En Guard

It came as a relief for me to hear that guards at Central Nova Scotia Correctional Center in Darthmouth had begun to refuse prisoner escort duties. It's about time the government is made to understand and address the realities of employment as a correctional officer.

Policy in Nova Scotia dictates that guards are not to be armed with weapons while escorting an inmate outside the prison, a policy which is supposed to ensure the safety of everyone involved by eliminating the risk of unauthorized device abuse or seizure. It looks good on paper, but it's not practical, nor is it safe.

Incarceration does funny things to people. The isolation, monotony, loneliness, and countless other factors, all mix together to form a very unpredictable and often dangerous mind set among people who's criminal history proves that they weren't too stable to begin with. Even the most well-behaved inmates have their breaking point, and it's impossible to predict the circumstances that might trigger a crisis situation. Correctional officers, who are outnumbered and inadequately equipped in many ways, are at a severe disadvantage.

These dangers, which I have experienced firsthand and do not look back on fondly, lead to my question: why should there be any hesitation in providing guards with reasonable devices to protect themselves and the public while escorting an inmate outside the prison?

Let's face it, prisons are not filled with candidates for Maritimer of the Week. With the exception of a few wrongly convicted, the offenders have committed a crime that was not punishable by probation or house arrest or any of the other slaps-on-the-wrist. The majority will reject authority, a large number will have a history of violence, some will have untreated mental illness, and every single one will be foul-tempered a good part of the time (for good reason, all things considered). How anybody could expect one unarmed individual to maintain the upper hand in a situation where one of these unstable, angry, dangerous offenders finds an opportunity to flee, is unrealistic and ignorant.

The use of reasonable force is one thing, but without the tools to effectively control a volatile situation, the average person is not capable of enforcing their authority and restoring order, no matter how much training they've had. Short of pulling a Jackie Chan, what is an regular-sized person with only their strength and wits supposed to do with a 250-pound man wielding a syringe he just stole from the hospital? A convict on the run is desperate, has little to lose, and will not hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to make their escape attempt a success. Hoping nothing bad happens is not enough. Hindsight is useless when the damage has already been done.

Which begs the question, who's safety is more important, correctional officers or the inmates themselves? I'd lose less sleep hearing of a convicted murderer being pepper-sprayed to prevent him from escaping custody, than I would hearing about a guard being beaten by a violent inmate because he was inadequately armed. When you follow the rules and behave, you don't have to worry about punishment; if you act out or pose a threat to others, expect that the necessary steps will be taken. That's the way the world works, and it should be no different for criminals in custody, of all people.

I'll be very interested to learn of any policy changes that take place within the Corrections Division. As far as I'm concerned, they're urgently needed and long overdue, and I'm surprised the Union for these correctional officers hasn't stepped up to the plate before now. All other law enforcement officers and agencies with employees in close contact with people that pose a high security risk, are given appropriate grades of weapons to enforce the law and ensure the safety of everyone involved. I don't see that prison guards should expect anything less. Last time I checked, there was no news of a pepper-spray-fatality epidemic.

Even those who are opposed to correctional officers having access to non-lethal weapons would, I'm sure, cross the proverbial line in the sand if, say, a convict escaped from a hospital escort and forced himself into their kid-filled mini van. An unfortunate incident is all that separates an anti-taser fanatic from a guy zapping an escaped prisoner with jumper cables.

Of course if the decision-makers continue to insist that no one is in danger by leaving guards unarmed, I invite them to spend a few days doing hospital escorts for high-risk offenders at Central Nova. Premier MacDonald would be a sight to see, trying to convince Big Bubba why he should put the scalpel down and get back in the van. Within minutes, Cecil Clarke would be there to hand-deliver a suit of body armour, attack dogs, and a change of underwear.

Good luck, guards. I'm in your corner.