Inmates go on hunger strike over lockdowns, poor conditions at Milton jail

Some prisoners at a Milton jail began refusing food on Monday in protest of poor conditions, including frequent lockdowns, that have worsened during the pandemic.

They are protesting “arbitrary lockdowns, inadequate food portions, dirty clothes, poor ventilation, no cleaning supplies, an inadequate amount of phones and outdated canteen options,” according to an unnamed inmate at Maplehurst Correctional Complex who spoke to the Toronto Prisoners’ Rights Project on Tuesday.

“We have been constantly locked down for six days, which started last week on Monday, and recommenced Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and again today (Tuesday). This is unacceptable and unjust. There is a heat wave going on and believe us, it is hotter in the cells. Prisoners will remain in a peaceful protest until our issues are addressed by ministry officials.”

The hunger strike comes after similar protests by prisoners at two other jails in the province, the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre and the Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, both citing similar issues. Last month, Ontario’s ombudsman said he was left “shaken” by conditions in some provincial facilities as a record 6,000 complaints from inmates were received last year. More than 800 complaints were received in March specifically related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Like most provincial jails, the majority of prisoners in the Milton facility are awaiting trial and are legally innocent. Black and Indigenous men and women are significantly overrepresented in provincial jail populations and in federal prisons.

“It is distressing that the prisoners at Maplehurst have to resort to depriving themselves of food in order for their voices to be heard,” said Nana Yanful, a staff lawyer and the legal team lead at the Black Legal Action Centre.

“The staggering numbers of Black people in correctional institutions and other places of detention is rooted in this country’s history of colonialism, enslavement and segregation. All governments have clear legal obligations to ensure that those who remain incarcerated and are under the authority of federal, provincial and territorial governments are properly cared for and supported, always, but especially so during this pandemic.”

There are currently 775 inmates at the Maplehurst Correctional Centre and the institution is operating at 95 per cent capacity, according to the Ministry of the Solicitor-General.

There is one active inmate case of COVID-19 at the jail and eight past inmate cases that are now resolved, according to the ministry.

On Tuesday, a coalition of Black, Indigenous and legal organizations sent a letter to Solicitor General Sylvia Jones demanding publicly accessible data broken down by race and gender about COVID-19 cases and testing in provincial jails, as well as the details of the plans at each facility for inmate and staff safety, including sanitation and personal protective equipment protocols. The letter also asks for more details about the 30 per cent reduction in jail population, including data on race and gender — noting that the Office of the Correctional Investigator has found in the past that Black federal inmates consistently had less access to escorted temporary absences and unescorted temporary absences.

Correctional Services Canada posts regular updates on the number of COVID-19 cases and tests done in federal prisons, though it does not provide a race-based breakdown. And information is publicly released by the province about COVID-19 cases in other congregate living settings including long-term care homes and homeless shelters.

“They have this information, we are not asking them to do more work,” said Emily Hill, a senior staff lawyer at Aboriginal Legal Services Toronto, one of the signatories to the letter. She says having the data about race and gender is necessary “to see if there are patterns which cause concern or require further inquiry.”

The letter notes that the importance of race-based data about COVID-19 in the community has been critical in revealing a disproportionate impact on Indigenous and Black Canadians.

“The government has realized that for people to make good public health decisions at all sorts of levels, what you need is to publicly share,” Hill said. This information will also be crucial for communities who have members being released from custody and, for example, want to know if they are coming from a jail where there is an outbreak and if testing is being done there, she said.

A spokesperson for the minister did not respond directly to the requests for public data and the detailed COVID-19 plans that the jails have developed. In a statement, Stephen Warner noted that jails have taken several steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including keeping new inmates separately for 14 days and testing “where appropriate.” Staff and visitors must be masked at all times, and inmates are given masks “if required.”

The Ministry of the Solicitor-General confirmed a hunger strike is ongoing at the Maplehurst jail, with some inmates refusing meals. It is unclear how many inmates are participating.

“Inmates continue to have access to the canteen service to supplement their food intake,” said spokesperson Brent Ross, in a statement Tuesday. He said the jail was not full lockdown on Tuesday, though some units have been in partial lockdown recently, including on Tuesday, due to staffing shortages.

“The ministry’s priority is to ensure safety and security at our correctional institutions and at times, for the protection of inmates and staff, institutions may have to implement lockdowns. During any lockdowns, efforts are made by institutional officials to ensure inmates continue to have access to phones and showers,” Ross said. He noted that the provincial government has announced a $500 million investment into provincial jails, including the hiring of 500 new staff, including officers, social workers and mental workers.

“This funding will help ensure the safety and security of front-line staff and reduce the number of staffing shortage-related lockdowns,” he said.

Some prisoner advocates have criticized the funding announcement, calling for investment in communities and preventative measures instead.

Alyshah Hasham is a Toronto-based reporter covering crime and court for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @alysanmati