Article content continued

DIRECT SUPERVISION

A major change within Toronto South will be the introduction of “direct supervision,” a model in which jail guards are placed in the same common area as prisoners; there is no dividing wall, or anything beyond a desk separating guard from inmate. The union representing correctional officers has previously raised safety concerns about this model, but the ministry cites “redundant systems” in place to summon help. First, each guard will have a personal alarm on their uniform. They will also carry radios, and alarm buttons on the wall can be pressed in the event of an emergency. The ministry, which declined to answer questions on what types of weapons guards would be allowed to carry, said studies have shown direct supervision is safer in the long run, with fewer incidents involving violence or contraband. “The offenders feel safer [with guards in the room],” noted David Hatt, director of institutional services for the Corrections Ministry’s central region. “They don’t have to worry about their own safety, [and] can just do their time.” If prisoners misbehave, they may be moved from one of the jail’s 32 direct supervision units into one of 11 indirect supervision units, which are smaller and come with fewer privileges, he said.

VIDEO VISITS

Gone are the days of prisoner and visitor speaking through a glass partition: The wave of the future is video, the Corrections Ministry says. Inside Toronto South, 75 video visitation booths beyond the main lobby — including five fully private rooms — have been set up for visitors, each featuring a telephone and a TV screen that links up to a secure area of the jail. Visitors can still arrange in-person visits with inmates for “serious compassionate reasons,” but most visits will be through the Skype-like technology, said Toronto South director Rose Buhagiar. “It allows us to do more visits a week,” added David Hanafin, senior operations advisor with the jail’s transition unit, noting the system also limits the need to transport prisoners through the facility. In the future, it may be possible for prisoners to have video visits with people outside the physical confines of the jail, officials said.