Correctional phone service flawed and in need of upgrade, concerned families say

The company responsible for providing the service to correctional centres and prisons across the country is Synergy, based out of Texas. Auger explained her fiancé suffers from depression, and his only comfort has been talking to her and their kids.

“I totally understand we are going through a pandemic. I just think that it’s not fair. They are incarcerated but they are still human beings,” she said.

Holly Nordal, who moved from Vancouver to Saskatoon to be closer to her fiancé, shares similar concerns with the phone service which she describes as less than perfect. Her partner has been on remand at the correctional centre since last November, awaiting a date for a trial.

“[The phone] constantly drops out and meanwhile we are paying for these calls and then if a call drops, or it malfunctions in any way, we are still paying for that call,” she said.

Nordal explained her fiancé has tried to complain by writing letters but gets no response. At times when there is a funeral, inmates do have access to an iPad for a video chat. Nordal questions why the service cannot be expanded during a time when visits are not allowed.

“There’s only like 20 people in a unit so if everyone gets 20 minutes of FaceTime once a week that’s only an hour a day that they have to sit with an inmate,” she said.

On top of her frustrations with the phone service, Nordal said her fiancé has been denied proper exercise. Following a riot at the jail in late September, she said he is only getting 20 minutes of yard time, with no access to gym equipment.

“Their yard time is in a 15 by 15 foot square box, so there’s absolutely nowhere to exercise,” she said.

While there have been no details provided by the Ministry of Corrections with respect to the riot, Auger said inmates have become very frustrated with the lack of services provided, and the restrictive protocols they are being forced to follow.

“People don’t understand what the inmates go through every single day to make something like that happen, like they don’t just do that because it’s fun,” she said.

Response from the service provider

When paNOW attempted to contact Synergy by phone, we were re-directed to speak to the Ministry of Corrections and Policing for comment. The company did explain in its email that dropped calls are a reality in the era of mostly cellular communication; cellphones in weak coverage areas drop calls.

“Synergy nor any other provider has any control over an cellular-based incoming voice transmission. It is not unlike anyone else talking to someone on a cellphone and they hit a cellular dead zone and the call drops. Coverage is not 100 per cent on cellular phones,” the statement said.

The Ministry of Corrections and Policing also provided with paNOW with an email statement which explained prior to COVID-19, every inmate received one free 20-minute call per day, and free calls to professional contacts.

“In light of COVID-19, Corrections is also providing offenders with an additional 10-minute free call to ensure they can stay in contact with family and friends,” the statement said.

In response to the recent riot at the jail, the Ministry explained exercise equipment and yard space has been limited as Corrections reviews infrastructure to ensure the safety of staff, offenders and the facility.

“The incident is still under investigation. In the interest of maintaining the safety and security of our provincial correctional centres, the ministry does not provide in depth information on disturbances in provincial correctional centres,'” the Ministry said.

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell

by Nigel Maxwell

Correctional phone service flawed and in need of upgrade, concerned families say

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