NAPE blasts segregation review for omitting correctional officers
Jerry Earle says HMP is a “medieval facility” that may not be able to accommodate recommended changes
The union representing the province's correctional officers says it wasn't asked about new rules for the use of disciplinary segregration in prisons — and it should have been.
"The frontline officers have to live these policies. They're the ones that have to work them, they have to implement them 24/7," said Jerry Earle, the president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE).
"They weren't consulted appropriately, in their opinion, and in our opinion, they should have been."
On Wednesday, Justice and Public Safety Minister Andrew Parsons announced sweeping changes to the way the province's prisons will be able to segregate prisoners.
Officials announce changes to displ. seg. Owen Brophy says there will always be a seg but inmates will now have visits, more. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cbcnl?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cbcnl</a> <a href="https://t.co/ytut9v0sfx">pic.twitter.com/ytut9v0sfx</a>
—@arianakellandTime in maximum segregation will drop from 15 days to 10 days and segregated inmates will be able to have visitors and access to programs and services. The recommendations come as part of a review of current standards and practices which began in 2016.
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Earle said segregation is a "necessary tool" for officers, and that reducing segregation time can have "unintended consequences." He points to a federal study showing that violence between inmates goes up when segregation times goes down.
"Every time there is one of those assaults, inmate on inmate, it's a correctional officer that has to intervene and be put in harm's way," he said.
"We only see some of the issues that occur when there's a dramatic incident, but these officers live this every day."
'Medieval facility'
He also said that some of the recommended changes for dealing with inmates with mental health issues may not be possible at the HMP.
"The impediment that we're facing is a facility that's going to be really difficult to accommodate it in," he said. "The limitations there in that medieval facility are quite significant."
"It's unfortunate that a facility like HMP doesn't get the same attention as an acute care hospital in Corner Brook," he adds. "It's as important for the type of work and for the rehabilitation of inmates."
Earle isn't sure why officers weren't asked for their input on the new policies, but he will be speaking with the the justice department about it. In fact, he had a meeting lined up with Parsons already about another matter, and the issue will either be added to the agenda for that meeting or he'll schedule another time to bring it up.
"We have hundreds of correctional officers across the province and they have to live these policies not those that are implementing them or not outside agencies that are recommending them," he said. "It's the women and men that work with it that have to live with these policies."