Yellowknife (Dec 08/04) - The territorial government has promised dozens of changes to the correctional system after an independent review made public Friday outlined a host of problems at jails throughout the territory.

Kam Lake MLA Dave Ramsay has been a vocal critic of conditions at the jail. - Lisa Scott/NNSL photo

The survey revealed guards at the North Slave Correctional Centre were told to "limit" reports of verbal and physical abuse by inmates, kitchen staff without proper training were asked to frisk prisoners, and security equipment -- such as cameras and radios -- were broken or poorly positioned.

The report was compiled by GNWT employees outside the Justice Department, namely the Corporate Human Resource Services division of the Financial Management Board Secretariat.

"It became pretty clear that the concerns were going beyond what would be expected with all that internal change," said Justice Minister Charles Dent, referring to a recent shift in the corrections department's philosophy from punishment to rehabilitation.

Several corrections officers complained to Yellowknifer last month that working conditions at the newly-minted North Slave Correctional Centre were unsafe.

In a review of their findings, the authors of the report said the situation "can lead to intimidation of staff and a potentially unsafe working environment." Employees at North Slave racked up 599 sick days from April through October. Although the report did not discuss the reasons, one guard who spoke to Yellowknifer said the majority of those resulted from stressful working conditions.

The government's plan outlines its response to the 35 recommendations contained in the report.

Among the promises made by the Justice Department are:

• Improve communications between management and staff.
• Review hiring practices and the implementation of affirmative action policies.
• Offer more training for guards and courses in CPR and First Aid.
• Review safety procedures at all facilities, improve sightlines and fix malfunctioning equipment.

Many of the problems at North Slave have already been addressed, Dent said.

Kitchen staff have been trained to frisk prisoners, cameras have been relocated to cover blind spots, all doors are working properly and management are encouraging guards to report threats and violence.

The department will also concentrate on repairing a rift with employees at North Slave, 75 per cent of whom said the facility does not "promote a healthy, motivating work environment."

While two guards who spoke to Yellowknifer were not pleased with the department's new rehabilitation approach to corrections, Dent said the majority of corrections officials have embraced the philosophy.

"We have a lot of dedicated, long-term employees. They agree with the new vision. It's a tremendous base on which to start," he said.

A new acting warden has been appointed at North Slave, but Dent declined to comment on the fate of former warden Bonnie Lynch. Last month an official with the department said she was on medical leave.

Kam Lake MLA Dave Ramsay, a vocal critic of conditions at the jail, said he was pleased with the government's response to the review.

"The action plan is a step in the right direction," said Ramsay. "It's a good day for the employees." The Kam Lake MLA was critical of Dent, however, saying the minister of justice downplayed the problems at the jail until he was forced to confront them with the release of the report. "He owes the employees an apology," Ramsay said, suggesting the minister would "have problems" when the assembly resumes next year.

Concerns highlighted in a GNWT review of the territory's jails:

• Cooks without proper training were required to frisk inmates and were often left alone with up to 17 prisoners.
• Security cameras at North Slave Correctional Centre were poorly placed and sightlines for guards were obstructed.
• Upper management told guards to "limit" the number of times they reported incidents of verbal and physical abuse.
• Maintenance personnel were often asked to supervise prisoners.
• The training program for new guards has been shortened from three weeks to two days and some casual staff received no training whatsoever.
• Staff at several jails were not provided with CPR and First Aid training as per departmental guidelines.
• One guard would often be in charge of up to 40 inmates.
• Radios at the River Ridge facility in Fort Smith do not work.
• Affirmative action polices were irregularly applied and poorly understood by managers.