News 1. Burnside jail update The prisoners at the Burnside jail have ended their 20-day strike and have issued a statement, which reads in part: Dear supporters, You are commended for your work on our behalf. None of us thought that we would gain so much support by sharing our conditions with the public. The […]
Prisoners at the Burnside jail end 20-day strike, issue statement
Editor’s note: the prisoners at the Burnside jail have ended their 20-day strike. They have issued this statement to the Halifax Examiner. Dear supporters, You are commended for your work on our behalf. None of us thought that we would gain so much support by sharing our conditions with the public. The negative perception of […]
“Culture of fear”: a former guard relates his experience at the Burnside jail
"The moment you walk in the door at Burnside you are stripped of your dignity and humanity. No matter your sex, religion, or creed. No matter if you are an inmate or staff member."
A former correctional officer who worked at Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility (the Burnside jail) is concerned that the lack of attention to conditions in the jail will lead to violence and to people getting hurt. The former officer contacted the Halifax Examiner and spoke about his experience working at the jail on the condition […]
The Burnside powder keg: Broken promises, dehumanizing body scans, unfair solitary confinement, non-working toilets, lockdowns, and more
"We have 40 guys living together in the same room, without any physical equipment, no physical outlets. It’s very hard, and it’s gonna lead to violence."
The Halifax Examiner is covering the prisoner protest at the Burnside jail: • The statement released by the prisoners can be read here. • An interview with Jason MacLean, NSGEU President and correctional officer is here. • A prisoner account about the staffing shortage, the lockdown, and the problems with the change to a direct supervision […]
Guards refuse to work in the new day room at the Burnside jail; prisoners have been on lockdown since the weekend
On Sunday (August 19), the Examiner published a statement by prisoners at the Burnside jail outlining the conditions in the jail and presenting 10 demands. Jason MacLean, NSGEU President and correctional officer responds here. The protest is in part sparked by the move to the direct supervision model. Both staff and prisoners say that the change […]
The prisoners at the Burnside jail are engaged in a non-violent protest; here is their statement
Today’s column has been provided to the Halifax Examiner by organizers of the protest in Burnside. We, the prisoners of Burnside, have united to fight for change. We are unified across the population in non-violent, peaceful protest. We are calling for support from the outside in solidarity with us. We believe that it is only […]
I toured the Burnside jail, and then asked prisoners what they thought
On Tuesday morning, I attended the media tour of Burnside jail with Tim. Tim summarized the tour this way: This was a PR exercise on the part of Corrections, and as such things go, was well-run. Corrections staff were informative and answered even the most pointed questions. Reporters did not, however, get the chance to […]
Correctional Officer table at job fair sends the wrong message
I’m a community education and outreach intern, and so was asked to go to the Success College job fair to speak with students. As we set up our table, I was surprised to see a couple of correctional officers setting up their own table — I was surprised because I recognized them from when I […]
“No Reason to Treat Us Like Garbage”: Life and Death in Canadian prisons
1. The Weekenders Recently, news stories circulated about incarcerated women in Arizona being denied access to menstrual products. When we hear stories about prison conditions in the United States, people in Canada often believe that these injustices do not happen in our prisons and jails. This is a mistake. I have been hearing for a […]
Arrest the Bankers: Morning File, Saturday, April 8, 2017
1. All Histories Matter Last week, I wrote about the white outcry about the exclusion of Annapolis Royal from CBC’s first episode of The Story of Us. I pointed out that while white Nova Scotians furiously protested their claims to be recognized as the first settlers, they were not so anxious to receive credit, for example, […]