Naked prisoner strapped to chair gets apology from Sask. government
CBC News | Posted: April 28, 2016 7:31 PM | Last Updated: April 28, 2016
Man says he was cold, uncomfortable and embarrassed
A prisoner at a Saskatchewan jail who broke a sprinkler, took off his clothes and was strapped to a chair while naked has received an apology from the Saskatchewan government.
It was one of 2,813 complaints within the provincial ombudsman's jurisdiction received in 2015 — up 22 per cent from 2014, according to the annual report released Thursday.
Virtually every ministry and agency received complaints, but the justice department — which includes provincial correctional centres — had the most, with 950 received.
He told staff that he was cold, uncomfortable and embarrassed ... We found that he had not been treated with dignity. - Report from Saskatchewan ombudsman Mary McFadyen
About two thirds of those are from two jails — the one in Regina and the one in Saskatoon.
The report includes a number of case reports about complaints, including one from "Joe" (not his real name), a jail inmate.
He told the ombudsman's office that he broke sprinkler heads in his cell while suffering a panic attack.
He told the ombudsman's office that he broke sprinkler heads in his cell while suffering a panic attack.
He said he was then strapped into a restraint chair while naked and then placed in a room where nurses and other staff
could see him.
could see him.
The ombudsman investigated and found that after Joe broke the sprinkler in his cell, he took off his wet clothes.
Staff put him in a dry smock and moved him to another cell. He then undressed again, interfered with the camera in the cell, and broke another sprinkler head.
After that, he was removed from the cell and, while naked, placed in a restraint chair.
A covering was placed across his lap, but it later fell off.
For the last 45-50 minutes that he was in the chair, he was naked, the ombudsman said.
There was no video of him being removed from the chair, because the camera malfunctioned.
"He told staff that he was cold, uncomfortable and embarrassed," the report from ombudsman Mary McFadyen said.
"We found that he had not been treated with dignity."
The ombudsman recommended the government should apologize to the man. It complied, the report said.
The ombudsman also directed the jail to do a better job recording video and making sure there are no gaps or blind spots.