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Listen to Prisons Inside/Out, a podcast from Correctional Service Canada. Follow along as we take you beyond the walls of our institutions, highlighting the important work we do to protect Canadians and change lives every day.
Don: "Well, I mean, it happens every day, right? It just doesn't stop. Like it's 24/7. There's constant movement all…all day, every day."
Kirstan: That's the voice of Don, one of more than 7000 correctional officers currently working inside a federal prison in Canada, Don's on his 16th year of service with CSC. And though many things have changed over the past decade and a half, his passion for his work has not. On this episode of Prisons Inside Out, we continue our Behind the Badge interviews, where we shine light on the work of our correctional officers and what they do each day to change lives and protect Canadians.
I'm your host, Kirstan Gagnon, and welcome to Prisons Inside Out. Today we go beyond the walls again and chat with Don, who shows us what it's like working inside a medium security facility. We'll learn about his day to day, his passion for the job, and hear about some challenges that come with working inside of a prison. Before meeting Don for my interview, he took me on a tour through some of the different areas inside the facility.
Don: So there, now you're at the mercy of our gate officer, if you want to get out. It's not good for the claustrophobic.
Kirstan: Don works at Collins Bay institution or CBI in Kingston, Ontario. CBI is one of ten prisons in Canada that are multi-level. This means there is a minimum, medium and maximum-security unit all on the same grounds. He works in the medium-security unit which has the most inmates. For Don, more inmates means more challenges managing all the movement.
Don: So every everybody's locked up overnight of course, from 10:45 until 7:00 in the morning. So, we do a count at 10:40, but we'll have inmates still working in the kitchen. We'll still have inmates working in CORCAN. At 4:00 again, we'll have inmates working in the kitchen, but everybody else is locked up.
So, there's, you know, three hours a day where guys are locked up. So, the rest of it there's always movement around.
Kirstan: One technique Don and his colleagues used to assist with all of the movement is called dynamic security.
Don: Basically, dynamic security is, you know, you're going to see more of it out, out in the other units. So, it's just officer presence. So, wherever there's movement you're going to see officers in the units. It's the same thing. We do our we do our rounds, you know, at least once an hour. And to make sure that, you know, we're seeing if anybody's got a problem that that they can come and talk to us. But it's a lot of times just us being in an area can prevent it. A lot of times, you know, if something's going to happen, it's going to happen regardless of whether we're there or not.
But it's a lot of, you know, talking, talking with the inmates and, you know, knowing what a baseline is. And then if you, if you feel or see something outside of that baseline, then you kind of like, okay, well we need we need to look a little closer into this. But a lot of it is learning baselines and...
Kirstan: Observing and knowing people.
Don: So right now it's happening is work up. So, all the all the inmates from all the units will a lot of them are employed. So they'll work CORCAN. We've got a metal shop. We've got a laundry. There's all kinds of work that these guys do. So they'll all come through here. There's also programs where they'll go to school, take their programming, you know, to follow their correctional plan. And so there's generally a lot of movement at this point in the day.
Kirstan: Would you say there's good teamwork though, amongst your colleagues?
Don: Yeah. Well, I mean you have to. Right? Like it's one of those things that when you look at it. So if we go out into a unit there's you have three officers and potentially 108 inmates in a unit, right. So you have to have good communication. You have to have, you know, you have to make sure that you're…
Kirstan: Vigilant, yeah?
Don: Vigilant, and comfortable with the people that you're working with, knowing that, you know, if something happens that...
Kirstan: They've got your back.
Don: They've got your back, right. Because again, we're we're..." (beeping sound)
Kirstan: As you can probably hear, we're standing near a metal detector. And it would occasionally buzz as the inmates would walk through.
Don: They'll get frisk searched here. So again, we try and try and make sure that that there's no contraband or weapons or anything moving around the jail, right. And again, we've got a we've got a metal shop...
Kirstan: As we were wrapping up our tour with Don, an inmate walked right past the security check in.
Don: (Background chatter)
Kirstan: Don's having some inmates down at the security post. And just checking somebody's personal guitar. And a few of the officers had to get pulled off to go, talk to one of the inmates. So, Don is just watching the post.
