Sudbury John Howard Society CEO hopes new investigation leads to more humane conditions in Ontario jails

The CEO of the John Howard Society in Sudbury says she welcomes plans for Ontario's ombudsman to investigate practices at the Maplehurst Correctional Complex, where inmates were strip searched by jail guards in December 2023.

The strip search happened after a correctional officer was assaulted at the jail in Halton Region, which holds nearly 1,500 inmates in medium and maximum security. 

"Several inmates and members of the public have contacted us to express concerns about the treatment of inmates by the ICIT [Institutional Crisis Intervention Team] over two days in December 2023," ombudsman Paul Dubé said in a news release.

"The ministry [of the solicitor general] has already investigated the incident. What my investigation will cover is the steps the ministry took as a result and what it is doing to make sure something like this does not happen again."

Sara-Jane Berghammer, CEO of the John Howard Society of Sudbury, said conditions at jails across the province fail to respect the human rights of inmates.

Berghammer said she hopes the ombudsman's investigation of Maplehurst will help address those issues that affect the province's entire correctional system.

"It brings hope to our agencies that deal with incarcerated folks," she said.

"And I think it brings hope to the people that are suffering in jail."

Berghammer said she's heard from inmates at the Sudbury Jail that they have seen mice running around the facility. 

She added there have also been complaints that some cells have three or four people in them, when they're designed for two people.

"We've even had some inmates talk to us about being housed in areas of the jail that aren't meant to hold people, like either video remand rooms where they would usually Zoom into court, or a program space where they don't have access to running water or a toilet."

Improvements at the Sudbury Jail

Berghammer noted the Sudbury Jail was recently expanded and has upgraded its yard space, but added that jails across the province are overcrowded.

"There needs to be more utilization of alternatives to incarceration," she said.

"So like pre-charge programs and community service order programs and even bail reform. There needs to be bail reform so people can be released and supervised properly in the community."

CBC News reached out to Ontario's office of the solicitor general to respond to overcrowding concerns at the Sudbury Jail, but did not receive a response by deadline.