Component discusses prison violence with provincial government opposition critics

Tuesday afternoon, your component met with provincial government opposition critics and MLAs Mike Farnworth (Public Safety and Solicitor General), Leonard Krog (Attorney General) and Shane Simpson (Labour) about the Prison Safety Now campaign. Representing the union was Component 1 VP Dean Purdy, and Component executive members Brian Campbell and Brandon Cox.

There was discussion about the escalating rates of violence, the problems of overcrowding and high inmate-correctional officer ratios and its impact on Component 1 members. In addition to staffing levels, concerns such as mental health of inmates (at least 30 per cent of inmates have mental illness), the growing prevalence of high potency drugs like fentanyl, organized crime/gangs, and the elimination of single staff escorts were also look at.

Some alarming statistics were discussed, including that in the last year alone, assaults on correctional officers increased 39 per cent, and inmate on inmate violence has increased by 42 per cent. 

Your Component stressed the importance of changing legislation to give the Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) the power to write orders, specifically around ratios.  

Krog, Simpson and Farnworth agreed with your Component’s concerns and understood the frustration of our members. Shane Simpson suggested that he would follow up with WCB to reiterate the importance and urgency of these issues, and recommend steps that WCB needs to take in order to reduce violence in BC’s prisons.

"Given that Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Morris has denied that there are any concerns in BC correctional centres, it was refreshing to have the BC NDP listen to the real worksite concerns of our officers and not minimize the risk that these officers face when they go to work everyday in our correctional centres," says Purdy.