RCMP investigating after pepper spray used on Regina Correctional Centre inmates who refused lockup

RCMP are investigating after what a Ministry of Justice spokesperson described as "a minor disturbance" at the Regina Correctional Centre on Feb. 2, during which pepper spray was used on prisoners who refused to lock down for the night.

Guards and an emergency response team dealt with the incident. Saskatchewan RCMP Cpl. Rob King confirmed in an email that it is being investigated, and police "will be gathering evidence in efforts to determine exactly what took place."

According to the Ministry of Justice, pepper spray was used to subdue three inmates after their refusal to lock up. The inmates were taken off of Unit 5A — a unit for inmates who have been sentenced — and were placed into segregation in secure cells.

The disturbance caused a centre-wide lockdown, and Unit 5A was on lockdown for the next 48 hours.

As of Wednesday, inmates were still on reduced programming, according to the ministry.

'It's already rough as it is,' says inmate

Matthew Bossenberry said he is one of the three inmates who was moved to the segregation unit and pepper-sprayed. 

He's serving time at the correctional centre for drug and weapon-related offences. Leading up to Feb. 2, he said certain privileges — like access to the gym, kitchen and some amenities — had been taken from the inmates.

"A guy's got nothing left to begin with, you know what I mean? He's in jail and that's his punishment," Bossenberry said in an interview with CBC News.

"It's already rough as it is. We're in jail and that's our punishment. I don't know why they need to make it tougher on us." 

On the night of the disturbance, Bossenberry said the inmates on Unit 5A were told to lock up for the night earlier than they were used to.

"That's why we kind of made a stand and said, 'You know what, we want to know why we're being locked up. We're sick and tired of all our f--king privileges being [taken], and we want answers,'" said Bossenberry.

Drew Wilby, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson, said the main concern at any correctional facility is the safety and security of staff, inmates and the facility itself. He says on the night of Feb. 2, staff had to respond after the inmates refused to lock up.

"That's a violation of institutional policies," said Wilby, adding that all inmates would be made of aware of the expectations and policies they were subject to. "From there things escalated."

He said some inmates in Unit 5A had been causing trouble.

"Unfortunately running a correctional centre is not just running a correctional centre. There are all these other issues that need to be taken into consideration," he said, but said he could not elaborate on what kind of trouble the inmates were causing due to security concerns.

"I do know that there were behavioural issues, as well as things going on in that unit that obviously we don't want happening within our facility," he said.

Staff needs to act quickly: ministry spokesperson

When things do go wrong, Wilby said, or when a dispute does arise, the staff needs to act quickly.

"What we need to ensure in our facilities is that these issues are brought to a conclusion quickly so they don't escalate to a much more drastic issue like we've seen at the federal level," he said, referencing the 2016 prison riot that left one inmate dead and eight injured at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary.

The unit is still under a "reduced program," said Wilby. "All the the regular programming is not in place in terms of being out in the yard all together."

In segregation, inmates are out of their cells for one hour a day from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. though Wilby said these times can vary at the discretion of the staff.

Bossenberry said he pleaded guilty to his charge of failure to lock up and has been in segregation since Feb. 2. 

"It's hard on a guy's mind," he said in a phone interview. "It's exhausting. If you have a roommate you're lucky because you get to talk to someone."