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Overcrowding at all-time high as 'vicious' incidents becoming norm for District Jail

Local 737 president describes inhumane conditions as inmate count reaches new high.
Brad Slobodian
Local 737 president Brad Slobodian has no confidence in the province as the jail is reaching new heights in issues of overcrowding, under-staffing, and violence. (Michael Charlebois, tbnewswatch)

THUNDER BAY - Overcrowding and inmate violence has continued to mount for the understaffed workers of the Thunder Bay District Jail.

Over the weekend, the total number of inmates at the jail reached 209 - a figure which Brad Slobodian, president of Local 737, believes is the highest it’s ever been.

The cramped facility, designed to accommodate 147 people, is leading to near-daily incidents of “vicious and savage” assaults.

“Inmate violence has increased exponentially within the last... probably three-to-four months,” Slobodian said. “Lately, it’s getting more and more savage.”

Within the last week, two inmates have been sent to hospital following two separate assaults, one of which left a 25-year-old male in critical condition.

Slobodian said the violence is largely a result of overcrowding, which has become so severe, single cells often contain four inmates, some with no access to running water.

In March, tbnewswatch reported a story detailing similar problems facing the District Jail when the inmate count was at 197.

Mike Lundy, the co-chair of the provincial health and safety committee for corrections workers, contacted the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services’ northern regional director Kathy Kinger at the time, asking for help to manage overcrowding.

However, not much has changed says Lundy.

“Local management is truly doing everything in its power to move bodies, but the courts’ remand system, and the amazing work being done by frontline police officers continues to add to our pressures,” Lundy said via text.

Both Lundy and Slobodian agree the provincial remand system is perpetuating the issue of overcrowding.

Slobodian told tbnewswatch that 97 per cent of inmates at the TBDJ are being held in custody while awaiting a further court appearance.

The provincial slashing of the bailiff department, which will require correctional officers to transfer inmates between facilities, caused a peaceful information protest on Tuesday, further adding to the pressure correctional workers are facing.

“We’re losing staff, (they’re) going off on stress leave, quitting… it’s just too much for everybody,” Slobodian said.

The solution, according to Slobodian, is a new institution - one which the provincial government said they would fund in April. However, with no timeline and stalled talks, the new institution does not appear to be a short-term solution.

“We’ve had talks, but haven’t had any for a year now. So I don’t know where that stands.”

The proposed 325-bed correctional complex would combine the two Thunder Bay-area facilities, and be located on Highway 61 where the Thunder Bay Correctional Centre stands.

Currently, two large Government of Ontario signs with the phrase “Build on the North,” stands in its place.

In the meantime, Lundy says an increase in full-time staff compliment, and additional resources are needed to combat the violence.

Slobodian however, isn’t confident help from the province will be provided anytime soon.

“To be honest with you, our greater employer doesn’t really care about us,” he said. “They don’t care about us mentally or physically. I haven’t seen it yet.”

“They are leaving us to flounder here. No solutions have been given.”



Michael Charlebois

About the Author: Michael Charlebois

Michael Charlebois was born and raised in Thunder Bay, where he attended St. Patrick High School and graduated in 2015. He attends Carleton University in Ottawa where he studies journalism.
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