Penalties For Crimes Not To Exclude 'Human Rights'

"Mental health and problematic substance use are first-and-foremost a health issue, and we continue to work to break down stigma, while providing effective and appropriate treatments."

Correctional Service of Canada

"There are millions to be made inside the prisons."

"The demand for drugs and other contraband -- mainly drugs -- is off the charts."

"Take fentanyl ... everyone wants it."

Former Collins Bay inmate

"[It is a] human rights issue [that offenders do not have access to needle exchanges and other safe consumption options]."

"[Canada's prisons are] heavily tilted in favour of drug suppression. [They should abandon their so-called] war on drugs."

"Absolute drug prohibition does not work in the community and it will not work in prison."

Ivan Zinger, Canada's official correctional investigator

The overdose prevention service (OPS) at the Collins Bay Institution will be the third of its kind in Canada and the first in Ontario. (Lars Hagberg/The Canadian Press)

 

In Mr. Zinger's point of view it is an outrageous affront to human rights that criminal offenders in Canada's prison system have no access to needle exchanges, much less other safe consumption options. It was an issue he outlined in his 2022 annual report as an early proponent for in-prison facilities providing drug paraphernalia and medical supervision to prison inmates determined to consume drugs smuggled into prisons.

It is a fact of prison life that incarceration is a result of the criminal justice system finding an accused guilty of a crime as charged, and sentenced to pay the cost to society in terms of temporary loss of freedom. In point of fact it is prohibited by law to bring drugs into a Canadian prison despite that the Correctional Service of Canad has ordained that should you manage to sneak narcotics into a prison, guards will assist you in safe consumption.

A disbelieving shake of the head on hearing this, will make little difference; it's now a reality. The Collins Bay Institution located in Kingston, Ontario is preparing to open an "overdose prevention service" where inmates will be able to consume smuggled drugs while under medical supervision. This is not exactly startling new news. Those who keep abreast of such anomalies will be aware that on two previous occasions the federal prison agency approved a facility such as this one.

Drumheller Institution in Alberta, was the first such drug consumption site, opened in June of 2019. Nova Scotia's Springhill Institute was the second, opened earlier this year. The service at the Drumheller site saw 52 inmates using the service during its first 16 months of operation, for a total of 1,566 visits. Needles, syringes, tourniquets and other sterile drug paraphernalia are offered at each of these sites.

 

A correctional officer is seen in this file photo. (Lars Hagberg/Canadian Press)

 

Prison guards can seize contraband drugs from inmates under normal circumstances, but are forbidden from doing so if the inmate happens to be enroute to an OPS destination. Collins Bay Institution and the corrections system have been involved in a losing battle against a black market pipeline skilled at moving drugs, cellphones and yes, weapons too, into Canadian prisons.

Authorities recorded 99 "drone drops" at Collins Bay in 2022 alone. Instances where a drone was used to ferry contraband behind prison walls. Issues with prison guards themselves bringing drugs into the prison at a heavy markup have been revealed as having occurred at Collins Bay. An Ontario Provincial Police investigation early this year saw two prison employees suspected of spearheading a drug  trafficking ring. Police seized 1,100 grams of methamphetamine and 120 grams of fentanyl.

The same month that Springhill Institution opened is safe consumption site -- June -- prison guards seized a package containing an estimated $450,000 in street value of crystal meth. Smuggled drugs resulted in 56 suspected overdose deaths of inmates in the past ten years, making the second leading cause of non-natural death in prison after suicide attributable to overdose.