Security, how to address mental health at HMP not new challenges

Issues at Her Majesty's Penitentiary in St. John's aren't new and the institution is still in need of a serious rethink, says a former director of corrections and community services with the Department of Justice.

Marvin McNutt was part of a government-commissioned review back in 2008 that called for sweeping changes to the Newfoundland and Labrador system, as well as at HMP, the province's largest jail.

"What I've seen is a growth of mental health issues among the inmate population. Not just mental health but addictions, as well," said McNutt, who worked with the John Howard Society after leaving his role in government.

I think there is an advantage to providing [staff]with more basic information, like how to recognize when an inmate is in crisis.- Marvin McNutt

"I see more drugs in the institution, I see more gang affiliations, and I see more violence among the inmates themselves. And that has to be addressed in a very real way through the proper design and construction of a new prison."

McNutt said the latest prison death report, released last week, makes recommendations on improving the correctional system that has a lot of familiar elements.

In McNutt's report from more than a decade ago, which was prompted by the death of an inmate, there were 77 recommendations.

"The primary recommendation was the need for a new facility to replace HMP here in St. John's," he told CBC's St. John's Morning Show.

"And of course, we still have that old facility, which is well beyond its usefulness and actually creates a culture that is very negative."

'Model promotes a we/they culture'

Another vital element, McNutt said, is the static security model in place, which he said relies on solid barriers to separate people, which he said leads to isolation.

"There's a secure control centre, so the staff are separated from the inmates, but that isolates the staff from the inmates, as well," McNutt said.

"There are times during the day and night when the staff must do their regular security checks in the institution, but basically that kind of model promotes a we/they culture."

What McNutt wants to see at HMP, as well as at a replacement facility, if or when one is built, is what he calls a "dynamic security model."

"That means that staff are actually on the units with the inmates," he said.

"You'd be able to separate remand inmates from sentenced inmates, you'd be able to separate sex offenders from the general inmate population. And you would have units that were more independent, units where we could have inmates actually taking responsibility for preparing their own meals, taking care of the unit."

'Very significant change'

According to McNutt, other institutions in Canada where this kind of model is in place have shown benefits, including more intelligence about inmate activity, a reduced number of conflicts, an easier time identifying inmates in crisis, and less violence.

"But it does require training. We know that prisons are exceptionally resistant to change and this is going to mean a very significant change in the culture of the institution," he said.

"You have to make sure though that the inmates are properly classified. This kind of model is appropriate for minimum- and medium-security inmates, but not for maximum-security inmates for obvious reasons. And you have to make sure that the inmates on that unit are compatible with each other as well."

While thatwas a change recommended in 2008, McNutt said it was never implemented.

"Only because I think there is a resistance and a perspective that the design of the institution simply doesn't allow for that kind of model," he said.

"I think it is really the problem in the design of the institution as it is now. However, on an experimental basis, I think there is an option to explore the plan for implementing a dynamic security model on at least one of those units."

To make it work, new and ongoing training for staff is vital, McNutt said. Also essential is rethinking how thecriminal system and mental health intersect.

Jail does not replace mental health facilities

McNutt said he's not sure having a mental health facility attached to a replacement for HMP is the answer, and instead hopes the province looks at an expanded forensic department at the replacement being built for the Waterford Hospital.

"What happened here of course is that when the mental health system deinstitutionalized in the 80's and 90's, the patients were moved into the community, but without proper community supports," McNutt said.

"The prison became the default option, and prisons were not designed to provide mental health services. That's why we need a facility that focuses on mental health needs, rather than criminal behaviour."

Regardless of whathappen next in this saga, McNutt said increasing the amount of training for staff can be accomplished immediately and would result in the greatest rewards.

That should be the province's top priority, he said.

"No question. We don't expect staff, not correctional staff, to become mental health specialists. But I think there is an advantage to providing them with more basic information, like how to recognize when an inmate is in crisis."

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