Episode 2: Back Up, Come With Me

Shift – Episode 2: Backup! Come with me!

Hi, my name is Guillaume, and I’m a level 2 Correctional Officer at Cowansville Institution.

Cowansville Institution, a medium-security facility, is located in Cowansville, Quebec, about 100 kilometres east of Montréal. It has the capacity to house just under 600 inmates.

Today we follow Guillaume Favreau on his shift. He is in his 12th year as a Correctional Officer (currently a CX2). He is also a member of the Emergency Response Team and is the Regional Grievance Coordinator for the Quebec Region.

The briefing

The shift starts off with a briefing where the officers meet with the Correctional Manager to get updated on recent events and things to watch out for.

(Inaudible) in cell block 10, it just fell, so we don’t know how exactly he’s going to come out. Then, during another round, the Officers in cell block 9 seized a "slasher" in cell (inaudible). And, finally, on Saturday also, in cell block 8, 1.5 liters of "brew" was found in cell (inaudible). Sunday, there was nothing to report.

The kitchen

With the briefing complete, Guillaume sets out to start his day.

We head over to the kitchen and cafeteria where inmates are having their meal. Some inmates also work in the kitchen preparing and serving meals.

Not every inmate can have a job like that, because they will use knives, materials which are usually considered contraband in institutions. The inmates undergo a security screening process to ensure that it is done safely.

All the observations we make here, it’s important to write them down in a SOR (Statement of Observation Report) and we can use that afterwards.

The patrol

Guillaume takes us for a ride in a perimeter vehicle. Perimeter vehicles are used by officers for patrols and security around institutions.

Now, we are on a mobile patrol, we are circling the penitentiary. We do this because it’s important to look around, both inside and out.

There is still contraband being introduced currently; people come and throw contraband over the fence or in several other ways. The Patrol Officers are responsible for monitoring the surroundings and also for preventing escapes.

While on patrol an alarm goes off.

Now we have a fence alarm going off. It could be because of the elements, animals setting it off, whatever. We always have to consider an alarm like an escape attempt.

We have false alarms, it’s normal, it’s OK, we always have to take them seriously and go and check.

Let’s go to the tower, and I’ll show it to you.

The work of the Officers in the tower is to watch the inmates, but also the surroundings. You see, we have a panoramic view from here. Contraband entry is the real issue here at the moment, and for several reasons. So the Officer tasked with this post must monitor the inside and the outside of the penitentiary. When we are on patrol, on the perimeter of the institution, there will often be motion sensing alarms, either between the fences or at the fence.

The Patrol Officers are responsible for checking what is happening at that moment; it could be the elements, animals or it can be an inmate who touched the fence to go and get a package. So, when it goes off, the Patrol Officer must go and check it out. Obviously, the alarm goes off often, and sometimes we may believe that it’s nothing, but we have to consider each alarm like an attempted escape. It’s very important.

Cell seizure

The bread and butter of Correctional Officers’ work, it’s working in the cell blocks, going on security patrols, and doing searches and seizures. We’re going to do that after dinner. That’s the main part of the job. That’s also where we’re constantly in contact with inmates and that’s where they spend most of their time, so I would say that it’s also the most difficult part of the job.

During the rounds, Guillaume is alerted to possible drug-related activity.

Guillaume: I’m going to ask you to put your hands up on the wall.

Guillaume: “You got this?”

Guillaume: Is there something on you that could prick or injure us?

Inmate: No.

Guillaume: Oscar 39 Alpha to Oscar 12.

Radio: I’m listening.

Guillaume: Yes, I’m asking for you to authorize a cell search based on reasonable grounds.

Radio: What is the reason exactly?

Guillaume: The inmate was handling drugs.

Radio: Call me back after you’ve handled the situation.

Guillaume: 39 Alpha, understood, over.

Guillaume: Is there something in there that could prick me or injure me?

Inmate: No.

Guillaume: I will go and search the cell, you can come in.

When we entered, you saw the inmate, something’s burning, he’s definitely using. There’s hash here that he’s cuttings, you see that it’s not his first time. He puts hash on this and he takes his drugs. So now, what we’re going to do is extinguish it and search his cell and seize the paraphernalia.

When we search a cell, it’s important to keep an open mind; now we have the authorization to search the cell. We know there are drugs there, but nothing tells us that there aren’t more somewhere else. The reason for the search is to gain entry into the cell, where so we take the opportunity to conduct a thorough search to be sure there’s nothing else.

While I’m searching, my colleague is holding watch at the entrance, the cell door, so that we don’t get locked in. And he will manage the “happy people”, because it’s obvious we’re causing issues in the moment.

Now we’ve just completed a seizure, which will cost the inmate money. They will try to intimidate us a bit to ensure we don’t come back too often. Surely, if I come back and I am constantly under pressure, according to them, I may come back less often. However, according to CSC’s mission, my goal is to help them become law-abiding citizens. If you’re using drugs here in the institution, which is prohibited, you’re off to a pretty bad start.

He had hidden something else. So this here is a “toker”, or what they call a “toker”. So, when the drugs burn  he’s going to use the “toker” like a pipe to inhale. This paraphernalia is another item of contraband. 

Now, as the result of my search: I seized drug paraphernalia here. I seized drugs, which seems to me to be hash or hashish. We will have it analyzed and we will seize it and send it all to the Security Intelligence Officers, who will analyze the substance. Then, the inmate will be “reported”; there will be SORs, a seizure report, an offence report and a search report. Then, the matter will go before minor court or the major court, based on the seizure, and disciplinary measures will be taken afterwards. 