After our tour with Don was over, we headed away from all the busyness to continue our conversation.
I really, really enjoyed the tour you just gave me. It gave us a good idea of what it's like in your day and what goes into your job, and, it seems like a very dynamic, changing environment. What do you like the most each day?
Don: Honestly, I think that's... I think you hit the nail right on the head there, like, it's different every day. You never know what you're going to come into. I know if you talk to most people, they're going to tell you: Absolutely, the nice, quiet, boring day is the best. But again, it's not always the way that our days go here, but that's what we strive for. But, I mean, even that little glimpse into the movement there, where, you know, it takes just one guy having a bad day and not wanting to follow direction.
And I mean that can go bad in no time. But again, it's it was handled well, and you got to see a little bit. That's the dynamic security that you're talking about, is the communication part and the de-escalation and, you know, hope for the best.
Kirstan: I noticed everybody is very calm as well. Would you say that's really necessary to be a correctional officer?
Don: Yeah for sure. Like, I mean, even dealing day to day, right? If you're high strung and, you know, it's not always the best case to meet force with force, right? If, you're escalated and they're escalated, it doesn't usually end very well. So yeah, it's part of the de-escalation where, you know, you try and remain calm and, you know, it's the best way to get your point across because, you know, you're not necessarily going to have a good outcome if you want to start screaming and yelling at a guy for whatever.
Don: And a lot of time, that's how they communicate. But it is sometimes it's hard. Sometimes it's frustrating. But yeah, it's definitely not the best approach.
Kirstan: And in terms of a typical day. So, they seem like there are longer days you would come in and you're alert and you're on the go all the time. And so, walk me through that a little bit.
Don: So again, we've got different schedules and different, you know, different roles and responsibilities through each schedule. So, I'm on a 12-hour schedule. So, typically my day starts at 6:00 in the morning. Come in. And, it's actually kind of nice because they're still locked up for an hour. So, you can kind of come in and ease into your into your day, have your coffee, check your emails, see what's going on for the last little while, and then, the rest of the schedule is 9/16/9, which is exactly what it sounds like.
So, you're doing 9 hours. You're doing 16 hours. So, you're waking them up and putting them to bed and back to another 9. So typically, those rosters will start at seven in the morning. You'll come in; we'll open the jail up. As long as, you know, we're in a normal routine. So we feed them, get them medicated and then, you know, send them to work. So, we'll do a workup. That's kind of what you saw there this afternoon with guys, you know, going to their designated work things.
It gives them an opportunity to get out of their cells. They're not going to be locked up and, you know, just warehoused for the day. It keeps their minds occupied. And then, we'll do a count at 10:40, though, everybody will return back to their units at 10:40, we'll count. Make sure that everybody's where they're supposed to be and alive and healthy and, so then the officers will take their lunch, we'll do some switches, a lot of our schedules allow us to work different posts in a day.
So, you're not getting stagnated either, through a day. You're not seeing the same thing as far as the static security posts are. So, the CX2s in the units, they're your biggest dynamic security. They're the ones that get to know their inmates and their units. And so, they're with them all day, every day. And then we do it all again in the afternoon. Same thing where we'll open them up, feed them and medicate them and send them to work again.
So, after that, we'll lock them back up at 4:00 for a count. The officers will have their supper, and then they'll be out for recreation for the evening from 5:00 until 10:30 at night.
Kirstan: So, the medication as if they need it. Right?
Don: Yeah. Yeah. So, each guy would... There's a set number, that need the medication, you know, it's... They'll go to health care and back. They also do the methadone suboxone program here to alleviate some of the opioid addictions and stuff like that. So, it's a big program in the morning. It's again, you have 100 guys moving all at once first thing in the morning.
But yeah, if they need it, they have access to health care from 7:00 in the morning until 6:30 at night. So, the thing about prison is routine is a good thing. Always, always routine. If we vary from routine, it's hard on the inmates. It's hard on the officers as well. Because everything runs on routine here, and if you're not on routine, it means that there's something, you know, something's happening. And again, it's another hurdle.
