Multiple staff members at Springhill Institution, a medium-security federal prison in Nova Scotia, were assaulted by an inmate on the weekend and treated in hospital.
Police said an inmate attacked three staff members with a weapon during an escort on Sunday night.
Correctional Service Canada (CSC) says in a news release both the RCMP and the institution are now investigating the incident.
“The injured staff members were evaluated and treated at an outside hospital,” the release added. “The assailant has been identified, and appropriate actions will be taken.”
CSC said it acknowledges the “serious inherent risks faced daily by our correctional staff” and that safety remains their highest priority.
“In order to improve practices aimed at preventing this type of incident, CSC will review the circumstances that led to it and take additional measures as necessary,” the release stated.
The Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, which represents workers at Springhill, said workplace violence is an ongoing concern at institutions.
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“We’re (working) in a very volatile environment,” said the union’s national president, Frédérick Lebeau. “We’re living it daily.”
He said while such assaults used to be rare in medium-security facilities, that hasn’t appeared to be the case recently.
“We’re seeing more of them, and that’s why we’re very worried about it,” said Lebeau. “Usually, we’re more used to seeing those kinds of behaviour in a maximum unit.”
A report from their recent National Labour Management Committee meeting said violent incidents have reached “unacceptable levels.”
“Assaults, threats, and serious incidents continue to rise. Members are working in increasingly dangerous conditions, and there is growing frustration with the lack of consistent consequences for inmate violence,” it noted.
Lebeau said the union is calling for changes in legislation to strengthen penalties for those found guilty of assaulting correctional officers in order to create more accountability.
He said his thoughts go out to the members involved in Sunday’s incident because he knows the long-term effects can be serious.
“They will remember that for the rest of their career and the rest of their life for sure,” he said.
–with a file from The Canadian Press
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