Inmate Mistreatment

I spent most of May 2018 at Her Majesty's Penitentiary (HMP) in St. John's Newfoundland. After being released and reading the articles by Tara Bradbury of The Telegram, I decided to contact her about my experiences while there. Some of the information, and many of the prisoner quotes from the article printed on July 21, 2018 were from me. At that time, I wanted to remain anonymous because I knew I had another 30 day sentence pending and didn't want the information I provided to cause me any trouble while serving my 30 day sentence. I no longer will remain anonymous. This is what I experienced.

I was sentenced to 30 days (serve 20 days) on Oct. 22 2018 in Clarenville. I served 10 days in Clarenville at the RCMP detachment, 2 days in the St. John's Lock-up and 8 days at HMP. Due to the recent mistreatment of inmates at HMP, namely Chris Sutton, who's pleas for help were ignored resulting in him taking his own life, I decided that if I was sent to HMP I was going to at some point claim to be suicidal to see what happens to an inmate when they do that. On Nov. 5 I did that. I thought the date fitting.

After telling Correctional Officer (CO) Donahue I was suicidal he began to berate me. I referred to him as 'buddy', which is a common term that Newfoundlanders call each other. He didn't like that. He started to yell and curse at me and called me things like 'a fucking idiot'. He didn't relent until the elevators doors were closed to bring me down to the Special Handling Unit (SHU). 

When brought down to the SHU, you are stripped naked and strip searched. You are given what is called a suicide vest to wear. You are then put into a shivering cold cell where you are locked in 24/7 under a glaring light that is also on 24/7. At no time are you offered help. No one asks if you need to talk to anyone. You are basically thrown in a hole and forgot about. CO's come to feed you 3 times a day and you are offered a daily shower but you can't get a shave even with 3 CO's standing by watching you.

The cell I was put into seemed it hadn't been cleaned in weeks. The dust balls under the table and cot were good indicators of this. There was food stuff, bits of paper & plastic, old chewing gum and even a used dirty bandage on the floor. I complained and no one did anything. So I decided to get creative. While on suicide watch you are monitored by camera 24/7, so I positioned my mattress in a way that made it difficult to view me. I told them I would cooperate if they moved me to a clean cell. They moved me to the cell next to mine. It had feces smeared on the wall. Now the CO's were not aware of that, and when I told them they moved me again to a very clean cell. How difficult can it be to take 5 seconds to inspect a cell before putting an inmate in one?

Everything that is done to an inmate that may be suicidal just exacerbates their condition at HMP.

After being put down in The SHU I was brought to see the infamous Dr. Craig to assess me. The man is a monster. I think he may be a sociopath. He doesn't make decisions based on medical science or any supported research. I believe he enjoys being cruel which is why he is employed in the prison system. He couldn't get away with what he does to inmates to the general public. While I was sitting in his office a CO came to tell Dr. Craig that the inmate with the broken ankle has now turned black. Dr. Craig still didn't seem concerned in the least. CO's need to speak out about this man. When people hear inmates complain, it's just another criminal whining. Maybe if CO's started to complain, change will come sooner. 

Now, the way people are treated at HMP who may be suicidal is not necessary. Both the Waterford Hospital and HMP are funded by the province but have polar opposite polices. We have come a long way with regards to mental health in this province (still needs improvement) but unfortunately, the polices and procedures of HMP are seriously flawed and outdated. I would suggest that these polices and even the training of CO's need to be reviewed and amended to reflect what we know about how to handle people that may be suicidal or with other mental health issues.

I will give some comparisons about how the the secure units of the Waterford Hospital and HMP handle possible suicidal people...

At HMP, you are stripped naked by people who don't show too much concern. At the Waterford, you are greeted with a warm smile and you are permitted to keep your clothes and given more clothes - pajamas, shirt, sweater socks and underwear. They don't allow hoodies or laced up shoes but you are provided with a pair of Velcro shoes. 

At HMP you are locked in a cell 24/7 under a glaring light with a suicidal blanket to keep warm. At the Waterford, the door to your room is OPEN 24/7 and you are given normal bedding. Sheets, blankets and pillows. If you still find it cold you can get extra blankets. And you decide if you want your light on or off.

At HMP you are locked in so you can't talk or interact with anyone. You are free to walk around and interact with staff and other inmates/patients at the Waterford. Men and women are also housed together at the Waterford. 

At HMP, you can get a shower with 2-3 CO's standing close by but no shave. At the Waterford, you can get a shave with a single nurse standing by watching.

Everything done to an inmate who may be suicidal at HMP makes them feel worse, while at The Waterford you feel better. So my question for Premiere Ball and ministers Parsons and Haggie is this - Both institutions are funded by the province but have completely opposite ways of dealing with people with identical problems. Which facility is operating improperly? 

And it is ironic how the nurses at The Waterford can operate a more of a secure unit than trained correctional officers can at HMP. Maybe Corrections Canada could take a lesson from them.

My intention for writing this letter wasn't to lay blame on the CO's or staff at HMP. HMP is a horrible place to work also. Even the best CO's can have bad days and become frustrated. But I felt I had to mention Mr. Donahue by name because his behavior was appalling. You can't treat someone the way I was treated after being told that the inmate may be suicidal. 

It is time for change, and not just lip service Minister Andrew Parsons. HMP needs to be razed to the ground and the time is now. No one expects to begin construction on a new facility tomorrow, but progress needs to be made. At the very a least a new location should be found and requests for designs for a new facility should be made by the province. 

Inmates, CO's and other prison staff need to speak out publicly. Change would come sooner if that would happen. And we need all political parties to be unified on this matter. PC's, Liberals, NDP's and independents need to move forward on this. We can't wait any longer. People go into HMP in perfect mental health and leave with mental health problems. At no time is anyone offered any sort of medical assistance for claiming to be suicidal. The only time you see a medical professional is to determine whether the person should remain on suicide watch.

At this time I would like to give recognition to the staff at The Waterford Hospital. The nurses, doctors, social service agent and Paladin Security are all wonderful people. The care and compassion shown by the nurses was beyond anything I have ever experienced. I witnessed first hand the kind of things you have to deal with day in and day out and yet you come to work with a smile on your face showing unfettered kindness everyday. It didn't go unnoticed. You matter, you are all doing great work and I hope you keep it up in the future.

GCW