Inmates, advocates denounce 'inhuman' 24/7 COVID-19 lockdowns at Quebec's Leclerc jail
CBC
WARNING: This story contains discussions of suicide.
Women incarcerated at the Leclerc detention centre in Laval, Que., say people in isolation for COVID-19 have been in lockdown 24/7, deprived of showers, medication and changes of clothing for days on end, despite assurances from the Public Security Ministry that inmates' needs are being met.
The Leclerc detention centre, a women's provincial jail currently housing 177 people, has been dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak since mid-January.
Since its onset, 121 incarcerated people have caught the virus, according to Laval public health. As of Thursday, there were 23 active cases at the institution.
CBC spoke with two inmates and is withholding their names to protect their identities.
One woman told CBC last week that she hadn't been allowed out of her cell or had a shower in nearly two weeks.
She said those in isolation were initially told they would be allowed out for 20 minutes every two days to shower and make phone calls.
"But it never happened," she said. "Many people have been in 'deadlock' for up to seven days without being able to call or take a shower. We didn't even get out."
She added that she and others in isolation had not been consistently receiving their prescribed medication.
"Sometimes [nursing staff] don't have the time to get their medication for everybody. So they only come with Tylenol… That's all they got," she said.
The woman said that the isolation has been taking a serious mental toll and that "people are crying every day."
Her own mental health issues have worsened, she said, to the point that she is feeling suicidal and has been constantly making a pact with herself to stay alive.
"I do that with myself sometimes every five minutes," she said. "I don't know how long I can stand it."
WATCH| 'I feel like nobody cares' Leclerc inmate says:
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