39 Newly Reported COVID-19 Cases Linked to Canadian Jails, Prisons and Penitentiaries from mid-July to end-September 2020
Federal Prisoners = 0
Provincial-Territorial Prisoners = 17
Total Prisoners = 17
Federal Prison Staff = 11
Provincial-Territorial Prison Staff = 11
Total Prison Staff = 22
Significance of Preliminary Findings
In contrast to the first wave of the pandemic spanning approximately a fourth month period from mid-March to mid-July 2020 where there were 829 cases of COVID-19 (600 prisoners | 229 staff members) linked to Canadian carceral institutions (CBC News - 17 July 2020), there were only 39 such cases (17 prisoners | 22 staff members) across the country over the next two-and-a-half months from mid-July to the end of September 2020. By the end of September 2020, COVID-19 cases had been linked to sites of human caging operated by the Correctional Service Canada, as well as those operated by the provincial prison systems of Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. As of the end of September 2020, no COVID-19 cases had been linked to the provincial prison systems of Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and the Yukon.
As the second wave of the pandemic began in Canada, there was a total of 337 cases of COVID-19 (237 prisoners | 100 staff members) linked to Canadian carceral institutions in October 2020. In November 2020, there was a total of 649 cases of COVID-19 (542 prisoners | 107 staff members) linked to these sites of confinement. Thus, in a span of just two months in October and November 2020 there had been more COVID-19 cases (n=986) linked to human caging sites in this country than in the previous six-and-a-half months from mid-March to 30 September 2020 where 868 such cases had been reported.
These figures indicate that COVID-19 transmissions behind bars in Canada has been more widespread during the second wave of the pandemic, necessitating additional efforts to depopulate sites of confinement to the extent possible in order to limit potential exposure to the coronavirus, along with the need to provide additional resources for prisoners and prison staff members to prevent its spread and limit its impact on their health and well-being.
LIST OF INSTITUTIONS IMPACTED AND SOURCES
Unspecified Institutions (between 17 July and 8 August 2020)
Prisoners = 0
Provincial - Quebec
Provincial - Alberta
Canadian Jurisdictions without Newly Reported COVID-19 Cases
Linked to their Provincial-Territorial Jails and Prisons
Staff = 142 (-134 previously reported)
Total = 8
Sources: CBC News (17 July 2020) | Global News (8 August 2020)
Matsqui Institution
Prisoners = 0
Staff = 1
Total = 1
Source: News 1130 (10 September 2020)
Mission Institution
Prisoners = 0
Staff = 2
Total = 2
Source: Daily Hive News (16 September 2020)
Provincial - Quebec
Établissement de détention d'Amos
Prisoners = 1
Staff = 0
Total = 1
Source: Énergie 99.1 | 92.5 (5 August 2020)
Établissement de détention de Hull
Prisoners = 0
Staff = 1
Total = 1
Source: Radio-Canada (20 November 2020)
Provincial - Ontario
Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre
Prisoners = 1 + 1 + 1
Staff = 0
Total = 3
Sources: Ottawa Citizen (2 August 2020) | Government of Ontario (17 August 2020) | Government of Ontario (24 August 2020)
Niagara Detention Centre
Prisoners = 1
Staff = 0
Total = 1
Source: Government of Ontario (5 August 2020)
Central East Correctional Centre
Prisoners = 1
Staff = 0
Total = 1
Source: Government of Ontario (9 August 2020)
Toronto South Detention Centre
Prisoners = 1 + 1 + 1
Staff = 0
Total = 3
Sources: Government of Ontario (23 August 2020) | Government of Ontario (13 September 2020) | | Government of Ontario (27 September 2020)
South West Detention Centre
Prisoners = 1 + 1
Staff = 0
Total = 2
Toronto East Detention Centre
Prisoners = 1
Staff = 0
Total = 1
Sources: City News (2 September 2020) Government of Ontario (3 September 2020)
Milton-Vanier Centre for Women
Prisoners = 1
Staff = 0
Total = 1
Sources: Government of Ontario (16 September 2020)
Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre
Prisoners = 1
Staff = 0
Total = 1
Source: Government of Ontario (17 September 2020)
Central North Correctional Centre
Prisoners = 1
Staff = 0
Total = 1
Source: Government of Ontario (21 September 2020)
Edmonton Remand Centre
Prisoners = 1
Staff = 0
Total = 1
Sources: CBC News (17 July 2020) | Edmonton Journal (10 August 2020)
Provincial - British Columbia
Okanagan Correctional Centre
Prisoners = 0
Staff = 3
Total = 3
Source: CTV News (14 August 2020)
Okanagan Correctional Centre
Prisoners = 0
Staff = 7
Total = 7
Source: Global News (14 September 2020)
North Fraser Pretrial Centre
Prisoners = 1
Staff = 0
Total = 1
Source: Vancouver Sun (25 September 2020)
Canadian Jurisdictions without Newly Reported COVID-19 Cases
Linked to their Provincial-Territorial Jails and Prisons
from mid-July to end-September 2020
Newfoundland and Labrador
Prince Edward Island
Nova Scotia
Newfoundland and Labrador
Prince Edward Island
Nova Scotia
New Brunswick
Manitoba
Saskatchewan
Nunavut
Northwest Territories
Yukon
Northwest Territories
Yukon
RESEARCH PROJECT AND FUNDING
The data above was compiled as part of the "COVID-19: Investigating Canada's Carceral Response to the Coronavirus through the Prison Pandemic Partnership" (principal investigator: Kevin Walby, PhD - uWinnipeg | co-investigator: Justin Piché, PhD - uOttawa | partner organization: Canadian Civil Liberties Association) project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. The partnership project is housed within the Centre for Access to Information and Justice at the University of Winnipeg.
No comments:
Post a Comment