24-hour shifts persist at Her Majesty's Penitentiary

The provincial government says it has tried to stop the practice of back-to-back shifts at Her Majesty's Penitentiary but is meeting resistance from guards and the union representing workers.

• NDP criticizes 24-hour shifts for Her Majesty's Penitentiary guards

According to numbers from the Department of Justice and Public Safety, correctional officers worked 32 such shifts last month.

"Over the past several months, we have implemented several measures in an effort to curtail the need for these shifts but have met resistance from staff and the union," a spokesperson told CBC News Friday.

Some correctional officers "actively seek to work them," the department said.

That's in contrast to what NAPE president Jerry Earle told CBC News last June, when the NDP raised concerns about back-to-back shifts. 

At the time, Earle said the practice was unacceptable, adding it was a health and safety concern.

A scathing 2008 report into corrections in the province titled Decades of Darkness specifically noted that 24-hour shifts for correctional officers is "totally unacceptable."

The panel who conducted interviews for the report noted that "should an incident occur and staff not react appropriately, the department may well be held accountable."

Meanwhile, the department said measures would be implemented to limit 24-hour shifts. However, officials did not specify what those measures would be. 

The department said officials have been in touch with NAPE, which it said has agreed to find a way to limit such shifts.