Saskatchewan’s ombudsman is raising concerns over the cleanliness of the Saskatoon Correctional Centre.
In her annual report released on Thursday, Mary McFadyen said she inspected living conditions at the facility and found cleanliness to be lacking.
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“Inmates double-bunked in cells, including specialized unit cells with toilets, had no privacy. In some cells, there is minimal space between where inmates sleep or eat and where they use the toilet,” McFadyen said in her report.
“Inmates in the specialized living units told us they spend the bulk of their day in these cramped living conditions.”
McFadyen said her office received complaints about conditions in the facility in 2015, along with reports in the media about living conditions.
Inmates had complained the conditions were inhumane and leading to increased violence due to overcrowding.
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McFadyen noted that the facility has been operating at capacity, or close to capacity, since opening 35 years ago and that the Ministry of Justice, Corrections and Policing has no control over how many people are remanded or sentenced to provincial correctional centres.
While she said improvements were being made, McFadyen said there is room for more.
“Corrections should establish cleaning standards and protocols, and standards for inmate accommodations, beds/mattresses, privacy and the use and availability of toilets and showers,” she said, “and it should ensure those standards are met.”
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Among the four recommendations made by McFadyen is for the ministry to establish detailed living condition standards for all adult secure correctional centres in the province.
She also recommended there be regular inspections to ensure living standards are being complied with, a review and update of the operating agreement for cleaning standards by correctional staff and that all staff understand the standards.
The ministry has accepted the recommendations and officials said detailed standards will be implemented during the 2017-18 fiscal year.
They added that regular inspections will start in 2018-19 and that unit supervisors will be required to monitor cleanliness in the interim.
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