Don Jail death proof of facility's inadequacy: critic
The second death at Toronto's Don Jail in less than two months is further proof the facility is stretched beyond its means, says a criminal rights advocate.
Greg Rogers, who works with Toronto's inmates as the head of the John Howard Society, called the Don Jail rustic, outdated and overcrowded.
Those crowded conditions combined with inmates' mental health issues and addictions are often to blame for prison violence, he said.
His criticisms come after the violent death of inmate Kevon Phillip. Guards discovered Phillip, 24, unconscious and severely beaten on Saturday afternoon. He died shortly afterwards at hospital.
The province is investigating his death, but have released little information about the killing.
"I'm not surprised," said Rogers of Phillip's death.
"I mean, I think it's a natural result of the overcrowding that's going on at the Don."
'Asking for trouble'
When the Don Jail — located near Broadview Avenue and Gerrard Street East — was built in the middle of the 19th century, it was designed to accommodate about 200 inmates. Today it routinely houses close to 600 prisoners, usually those awaiting trial or sentencing.
"A large amount of the people who are in jail did something bad to get there. Putting people with these histories, with these issues in an overcrowded situation is asking for trouble, we believe," he said.
Phillip's death comes less than two months after the violent killing of another inmate at the jail. Jeff Munro, 32, was kicked and punched to death in the cells of the jail on Nov. 7.
Earlier that week another inmate, Kevin Pereira, also 32, was severely beaten.
The Ontario government hopes to fix the overcrowding problem by building a new jail to replace the Don. Construction on the Toronto South Detention Centre began in October, and is expected to conclude by the fall of 2012.
But Rogers said the problems go beyond building a new jail.
"I think that one of the problems we're seeing is that the prison system is under-resourced. We've got tough on crime. The crime rate has gone down. It's at, I think, a 30-year low, but yet the incarceration rate goes up," Rogers said.