Kai contacted our office explaining that they had been assaulted by a correctional officer while they were incarcerated at the Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre (VIRCC). Kai asked staff to assist them in calling the police to report the incident and was told to submit a special written request. Despite filling out the special request form, Kai was unable to make the call to police for several days. Kai was concerned about how the VIRCC handled their request.

We investigated whether the VIRCC’s response to Kai’s request to report the incident was reasonable. We learned that Kai had tried on several occasions to contact the police non-emergency line, but the number was blocked. Kai submitted their complaint form and was informed that staff had already assisted them in making the call.

Our investigation found that the VIRCC did not have a policy in place to support people in custody to call the police when required, and they were unaware that the police non-emergency line was blocked from receiving calls from the centre. To resolve our concerns, we recommended that BC Corrections create a policy to support those in custody to contact the police for assistance or to report a crime. BC Corrections agreed.