Drugs are ever-present in our institutions because of drones. What ends up happening is that those inmates end up smoking, they use substances, I mean, they are still in their offending cycle. It creates debts, it increases mental health issues, it goes hand in hand with medication. Sometimes, they can sell their medication prescribed for their mental health issues to purchase this, but it turns out they needed the medication. This brings on a lot of problems, in addition to the second-hand smoke, it exacerbates the pressure Correctional Officers who are doing their job. Drugs are more ubiquitous than ever.

So the next step is to bring the forms to the Correctional Manager, who will in turn ensure that everything is compliant. He will take ownership and now I’m finished with this seizure.  

Drone alert

What we're going to do is we're going to isolate this sector here. So, stop, please. We're going to close this here. So, follow me, we will return the inmates to their cell block. We are going to empty this sector so that we can work safely.

The drone has been detected, sector , activity. All the inmates that are there, they are going to be searched before exiting. So, what we do is we work to return the inmates. The drone has been detected, sector, activity, but there is nothing to tell me that it didn’ not drop elsewhere. That's why the inmates who enter the cell blocks are searched before they enter. So let’s proceed step by step. We're going to go head to the fence over there.

What we're going to do is we're going to head to the cell block,  we're going to conduct a count and we’ll lock up the inmates. My colleagues, what they are doing is that they are going to finish the searches and they are going to search the areas to see if a package was left on the ground. Often, since we conduct searches, inmates will leave the package on the ground and to not be caught with it here at the gate. So, we're going to let them finish here and we will head back to the cell block.

Guillaume: Close the doors.

The most memorable incidents unfortunately are often the most catastrophic. These are inmates who attack on another with edged weapons. When we intervened, we have to stop the assault, but then we have to take care of the wounded, manage the aggressor, handcuff him and all that, search him appropriately, isolate him, and take him elsewhere. At that time, my mandate during that incident was to take care of the victim. The victim was really messed up. We were three correctional officers on this individual, and six hands weren’t enough to plug all the holes.

These are events that can be traumatic, but they are events that happen in correctional settings, for whatever reason. Whether it's gangs, drugs, debts, control, or just tension, being locked up all the time here, it creates tension. Add to that we’re putting together a lot of people who have criminal tendencies and they have social problems, in that they don't know how to resolve conflicts through words. They live by a different code, different ways of doing things than we do.

That event was quite traumatic. It was a great intervention because there were several partners involved, including health services, paramedics, local Health health Servicesservices, I mean, we have a department, an in-house hospital. We did what we could. The idea isn’t always to be perfect, it's to do our best. But with the stress, the blood, the screaming, things move pretty quickly. It's not an easy job, it's not always easy to make the right decisions, but what's important is to act, and intention is a big part of it.

What happens afterwards is that you go back to those places, and you remember the smell of blood, the flashbacks. That's why it’s important when events like this happen, if you feel that you need counseling, to talk, to vent. You can't sustain a career by holding onto all of the security incidents that happen here, because you are definitely not going to make it to the end. You have to find ways to ease the mental burden.

Drone drop

Back up! Come with me. Run!

The Correctional Officers intervened in a cell block due to a code white, which means an altercation between two inmates. The inmates are handcuffed and we are going to lock them up in their cells. Afterwards, Correctional Managers will shed light on the situation. When we do that, we will, following authorization, conduct a strip search of the inmates to ensure that they don’t have any weapons on their person. They will probably ask that the area be searched just to be sure sometimes. They use weapons to carry out their assault and throw them afterward. We look at the cameras to conduct searches. As you can see, here, the area is isolated to work safely.

Guillaume: Are you doing the search?

We're going to move, because the officers are going to conduct a strip search and we're going to give them some privacy.

So, following the altercation, the Correctional Officers conducted a strip search of the inmate, and we see here that they seized a plug. That's what we call it in our line of work. You can see, according to the packaging, that it seems to be tobacco. It will be analyzed by the Security Officers. Once again, clearly, this is the type of contraband that enters via drones, so we see the consequences of these drones: there was an altercation between inmates, there could have been injuries, someone will probably incur debts because of this. The Correctional Officers had to intervene. It's part of our job. We're trained for it, we're ready for it. But clearly, contraband introduced via drones has amplified the problem at the institution, exponentially.

Inmate intake

A transport vehicle arrives with inmates that will be serving their time here. Inmates follow a Correctional Plan that is developed outlining treatment and recommendations for rehabilitation. During intake, the inmates are processed and issued standard institutional clothing as well as basic essentials before they head to their assigned cells to begin their sentence.

My biggest challenge when interacting with inmates is that you can’t take anything personally. It’s the uniform, it’s the title, it’s the image we project. So, we have to be able to delineate between our work selves and ourselves as people.

When there is a moment of tension between inmates, it’s important to keep calm, to take a breath and rely on our colleagues. The job is about teamwork, you don’t want to take it all on alone. When you’ve had a rough day, take the time to discuss it, to vent.

A good tip to help an inmate deescalate emotionally is often to put yourself in their place. Not to minimize their actions, but to find the right words, to help them verbalize their emotions. Sometimes, they will feel better understood and, later on, they will be more receptive to your advice and requests.

Do we suffer the consequences on the floor every time, smell second-hand smoke, see the behaviour of inmates and witness violence because of debt, because of drugs? Inmates unable to cope mental health-wise because of drones, the answer is yes.

It's not a normal job. What we see, what we experience, what we manage, these are not events that are normal in society. A career with the Correctional Service is a marathon, not a sprint. You can't run a marathon with heavy emotional baggage on your back.

I love being a Correctional Officer because no day is 100% the same as the day before it. We are always on the lookout, we talk to each other, but there can be a fight on the left and a medical problem on the right. You never know what is around the corner.