'Like animals': Former Sask. Penitentiary inmate critical of conditions during COVID-19
A former inmate of Saskatchewan Penitentiary is considering legal action against Correctional Service Canada (CSC) due to what she claims is disregard for her health and welfare while incarcerated.
“We need respect. We need that for our mental health. We’re treated like animals and we’re not animals, we’re human beings too,” Jasmine Vallee said.
She says she’s speaking out to let the public know what’s been going on inside.
Vallee tested positive for COVID-19 while serving a sentence in the medium security unit for domestic violence and robbery. She was in custody from February 2020 to June 11, 2021.
Vallee is transgender and says she was put in a separate unit in medium security for her safety.
She says the changes in the day-to-day operations of the jail were noticeable once the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Everyone on her range was not let outside for six months, she claims.
“I struggle with depression and suicidal ideation and living in my own head, I really needed to be outside,” Vallee said.
She alleges nurses would drop off medications on her range but they didn’t provide any health care to inmates. She also says she was denied medical and psychiatric care.
Vallee says she tested positive for COVID-19 while in jail and got sick.
“Health care only checked on me once. I was having severe asthma attacks, respiratory issues, and I needed health care. I pushed my panic button and nobody showed up,” Vallee said.
She says the guards stopped taking inmates who tested positive for COVID-19 off the range and left them in their cells.
Inmates were put under a 23.5 hour a day lockdown and only allowed out of their cells for about 15 minutes a day, she said.
Vallee says she thinks they did this in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19 but the confinement hurt her mental health.
She says addiction counselling, education courses, psychiatric consultations disappeared completely.
Vallee filed a written complaint while in jail but says she never got a response.
In response to an interview request, CSC spokesperson Kelly Dae Dash provided a written response to CTV News regarding Vallee’s allegations.
“During the timeframe you specify, Saskatchewan Penitentiary was experiencing outbreaks of COVID-19, which required an adaptive approach. We put in place a comprehensive testing strategy and worked to test, trace and medically isolate to prevent spread. This also required CSC to modify routines to ensure we could maintain layers of protection, including physical distancing,” Dash said.
Dash said programming at Sask Pen was also temporarily suspended during the outbreaks but once they were declared over, “inmate movements, including time outdoors, programming and employment resumed.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.