The high number of lockdowns in Ontario prisons due to staff shortages is “not acceptable’’ and the province can’t continue to turn a “blind eye’’ to problems in its institutions, says the NDP critic for Correctional Services

As the Star reported Sunday, there were 900 lockdowns in Ontario’s provincial jails due to staff shortages last year — a figure that has more than tripled since 2009, according to figures released by the province under the Freedom of Information Act.

The full and partial lockdowns, which can last a day or several days, have been triggered by shortages of staff, including correctional officers and or managers.

Oshawa MPP Jennifer French made a scheduled visit — planned before the Star’s story was published — to the Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay for a few hours Monday, where there were 199 lockdowns last year.

During her visit, managers and correctional officers she spoke to raised the understaffing issue.

“We’re hearing short staffing is creating an untenable situation — lockdowns and pressures . . . I think it needs to be addressed,’’ she said.

It’s “not acceptable’’ to have lockdowns due to understaffing, French added.

The understaffing and related lockdowns, overcrowding, and “inappropriate’’ supports and training to deal with mentally ill prisoners, are all tied to significant under resourcing of Ontario’s prisons, French said.

She plans, in her role as her party’s correctional services critic to visit other jails in the province and come up with a list of “priority items.’’

The province says the lockdowns happen in correctional institutions across Ontario because of understaffing caused by workers who’ve called in sick or are vacation and other forms of leave.

The lockdowns are necessary to ensure the safety and security of both staff and inmates, the province says, adding it has hired more than 450 correctional officers since the fall of 2013, and will continue to work with its labour partners toward the hiring and training of 300 more new staff.

Beate Schwirtlich has faced enormous frustration scheduling visits to the Maplehurst Correctional Centre in Milton to see a prisoner she knows.

She works during the day, so the most convenient time for the Guelph resident to visit the provincial jail is on weekends.

But that’s often when the 1,550-bed adult facility is in lockdown mode, she has discovered.

There were 120 lockdowns there last year, according to the figures released under Freedom of Information.

“I find it frustrating in a larger sense because after hearing the lockdowns are often due to short staffing, and not an incident in the prison, that seems wrong to me, given in theory both the family and prisoners have rights to visits,’’ says Schwirtlich, an editor for a publishing company.

“This past weekend, lockdown. Today, lockdown. It is baffling. If one works (at a job) it’s hard to get there in time on weekdays, and the weekends are most often locked down,’’ she said, adding she has succeeded in visiting the jail about once every two weeks.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Chunky numbers:

Full and partial lockdowns in Ontario jails due to staff shortages:

2009: 259

2014: 900

Highest numbers of lockdowns in 2014:

Central East Correctional Centre, Lindsay: 199

Maplehurst Correctional Complex, Milton: 120

Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre, London: 102

Toronto East Detention Centre, Toronto: 80