Inmate’s hospital escape attempt under review
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/06/2022 (1204 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A recent incident in which a Brandon Correctional Centre inmate briefly escaped while being treated in hospital is a reminder more needs to be done to protect nurses, the Manitoba Nurses Union says.
On June 5, at approximately 11:30 p.m., police officers responded to a report from the Brandon Regional Health Centre that a BCC inmate tried to escape.
Police say officers quickly found the inmate hiding behind hospital equipment near where he was being treated. He was arrested and confined after the escape attempt while being treated.
“While no one was injured in this particular incident, it is a reminder that we have to do more to ensure these situations do not happen,” Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson stated in an email. “We need to ensure that patients are not coming into our facilities with weapons or left unsupervised. Inmate or not, any patient who appears to be a threat to the facility should be monitored at all times.”
The inmate was under watch by Manitoba Corrections officers at the time, said Brandon Police Service public information officer Sgt. Kirby Sararas. She did not have any details on how the man got away while in hospital, but said privacy is sometimes needed during treatment.
“They were in shackles, they couldn’t have gotten very far,” she said.
Detainees are handcuffed when they are transported to hospital by police, Sararas said, but the province has other guidelines for security with inmates.
An internal review is being launched to investigate the escape attempt and what led to the incident, according to a provincial spokesperson. The review will also evaluate how to prevent future incidents like this from happening.
“We appreciate the timely response by correctional staff and the Brandon Police Service … The province is not able to provide any further details about the individual or the escape at this time,” an emailed statement reads.
Inmates at the hospital are placed in a single room to protect staff and other patients, according to a Prairie Mountain Health spokesperson. The person is also continuously monitored.
Staff at the hospital took “additional measures” to secure the area, according to PMH. The situation was contained within the original hospital unit.
The 34-year-old man was later charged with attempting to escape lawful custody.
According to Jackson, a 2017 survey from the Canadian Federation of Nurses Union found that 61 per cent of nurses reported issues with violence at work. In 2020, Jackson said physical assault was cited as a frequent risk for nurses.
» dmay@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @DrewMay_