NDP statement on the rising number of assaults on Ontario correctional officers

Today NDP Community Safety and Correctional Services critic, Lisa Gretzky, issued the following statement about the rising number of documented assaults on correctional officers in Ontario correctional facilities .

“The Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services is failing correctional officers. With the significant rise of documented assaults on correctional officers by offenders, it’s clear the Minister is not listening to their concerns. Correctional officers have long been calling for a Digital Security Screening System, which among other things, can detect ceramic weapons and razor blades not detected by current screening equipment. The proliferation of these weapons is making it more dangerous for officers to do their job and for offenders to serve their sentences safely.

“The Liberal government should be exploring ways to better protect correction officers in their workplace, starting with addressing the root causes of violence against correctional officers, such as the overcrowding and understaffing of prisons. The Ministry’s overreliance on double and triple bunking continues to worsen already volatile conditions. I’ve raised these concerns time and time again to the Minister, but it seems he’s content with the status quo which is clearly jeopardizing safety inside Ontario’s correctional facilities.”