A man locked up in a provincial jail west of Toronto says he feels like a sitting duck waiting for COVID-19 to hit.

“If it comes here ... it will spread like crazy, because the inmates are so close to each other,” he said Wednesday from Maplehurst jail, a medium and maximum security facility in Milton. “I want out of here before it gets here,” he said.

Lawyers and experts have stressed the danger COVID-19 poses to jails and prisons, where the disease could spread rapidly and have a devastating impact on both correctional staff and inmates, many of whom have mental illnesses and existing health problems.

As of Wednesday, there were no confirmed cases in the Ontario jail system. Nine inmates have been tested so far, according to Kristy Denette, spokesperson for the Ministry of the Solicitor General. Four tests have come back negative and there are five pending results, she said.

The Maplehurst inmate, a self-described recidivist who is due to be released within a week, agreed to talk to the Star on the condition he not be identified, for fear of reprisals. Inside the jail, he said, social distancing measures have curtailed regular programming such as Alcoholics Anonymous and anger-management classes, leaving inmates with little to do. That is exacerbating an already tense environment.

“It’s not a great atmosphere at all,” he said. “There’s a lot of nervous people, the not knowing.”

Adding to this is the inmates’ worries that the jail could be doing more to prevent the virus from entering the facility. A nurse handing out medication Wednesday morning was sneezing and wiping her nose on her sleeve, the Maplehurst inmate said, adding that hand sanitizer is in short supply, and inmates are being told there are no masks available.

In an email sent Wednesday evening, Brent Ross, another ministry official, wrote the province has made operational changes at Ontario’s adult correctional facilities in response to COVID-19 and “for the safety of everyone.”

“All professional visitors are screened before being permitted entry,” Ross stated. “Our correctional facilities are inspected and thoroughly cleaned daily and/or as required. Proper handwashing and cough/sneezing etiquette has also been communicated to staff and inmates.”

If an outbreak of any communicable disease occurs or is suspected, the institution will work with the local Medical Officer of Health and provincial health officials to manage the situation, “including containment strategies such as medical isolation.”

Meanwhile, as prisoner advocates and health professionals call for a reduction in jail and prison populations to help stop the spread of COVID-19 behind bars, one process to do exactly that has stopped temporarily.

Jeff Rybak, a defence lawyer who represents inmates seeking provincial parole, told the Star parole hearings inside the jail have stopped.

“Parole hearings exist to get people out of jail early — which is exactly what we want right now. And yet they have ground to a halt.” Rybak said in an interview Wednesday.

The Ontario Parole Board confirmed that in-person hearings have been adjourned this week. In an email, spokesperson Sarah Copeland said alternative formats are being explored that would let the board continue with its legislated mandate to decide on matters of public safety.

Inmates who are given a sentence of between six months and two years serve their time in provincial jails and become eligible for parole at the one-third mark of their sentence. For a hearing, two board members typically meet with the inmate in person at the jail.

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The Ontario Parole Board also hears applications for temporary absences from jail of more than 72 hours and up to 60 days — the type of request Rybak expects the board to be inundated with as a result of COVID-19. This process would also let inmates leave jail for medical treatment that cannot be provided within the facility, he said.

Rybak said the parole board is currently the only legal mechanism by which inmates who don’t pose an undue risk to public safety can get out of jail early.

“For it to stop working is really bad,” he said. “It is going to keep people in jail who do not need to be in jail.”

He said the hearings could be conducted by video, but the technical capacity may not exist yet. The board can also do a paper review, but Rybak said he is extremely concerned this would mean the board would lack the crucial details that would come from speaking with inmates who are typically not represented by a lawyer.