Sheldon contacted our office with a complaint about the amount of force used while being transferred to segregation at the Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre (VIRCC). We investigated whether the VIRCC followed a reasonable procedure during his transfer.

While the information we reviewed did not support Sheldon’s allegation, we did note that there was no video footage of the alleged incident where the reported use of force occurred. Section 2.4 of the BC Corrections Adult Custody Policy outlines that correctional centres have handheld cameras for use by the Cell Entry and Extraction (CEE) Team. We asked why the CEE Team had not used the cameras when removing Sheldon from his cell. BC Corrections informed us that its CEE Team is only deployed as a last resort when its staff safety is felt to be in jeopardy. In this case, the door to his cell was open and staff were speaking with him and felt confident in their ability to escort him to segregation.

BC Corrections did not feel the situation was high risk enough to involve the CEE Team. While it appeared that BC Corrections’ practice of deploying its CEE Team as a last resort was reasonable, we proposed it consider amending the Adult Custody Policy and subsequent procedure to direct staff to create a video when the CEE is not deployed but:

• Use of force is reasonably anticipated or planned
• It is feasible for staff to obtain a handheld camera

In response, BC Corrections created a new section in the Adult Custody Policy that details the recording of individuals at risk of imminent use of force. BC Corrections also reported that it purchased handheld cameras and placed them in strategic locations throughout its centres to ensure they are available when required.