Kirstan: And here at Collins Bay, when we you were taking us around, I noticed a lot of inmates, I guess, coming back from work. And so, there's a prison farm with some cows, and then there's the manufacturing right across. You mentioned welding, and we also have cleaners, and it takes a whole bunch of, there's a whole bunch of different jobs here available. And like you said, it keeps inmates occupied and hopefully out of trouble.
Don: That's the goal.
Kirstan: Great. And we talked a little bit about security, and I know that a big part of your job is being proactive, so you prevent incidents from happening. And I noticed the officers, being very vigilant. And I know that, you mentioned drone drops being an issue. And, I know that that vigilance is really important to be able to detect and act on any, any threats to the security of the institution. Is there anything you wanted to mention about that?
Don: Like I mentioned before, it's probably, at Collins Bay for sure, the biggest hurdle we have in keeping our environment safe. So, it's, the problem. It's been it's been around for, I would say probably ten years now, but in the last five years, it's been a severe problem where we're as far as the security aspect goes, with these packages being introduced, we have no idea what's in them.
And then, you know, just the introductions of, you know, illicit drugs and stuff like that, which also make our jobs harder, you know, as we go. Because again, it's not only the drugs themselves and responding to overdoses and stuff like that, but it's also that that subculture also leads to violence and stuff as well. So, the more introduction there is, the harder our jobs become.
Kirstan: For sure. And would you say that you have a good relationship with the police service here in town and other organizations that kind of help you do your work?
Don: Yeah. Like we definitely have a good partnership with Kingston police, and then we also have the OPP Penn squad that works with our SIO department and stuff like that.
Kirstan: And before we finish our interview, is there anything else you want to share with Canadians about the job you do as a correctional officer?
Don: Yeah, I think probably the perception that corrections is, as you see it on TV and as you see it in movies, it's not the case. Like, we do have a professional group of people working inside the walls. It's one of those things that, you know, it's not quite as exciting every day as what people may work it out to be, but, I mean, it definitely has it's ups and downs for sure, but it's, I mean, it's provided for my family quite well. And, I mean, I enjoy my job. Very rarely do I wake up and say: 'Ah, I gotta go to work.' And like, I don't mind coming to work at all. Try and make this place a better place for everybody.
Kirstan: Yeah. And for our families and children as well. In terms of public safety. Well, I would like to thank you for all your time today and a big shout out to your colleagues for doing this challenging job, but seems like with really good rewards.
Don: Well, thank you for doing this. It's nice to have a positive spotlight on our jobs.
Kirstan: Perfect. Thanks so much.
Kirstan: This brings us to the final part of today's episode, Common corrections. Each episode, we look at a common misconception Canadians may have about our correctional system, and we do our best to set the record straight. Today's common correction is: Do correctional officers carry firearms?
Correctional officers do not carry firearms the same way as police officers do. However, firearms are available in internal control posts throughout maximum-security institutions for men.
Firearms are also available in perimeter posts at both maximum and medium security institutions for men. While officers do not carry firearms on their person inside institutions, they do carry firearms while conducting external escorts from both maximum and medium security institutions. Firearms are used for emergency situations only. Correctional officers are trained to use various security equipment, though ideally as a last resort.
Officers are trained to resolve incidents peacefully through verbal intervention and or negotiation as a first step. In maximum and medium security institutions, there are also many different types of security equipment correctional officers have access to. Here's Don explaining the equipment he has while patrolling the floors.
Don: We're equipped with... We have our stab resistant vest. We also have... Every officer will carry handcuffs on their person as well, in case, you know, we need to arrest somebody, during the course of our duties. But that's all we have that we carry around to really do our job. We've got other stuff at our disposal as well, but it's an escalated use of force and, you know, it's not always readily available, but again, we try and make our environment as safe as possible.
But again, it's for us, I guess, our biggest asset is using our words, I guess, more than anything, and trying to de-escalate situations before they get into violence. Sometimes it's effective, sometimes it's not.
Kirstan: That's all for this episode. On the final part of this three-part interview series, Behind the Badge, we sit down with Ellen, a correctional manager who works in minimum security at William Head Institution in British Columbia. A big thank you again to today's guest, Don, for showing us around his work and for sharing his stories. This has been a production of the Correctional Service of Canada, and I'm your host, Kirstan Gagnon. Thanks for listening and we'll see you next time.