Union alarmed by spike in violence at prison
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/06/2020 (1394 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Two recent stabbings at Stony Mountain Institution highlight a “scary” increase in violence at the Manitoba prison, a union president says.
Six inmates have been charged in connection with the stabbing of two inmates, a 24-year-old and a 45-year-old, on May 31.
Manitoba RCMP announced the attempted murder and aggravated assault charges Wednesday, less than seven weeks after a correctional officer had their throat slashed with a homemade weapon inside the prison and had to be airlifted to hospital.
James Bloomfield, Prairies regional president for the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, said he’s asked union representatives at prisons in Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan how changes to confinement or restrictions on inmates’ movements because of the COVID-19 pandemic may have affected tension that sparks violence. There has been a “noticeable increase” in assaults among inmates and against guards, he said.
Violence at Stony Mountain is a longstanding problem, Bloomfield said, often fuelled by gang and drug activity.
“There’s been a serious increase in violence. It is not stopping, and the current situation at that institution, it is a combination of, I think, a little bit to do with COVID, however, the reality of this institution is that there is a lot of gangs there, and… there is a lot of drugs at that site as well,” Bloomfield said.
Asked whether there has been an increase in violence, gang activity, drugs and contraband at Stony Mountain, a representative for the Correctional Service of Canada didn’t give an answer. CSC sent a statement saying it has violence-prevention strategies in place, including working with law enforcement.
“As part of CSC’s investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incidents at Stony Mountain Institution, we will determine if practices need improvement to prevent recurrences of violence. While the investigations related to these incidents are still ongoing, it is important to note that investigation findings and best practices are routinely shared with management to support continuous improvement,” the statement reads in part.
Neither CSC nor Bloomfield could say whether last week’s double stabbing was gang-related. Manitoba RCMP said two stabbings happened within hours of each other in separate wings of Stony’s maximum security unit. The victims’ names haven’t been released, but both men remained in hospital Wednesday, said RCMP Sgt. Paul Manaigre.
Dennis McLeod, 25, and Anthony Mitchell, 28, are charged with attempted murder in the stabbing of the 24-year-old inmate.
In the stabbing of the 45-year-old inmate, 39-year-old Tyler Gray has been charged with attempted murder. Inmates Skyler Cook, 25, Brandon Seenie, 22, and Michael Kelly, 25, have been charged with aggravated assault. The investigation is ongoing, RCMP said.
Bloomfield said violence in the institution is often not announced publicly, particularly if it doesn’t require outside medical treatment.
“It’s scary, and it’s really scary for the officers who actually are the ones on the front lines right now,” he said.
katie.may@freepress.mb.ca
Katie May
Reporter
Katie May is a general-assignment reporter for the Free Press.