OPSEU/SEFPO has told the London Free Press that it supports a new jail to replace the aging, overcrowded Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre (EMDC) – or at least large-scale retrofits and updates. The union represents more than 300 correctional officers at EMDC.
OPSEU/SEFPO is also calling for a return to one inmate in a cell to improve safety for the community, staff, and inmates, adding that correctional staff also want better programming in the community and inside the jail.
The union says that EMDC requires more inmate bed space and more units with an appropriate staff complement. Having been built more than 40 years ago, the facility was not designed in a way that supports modern needs, including functional and efficient space to run programs. Infrastructure improvements are needed desperately to facilitate these growing demands.