‘Dogs are treated better’ — Overcrowding, lengthy lockdowns plague Windsor jail amid largest COVID outbreak yet

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Inmates already struggling with overcrowding and lengthy lockdowns are now more than two weeks into the South West Detention Center’s largest COVID-19 outbreak to date.

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During a fuzzy phone call from the Windsor jail, Jason Mallat told the Star he spends nearly 24 hours a day locked in a tiny room with two other men, claustrophobic and anxious, wondering when his next shower will be.

For roughly three months, the 49-year-old Windsor man has awaited court dates from inside an overcrowded cell. Innocent until proven guilty following an assault charge, he feels inhumanely punished under almost constant lockdown conditions that prevent inmates — most of whom have not been convicted — from accessing phones, showers, exercise, self-betterment programs, and breathing room otherwise available on a consistent basis.

They’re treating us like we’re second-class citizens

Mallat regularly has as little as 20 minutes a day to bathe and make calls before returning to his packed cell. With only two beds and two seats, one of the three inmates must sleep and eat on the floor, sometimes among crawling ants, he says.

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“It’s ridiculous in here. It’s bad,” Mallat said. “Dogs are treated better than we’re treated in here.”

While understaffing has been to blame for most of the lockdowns he’s experienced, Mallat said his range — the area about 16 cells open onto — currently has a COVID-19 outbreak. Now, inmates are told they must stay locked in their cells to prevent further infection.

According to data on the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit’s website, 32 people at the jail have tested positive during the outbreak declared on March 28. It’s unclear if any correctional officers have contracted the disease.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of the Solicitor General told the Star the jail has a pandemic plan in place prepared in consultation with the local health unit, as well as COVID protocols that align with the guidance from the Ministry of Health and public health partners.

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“Any inmate that tests positive for COVID-19 is placed on droplet and contact precautions and isolated from the rest of the inmate population while they receive appropriate medical care,” Morrison told the Star in an email.

The ministry has a supply of COVID-19 vaccines and makes them available to eligible inmates “on an ongoing basis,” he wrote, “including booster doses as inmates become eligible for them.” Clinical staff have access to inmate vaccination records through the provincial COVAX system.

Newly admitted inmates are screened and tested for COVID, with their consent, Morrison said. Jails must house them in a separate area from the general population for 14 days.

A correctional officer who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal said a single positive COVID case on a range of results in lockdowns for inmates in all 16 cells to prevent further spread. With overcrowding, that can mean as many as 48 inmates on lockdown for weeks because of one infection.

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Both overcrowding and lockdowns began long before the current COVID-19 outbreak, which appears to be isolated to a single range. Inmates who spoke with the Star and the correctional officer said the issues have been going on for months.

“Lockdowns are very frequent — the most we’ve ever seen,” said the officer, who attributed the issue to short staffing. Many officers are on leave for mental stress, they said, while others are forced to isolate following COVID exposure outside the jail.

“The shortages are compounding each other because officers are working harder to cover for others. It’s creating stress and anxiety.”

Earlier this week, the officer said, a group of inmates refused to return to their cells following 17 days in lockdown. Other parts of the jail had to be locked down as a result so correctional officers could be redeployed to deal with the emergency.

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“Thankfully, we were able to negotiate with the inmates to go back into their cells, but it’s becoming increasingly volatile,” the officer said. “That puts more added stress and anguish onto the inmates. They’re lured into particularly violent situations because they need to stand up to defend their rights.”

Ministry spokesperson Morrison said there is “adequate staff on duty at the facility to securely supervise” the inmates in custody.

Katrina Digiacinto, OPSEU Local 135 president representing correctional officers at the Windsor jail, did not respond to the Star’s requests for comment.

Windsor defense laywer Bobby Russon, who is representing several clients on remand at the South West Detention Centre, said lockdown conditions make it difficult to communicate with clients.

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“The only time we can meet is the evening or weekend via video,” said Russon, who met with a client at 9 am on Easter Sunday. “The staff who organize that have been as accommodating as they can be.”

The ministry confirmed there have been full and partial lockdowns recently. Where possible, Morrison said, “partial lockdowns are always preferred.” Lockdowns result from security incidents, searches, infectious disease control, unexpected staff absences and facility maintenance, and are “periodically necessary” to maintain the “safety and security” of staff and inmates.

“They’re treating us like we’re second-class citizens,” said Aaron Evans, 31, who has on remand since November on assault and robbery charges. “We’re locked up for 23-and-a-half hours a day.

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“I understand that we’ve made mistakes. We’re paying for the mistakes now. But the way they’re treating us is inhumane, especially if we haven’t been convicted.”

With no access to betterment programs — education, life skills, anger management, and substance abuse rehabilitation programs are typically offered in Ontario correctional institutions — “they’re caging animals up and setting us up to fail,” Evans said.

Evans, Mallat, and 30-year-old Ryan Langlois said they’ve requested mental health support but have so far been denied because of the COVID-19 outbreak on their range.

“Mentally, I’ve been having a rough go,” Langlois, who’s on remand for possession of a stolen vehicle, told the Star. “I’ve had COVID. We’ve been locked down for (weeks).

“We’re human beings and we deserve proper treatment.”

— with files from Trevor Wilhelm

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