Correctional officer should not have repeatedly pushed Edmonton inmate with shield, report finds
CBC
A report into an altercation at Edmonton Institution last year sheds light on correctional officers' use of force and the strained relationship between inmates and employees at the maximum security federal prison.
CBC News has obtained a redacted copy of the report following a federal access to information request.
Inmates told a lawyer last year that after a fight between inmates on Jan. 8, 2022, a shot fired by a corrections officer went through a door and struck another inmate.
At the time, Correctional Service Canada said two inmates were taken to hospital for assessment and treatment following a physical altercation. A spokesperson said an inmate, who was not involved in the fight, "reported a surface abrasion to medical staff and no further medical attention was required."
One of the men involved sustained life-altering injuries in the fight and is still in hospital, according to the Edmonton Police Service, which was called in to investigate the altercation.
The other had minor injuries and has been charged with aggravated assault and possession of a weapon. Both charges have been stayed.
An internal investigation, known as a board of investigation, from CSC into the incident offers a more detailed view of what happened, as well as more information on how a correctional officer shortage was affecting inmates and employees at the federal prison.
Since the incident, the prison has taken corrective measures with the officers who used force, made changes to its introductory firearms training manual, and according to the correctional officers' union and a defence lawyer with clients at the prison, conditions have improved since then.
According to the report's executive summary, correctional officers saw two inmates fighting shortly before 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 8.
The report says the inmates were armed with weapons that were "fastened or tethered to their wrists with torn pieces of fabric." One had been holding something that appeared to be a "prison-made stabbing weapon."
A correctional officer ordered the inmates to stop fighting and warned force would be used, but they did not comply and the officer fired a round from a launcher. The round hit one of the inmates.
The report said a second corrections officer fired warning shots with a rifle, followed by a "deliberately aimed round," which went through a fire door and struck a wall.
The report said the round or shrapnel from the round dispersed even further, causing an inmate who had been using the telephone "to flinch and his coffee to spill from the cup he was holding."
A couple of minutes later, officers ordered an inmate, who was on his back, to lie face-down on the floor with his hands behind his back.
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