NAPE says the province’s complement of correctional officers is at one of the best staffing levels seen in some time.
Union president Jerry Earle credits the continued insistence of front line officers and NAPE over the years to address staffing in the province’s prison system and an emphasis on improved compensation and recruitment.
NAPE President Jerry Earle
Earle says the challenge currently facing the system is overcrowding at HMP which means a greater number of officers are needed with inmates spilling over into the gym.
“If we had the prison population that it should be, we would have…more staff than we need, but you have to understand with the gymnasium in use now that challenges staff.”
He says a simple hospital visit, and there are many according to Earle, requires two correctional officers to accommodate an inmate. “It’s not a simple turnaround, they could be six, eight, twelve hours. If the person (is) admitted, it could be days.”
