Limited space, infrastructure deterioration and low staff morale are some of the problems that the director of the Bordelais Correctional Facility, Hilary Herman, has underscored since his appointment in October. Absenteeism, another issue, has been blamed for the recent assault on a 16-year-old female inmate. Last week, Herman told the STAR that officers scheduled for work on the day of the incident did not show up. Consequently, only five officers were on duty instead of the regular nine.
In an interview with the STAR on Monday, Herman did not disclose the number of absent officers, citing certain concerns, including “security”. Since the incident, however, all of the absent officers have produced medical certificates. Some of them had called in sick, others had not. Herman stated that failing to call in sick was a pattern of behaviour for two of the officers. He said he planned to submit a report to the Public Service Commission, which determines disciplinary matters at the BCF.
“In most cases when you call officers in, even when they’re willing to comply, the problem of transportation arises.” Referencing the staff situation on the day of the assault incident, Herman said: “The duty operations manager would have attempted to call in help but in the absence of transport what he did was to have the few officers present do multiple patrols rather than be stationed at a unit. That was the way of taking care of the situation at that time. That’s after he would have exhausted all of his efforts in trying to call people in.”
He said that solving the longstanding issue of absenteeism at the facility will be a major task, especially since the causes still need to be determined. “I’ve been told that we have a high rate of illness because there may be some environmental issues here. I cannot speak to that because we haven’t done an assessment. It’s one of the issues that have been brought to my attention since my recent return.”
