A ruling on Friday made by a Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge has said that it is illegal to lockdown inmates in provincial jails due to staffing shortages.
Justice Peter Rosinski said that some inmates have been left in their cells for up to 22 hours.
Inmates Durrell Diggs and Ryan Wilband were both left in their cells for long periods of time last fall while incarcerated at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility, Rosinski found.
The lockdowns were due to staff shortages, which Rosinski called “unlawful.”
Issues with recruitment and retention of correctional officers has taken a toll on inmates in the province, according to some advocates.
“The big issue with recruitment is they can’t keep correctional officers working because there’s better opportunities elsewhere,” Hugh Gillis, First Vice President of the Nova Scotia Government Employees Union, said.
Shortage in correctional officers not grounds for unlawful lockdowns, judge rules
