This undated photo shows cells in Dorchester’s medium-security wing

“I’d like to see inmates get that chip off their shoulder,” Jason Alexander, the elected chair of the inmate committee told 19 visitors to Dorchester Penitentiary’s medium-security wing earlier this month.

“You have to choose to rehabilitate yourself,” the soft-spoken young man added before mentioning prison fights and hunger strikes as examples of things that reflect inmates’ “attitude.”

“Mediation is one of the biggest things here,” Alexander said as he described his role in trying to resolve disputes informally by speaking to prison staff on behalf of fellow inmates.

He also mentioned grievances about inadequate pay levels that can make prison life harder than it should be.

“It’s $13 for a box of cereal in the canteen,” he said.

“With prices like that, it’s tough to get everything you want.”

‘Inedible’ food

Some of Jason Alexander’s concerns are expressed much more strongly in a 2021 report by the Senate Committee on Human Rights compiled after senators spent several years touring federal prisons including Dorchester.

In their 326-page report, the senators express alarm about the “cook-chill diet” inmates are forced to eat.

The food for every federal prison in Atlantic Canada is cooked in an industrial kitchen inside the minimum-security section of the Dorchester Complex, then bagged and rapidly chilled to preserve its shelf life until it can be reheated.

Cover of the Senate Report released in June 2021. (Click to enlarge)

“The meals the committee witnessed being prepared were reminiscent of frozen dinners, both in size and appearance,” the Senate report says.

“Federally-sentenced persons on the cook-chill diet told the committee that they are always hungry,” the report adds.

“Senators were informed that the food is of poor quality and is often served cold or overcooked. The committee heard that portion sizes are inadequate and do not meet the needs of fully-grown adults.”

The report says much food is wasted because inmates consider it inedible and that prisoners who need special diets rarely get them.

“Federally-sentenced persons whose needs are seldom met include people with colitis, Type 2 diabetes, those who require kosher or halal prepared meals as well as vegetarians and vegans.”

The senators write that prisoners buy food from the prison canteen.

“To supplement their diet, federally-sentenced persons told the committee that they relied on overpriced canteen food which generally consisted of processed snacks like chips, chocolates and ramen noodles.”

‘Meagre salaries’

The Senate report refers to the “meagre” pay that inmates receive for working in federal prisons as well as for participating in rehabilitation programs and vocational training.

It’s an issue that the Office of the Correctional Investigator has raised repeatedly over the years.

In one section of his 2022-2023, annual report, Ivan Zinger writes that pay levels have not increased substantially since 1981.

He says that providing work opportunities with adequate pay levels is meant to give inmates incentives to participate in programs helping them to develop skills.

“Reducing the purchasing power of incarcerated persons removes their incentive to work, decreases their quality of life and negatively affects the institutional environment contributing to an underground economy rife with abuse, extortion, muscling and violence,” Zinger writes.

“This inevitably leads to spiraling, negative impacts on rehabilitation. Even small debts of $10.00 or $20.00 can have dire consequences in a penitentiary.

“Limiting access to items for their self-care and the few remaining privileges that make life more tolerable behind bars can further harden and embitter an individual’s outlook on life, inside and beyond prison.”

This table appears in the Office of the Correctional Investigator’s Annual Report 2022-2023. (Click to enlarge)

The correctional investigator says few inmates qualify for the top rate of $6.90 per day and half make only $5.80 a day at pay level C.

In 2023, Correctional Services Canada (CSC) eliminated deductions from inmates’ pay to cover food and accommodation as well as the administration of the prison phone system, but the investigator says other deductions remain including 10% for court-ordered obligations such as fines and 10% for mandatory savings.

He notes that inmates are expected to provide or buy their own hygiene products such as soap or shampoo and any additional consumer items such as clothing and footwear.

“Many sentenced individuals live near or in a constant state of impoverishment and destitution, inside and outside prison,” Zinger writes.

“So far removed in purpose from its original intent, the current payment and allowance system serves no redeeming correctional or public safety interest and demands to be reformed as a matter of urgency and priority.”