison subculture has taken root where more dangerous prisoners are able to control the range and prey on weaker individuals."
• Correctional officers report high levels of violence and abuse from prisoners, which the ministry has done little to address.
• "Warehousing" is favoured over rehabilitiation, and correctional officers don't get adequate training on de-escalation techniques or how to respond to people with mental health challenges.
• It's easy to get illegal drugs within the jail and there's concern about overdose-related deaths.
• There are months-long waiting lists to see doctors, dentists and psychiatrists.
• Access to smudging is not available on a regular basis, there is no full-time Native Inmate Liaison Officer, no Muslim Imam and spiritual guidance is not offered.
• Some prisoners have been in segregation for "a couple of years" and there's no plan to address the problem.

Reaction

London lawyerKevin Eganhas been speaking out about conditions at the jail since 2011. He's also leading a class action lawsuit against the provincial government over conditions at the jail.

Egan said it is vindicating to have someone of Mandhane's stature back what he's been saying for years.

"I knew what was going on in there and have been screaming from the rooftop in the hope that someone would listen," he said. "Every time someone comes out in a body bag I hope this is the one that makes a difference."

Egan couldn't agree more with Mandhane's assessment that EMDC is failing to meet minimum standards for the treatment of prisoners.

"It's supposed to be a correctional facility. It's supposed to be an environment to allow people to rehabilitate and reintegrate," he said. "Instead, as she said, it's a warehouse where people aren't helped. They're actually made worse."

Egan said he's looking forward to hearing what solicitor general, Hon. Sylvia Jones, has to say in response toMandhane's letter, although he doesn't have high expectations for anything beyond what he called doublespeak.

"But, we'll continue to fight this until things change," he said."I hope the last person who died at EMDC is the last person who died at EMDC."