The past two decades have not been kind to inmates
On July 29, a news release by the provincial ombudsman’s office announced that Sharon Pratchler, Saskatchewan’s ombudsman, is seeking to speak with those who have served time at Pine Grove Correctional Centre. Pratchler stated that she is “aware of significant concerns through complaints made to [her] office.”
People who have been incarcerated at the Pine Grove Correctional Centre are encouraged to contact Pratchler’s office to share the ways in which they have been “adversely impacted by experiences or conditions” during their incarceration.
Those who wish to speak with the ombudsman or a member of her team can call 1-844-608-1180 (toll-free) or 306-787-4236 Monday to Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, the lines will be answered Friday evenings and Saturday as well, the news release claims, and the lines are dedicated for the purpose of collecting Pine Grove complaints.
In-person meetings are also available. Investigators will travel to communities including those in the north, to increase accessibility and make it easier for those impacted to speak with the team.
The July 29 news release also claims that, during the investigation conducted by the ombudsman’s office, the degree to which trauma-informed practices and “Truth and Reconciliation principles have been incorporated into the treatment of individuals” incarcerated at Pine Grove will also be considered.
The last review of this nature investigating conditions at Pine Grove by the ombudsman was completed and published by the ombudsman’s office more than two decades ago, in 2002, and was titled “Locked Out.”
The July 29th announcement comes weeks after CBC reported that overcrowding at the prison has reached “crisis levels,” in the wake of multiple hunger strikes, deaths, and unhealthy conditions.
Overcrowding at Pine Grove has been a recurring concern. Last July, The Elizabeth Fry Society, a non-profit advocacy group in Saskatchewan that supports incarcerated women, raised an alarm that was already ringing. Overcrowding places the health and safety of inmates at risk, and people have the potential to become violent when overcrowding persists.
In July of this year, Pine Grove had 275 female inmates, more than 100 above capacity. These high inmate counts led to a practice known as “triple bunking” where cells designed for two people needed to fit three, and chapel, gymnasium, and visitor area spaces filled with beds to hold inmates. By mid-July, the number of inmates reduced to 227, still above the prison’s maximum capacity of 166 inmates.
The 2002 report suggested that steps be taken to eliminate the need for double bunking and dormitories, however, overcrowding has increased in frequency and scale since, indicating persistent problems at Pine Grove.
Since food service at Pine Grove was outsourced to Compass Group in 2015, inmates at the prison have raised concerns about food quality.
Before Compass Group received its contract to feed inmates at the prison, staff and inmates ate the same meals, all prepared by cooks. There was awareness of food handling procedures, cleanliness, and food safety.
As of November 2015, inmates have not been aware of what they are eating and how well it’s been prepared. According to a letter written by inmates in 2015, “some women have gotten sick after their meal, and have a fear of eating because they do not want to feel ill… [and] many people are still hungry after dinner and supper.” At one point, inmates were served nine pieces of Wonderbread per day.
The 2002 report does not account for the 2015 change in food service at Pine Grove, though it did account for aged plumbing and low water pressure. The report recommended that plumbing issues be addressed, but now, decades later, women are beginning to get sick from the water. Sherri Gordon, the founder of Beyond Prison Walls Canada, stated that “these women should have access to clean water but they do not… [women] are getting flakes on the scalp and boils on their skin.”
Faith Eagle, an advocate and former inmate at Pine Grove told APTN that “the water was disgusting – it tasted like sewer… it looked like there was oil, you know, when oil and water meet; you could see the residue on it.”
Staff at Pine Grove are given Nimbus water to drink, but inmates are not.
The UN’s Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners states that “Every prisoner shall be provided… with food of nutritional value adept for health and strength, of wholesome quality and well prepared and served.” The UN also has rules pertaining to water and cleanliness, stating that “drinking water shall be available to every prisoner.”
Over the past few years, inmates have begun various hunger strikes. Those refusing meal trays now say they have no end in mind, and plan to continue to protest conditions at the prison.
Access to family visits is also limited at Pine Grove. The 2002 report found that female inmates are more geographically isolated from their homes and communities than male inmates in Saskatchewan. This was made evident by two thirds of the 2002 prison population being from Regina, Saskatoon, or northern Saskatchewan.
The report’s recommendation was that Pine Grove Correctional should “provide concessions to inmates who are incarcerated outside their home geographic area to compensate for their isolation.” The recommended concessions included subsidization of long-distance phone calls and travel expenses, and increased visiting privileges. Even with subsidization, with defunct bus lines the ability of families, especially from remote communities, to visit is greatly reduced.
In 2002, Pine Grove routinely allowed special and extended visits and paid for long-distance phone calls. Still, it’s unclear if that remains the case at the prison, and geographic and infrastructural factors remain barriers to family visits.
In a 2021 Macleans article, Justin Ling classed Canada’s prison systems as “dangerous, racist, and falling apart.” Around 90 per cent of Pine Grove’s inmates are Indigenous, and Ling says that “by nearly every metric, the nation’s penal system is not just failing, it’s making things worse.”
