Dauphin jail to close despite pandemic

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This article was published 16/04/2020 (1617 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Chris Geisel knew 2020 was going to be a challenging year for his family — and then a global health crisis hit.

On Wednesday, he and his colleagues at the Dauphin Correctional Centre learned the province is going ahead with its plans to close the jail and relocate inmates and staff on May 29 despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“I would like to see the government still consider postponing the closure because it affects so many families who have to make these life-altering decisions in the middle of a pandemic,” said Geisel, who has worked as a corrections officer in Dauphin for the last decade and is the president of the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union Local 10, which represents corrections workers in the region.

The province announced it was closing the century-old building in January and gave the facility’s 77 employees the option of transferring to a different jail or staying put and looking for new work.

Geisel opted for a transfer to Brandon Correctional Centre and is scheduled to move to the city 160 kilometres south of Dauphin in June; however, public health orders have made it near impossible to look for a new home for his family of six.

“We can’t go and wander into other people’s houses or go to other communities, we’re just trying to abide by the (recommendations) and stay at home,” he said, adding that one of his family members is immunocompromised.

“We’ve been pretty vigilant with everything we’re doing and following all the guidelines, wiping down groceries and stuff like that after we buy them and changing the clothes after we work and washing them right away.”

Sorting out education for three of his kids has also been a challenge.

“If everything was normal we’d be able to visit some schools and see what would be best for the children,” he said. “We don’t even know what their schooling will look like next year.”

Geisel said most of his colleagues who selected transfers are facing similar hurdles.

“It’s full of uncertainty, not knowing what to do and the best way to do it,” he said.

The jail’s transition committee has offered information sessions via Skype to corrections staff and will continue to assist as needed during the closure and relocation process, according to the province.

There are currently 29 inmates at the Dauphin jail, down from 67 last fall, and they will be transferred to new facilities after 14 days of isolation.

“This decline along with the overall lower counts in adult and youth corrections will assist in both facilitating the transfer of custody to other facilities and ensuring greater physical distancing,” a provincial spokeswoman said in a statement.

To assist with distancing in its facilities, the province said intermittent sentences will now be served at home and the release of certain segments of the inmate population is under review. In-person visits for those in custody have been suspended along with inmate programs, staff training and group activities.

MGEU president Michelle Gawronsky said she spoke with Justice Minister Cliff Cullen at the beginning of April about postponing the closure and was surprised to hear this week that the province was moving forward with the original date.

“You’re closing a jail at a time when we actually need the space,” she said. “Yes, I agree it is not the best jail in the world and it definitely needs to be replaced, but now is definitely not the time to be hard and fast and close those doors.”

Larry Budzinski is a member of the Dauphin Correctional Centre Coalition, a group of citizens that has been rallying against the jail’s closure. He also questions the timing of the closure.

“The community has been saying, what’s the rush in the first place?” Budzinski said. “Especially in the midst of an epidemic, why would you crowd prisoners together? That’s a dangerous, dangerous decision.”

eva.wasney@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @evawasney