Victor Malarek, “Prisoners see riots if Millhaven used as problem dump.” The Globe and Mail. 15 Dec 1979. p. 14. --- “When other prisons decide they can't handle problems with their prisoners, they dump them here. They come from all over the country. We're saying we don't want this to continue. It's regressive. It's either go forward or regress.” --- Millhaven ON -- MILLHAVEN - Inmates at the maximum-security penitentiary here have warned there could be a riot if the institution continues to be used as a dumping ground for the country's problem prisoners.
In a letter to Donald Yeomans, commissioner of corrections for the Canadian Penitentiary Service, the Millhaven Prisoners Committee wrote:
We're tired of the stigma attached to this prison which has caused the prisoners . . . to be branded and stigmatized to the point that life is almost intolerable.
We have worked hard at turning this penitentiary around insomuch as we try to be reasonable in our requests and demands, and also peaceful in our protests. This has been our policy over the past 18 months or so and we hope it will continue that way in the future, but if we're forced to accept every other prison's prisoner problems then . . . this type of situation could turn violent and costly . . .
Henry Neufeld, warden of Millhaven, said yesterday he had not read the letter, which he said the inmates smuggled out by giving it to you. It should have gone through proper channels. Technically both you and the inmates have violated the rules of the institution.
Mr. Neufeld plans to discuss the contents of the letter with the committee in the coming week. The points in it have not be brought to our attention, which is peculiar since the members of this particular committee are quite responsible.
One inmate charged in an interview at the prison that penitentiary officials are using Millhaven as a psychological terror tactic in controlling inmates in the federal prison system.
When other prisons decide they can't handle problems with their prisoners, they dump them here. They come from all over the country. We're saying we don't want this to continue. It's regressive. It's either go forward or regress, he said.The committee pointed out that transfers in numerous cases take inmates hundreds and thousands of miles from their families and friends, which in most if not all cases limits contact. This only adds fuel to the fire. . .
The group insisted it no longer wants Millhaven to be used as a control factor for other prisons. A maximum-security penitentiary in Ontario is no different than a maximum-security penitentiary in British Columbia.
Mr. Neufeld said there is no policy that we take problem prisoners. Prisoners are transferred from time to time to other institutions if it looks as if they are troublemakers who are gathering a following. We move them to break down this power base and defuse any disruptive activities.
The inmates are moved to whatever institution is appropriate. We also transfer problem prisoners to other prisons, the warden said.
Aside from what was in the letter, inmates also expressed concern that prisoners classified as medium-security risks are being sent to the maximum-security institution. They believe this is being done deliberately to keep the population up, to justify having all these coppers (guards) here. They're just trying to protect their jobs.
Mr. Neufeld acknowledged that some medium-security types sometimes end up at Millhaven but are transferred as soon as a classification board considers their cases.