JAIL hotline marks the end of year one and releases its third quarterly report

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A year after its launch, the Jail Accountability & Information Line continues to work with prisoners to address human rights issues and re-entry barriers at the Innes Road jail, and releases its third quarterly report

10 December 2019 – Exactly one year ago, the Jail Accountability & Information Line (JAIL) began taking calls from people incarcerated at Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre (OCDC) and their loved ones. The goals of the initiative were and remain to reduce the harms and use of imprisonment by working with callers to resolve human rights issues at the provincial jail on Innes Road and connecting them to services to promote safe community re-entry. Today, the JAIL hotline released its third quarterly report (click here to download) highlighting challenges faced by people forcibly confined at OCDC. During the third quarter of the JAIL hotline’s operations (10 June to 9 September 2019), volunteers took 935 calls.

Despite the efforts of those behind bars and the JAIL hotline to reform conditions of confinement at OCDC to the degree that is possible within a site of human caging, the volume of calls continues to increase each quarter (Q1 = 659 calls; Q2 = 796 calls; Q3 = 935 calls; Q4 = 1,012 calls). Aaron Doyle, Sociology Professor at Carleton University and co-founder of the Criminalization and Punishment Education Project (CPEP) which started the hotline, notes: “In the last year, we’ve taken 3,402 calls. Our reports reveal how the Government of Ontario often fails to provide the most basic necessities to prisoners. The Ontario Ministry of the Solicitor General still hasn’t addressed most of the issues we’ve raised in a meaningful way. Much could be improved at OCDC if they implemented our reasonable recommendations. The continued neglect by the province is disturbing, shameful and undermines community safety”.

As noted in the first two quarterly reports for the JAIL hotline, access to healthcare continued to be a major area of concern for callers during its third quarter. The delays in accessing prescription withdrawal management drugs, long waits for access to health, mental health and dental care, and forcing prisoners to choose between receiving medications or access to yard time and scheduled court appearances were among the notable issues in this area reported by prisoners at OCDC. For JAIL hotline Coordinator and Researcher Sarah Speight, these issues require immediate action. She states: “It’s unacceptable that people being held at OCDC are left suffering while waiting for essential medical care. From dental care to opioid substitution treatment, the Ministry is responsible for ensuring people in their custody have access to a standard of care equivalent to that available outside of the jail. One way they can live-up to their human and constitutional obligations is to expand temporary absences and other forms of community release on medical grounds so that people can access the care they need. This would improve both public health and community safety outcomes”.

During its third quarter, JAIL hotline callers also continued to report barriers to accessing justice. Key concerns raised by callers in this area included a lack of access to legal information and institutional regulations, as well as complaint mechanisms. Callers also reported facing reprisals for defending their rights. Souheil Benslimane, Lead Coordinator of the JAIL hotline, explains one impact of these barriers: “People held at OCDC can’t challenge poor conditions of confinement and inhumane treatment in a meaningful and effective way. One reason is that the institutional complaint process at OCDC is extremely dysfunctional. It isn’t transparent, swift, clear, effective or impartial. In a context where accused parties are also the judges, the province remains unaccountable to incarcerated persons”.

A central issue running through the report released today is that many of the challenges OCDC prisoners face negatively impact their health and well-being. Justin Piché, Criminology Professor at the University of Ottawa and co-founder of CPEP, explains: “Callers continue to report long-standing issues with the conditions of the institution, including mold present throughout the facility that could be cleaned but is left to fester causing breathing problems, and a phone system that cuts prisoners off from their families and communities due to incredibly high costs and the inability to call cell phones. Reforms to segregation on paper have changed little for those experiencing it, unnecessary barriers to bail and release planning continue to exist, and the food system remains a source of frustration and health problems at the jail. The recommendations made by JAIL hotline callers don’t require a new and bigger $1 billion jail the Ministry wants to replace OCDC with. History tells us a new building will reproduce similar problems. If the province has money to spend, it should divest from jailing and invest in things that actually enhance community well-being and safety”.

For media interviews contact:

Souheil Benslimane 

Lead Coordinator

Jail Accountability & Information Line

819-592-6469 / jailhotline@gmail.com