People gathered in Regina today to rally for prisoners. Photo courtesy of Manfred Joehnck.
About 14 people staged a rally today in Regina in support of prisoners being housed at the Prince Albert Penitentiary.
It was the scene of a deadly riot on December 14th that saw one inmate die and eight others suffer serious injuries.
Protest organizer, Robyn Pitawankwat, says the demands of the prisoners have been sidelined while corrections Canada conducts a review.
She says the two main areas of concern are food portions and restricted visitation. She says the inmates need action and support, not more reviews.
“We are here to support prisoners in the PA penitentiary, one of the worst prisons in Canada,” she said. “We are here to see that their requests for proper meals and for family visitations are addressed.”
Among those taking part in the rally was Patty Will. Her son is serving time in the prison on a manslaughter conviction. He has done almost four years and will be released later this month.
She says he has been beaten while guards watched and he has lost a lot of weight.
“It is deplorable, even where he is, in it, is so bad,” she said. “When he first got into medium-security, he lost about fifty pounds.”
Her son was not involved in the December riot, but knows many of the inmates who were. In all, about 185 were involved.
The Prince Albert Penitentiary leads the nation in the number of inmate filed complaints.
It was built to accommodate 785 inmates, but currently houses about 900.