The Central East Correctional Centre Transfer AKA Lindsay Penitentiary

Posted by Innocent Man as Our Story

I was led back down the holding cell corridor by an officer sometime in the afternoon and was met by two Ontario Provincial Police officers. I later learned that all adult prisoner transfers are done by the O.P.P. to and from the Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay. I was asked to turn around and face the wall while they checked to see if anything had made it’s way into my posession during my stay in the holding cell. After a thorough check, they then asked me to kneel on a wooden bench so that they could shackle my feet and afterwards they handcuffed me and told me to sit while they collected the other people for transfer.

Once they had collected, shackled and handcuffed everyone we were led to the back of the police station, and I was placed into a section of the vehicle with someone else who I later discovered was the same person that was in the holding cell next to mine. For those that are curious the O.P.P. prison transfer vehicle looks very similar to the O.P.P. tactical response vehicle only white on black instead of the reverse, and is converted into 4 separate smaller compartments that are monitored by cameras that activate when the vehicle is turned on. The vehicle is also devoid of windows except for a small one where the door is located.

While the O.P.P. officers loaded everyone into the vehicle it became very stifling, but as I said in an earlier post I was dressed pretty lightly. When the vehicle began it’s journey however a light came on indicating that the cameras had been activated, and either an air conditioner or air ventilator started up. I’m not entirely sure how long the journey from Durham Region to Lindsay was but it seemed to take forever and I began to worry again.

Among my thoughts were what I had heard about the Lindsay Penitentiary. It is a maximum security provincial correctional centre that holds approximately 1184 inmates for various crimes that after sentencing were going to serve no longer than 2 years and it also included those that were waiting for hearings at various courts. I had no practical experience about prison other than what I had seen in the movies and on television. As it turned out much of what I had seen and heard was not accurate, at least as far as the Central East Correctional Centre was concerned. Some was.

When we arrived we were all disembarked from the O.P.P. prison transport vehicle and led into what I can only describe as a large booking area with cells that lined all the way down a long wide open corridor. I was handcuffed in front of a prison guard that was on the other side of a glass partition and he asked me numerous questions that were entered into a computer and printed out on sheets of paper that would soon become my new prison file.

Each guard seems to be part of a specific department including general entry and notifications, prisoner photos for what becomes wristbands, a section for changing out of street clothes into prison uniforms, as well as a health department for a medical check-up that includes some sort of a medical professional. In between each of these stages I was placed into the various cells with other prisoners. Again I will be able to describe these holding cells but I cannot describe what I was feeling during the initial stage of my stay.

For the most part the guards are emotionless but some are outright hostile towards new prisoners. On more than one occassion when someone made a mistake during these initial stages they were verbally threatened with some sort of harm. On one such occassion another prisoner I was with had touched the handle of a holding cell door which was apparently forbidden. I remember thinking at the time that if this was in fact his first offense and stay, how would he know what he could or could not do because I sure didn’t. I remember also thinking that I had better not make any similar mistakes myself. I eventually did.

During my progression down to the different departments and during the photograph stage I made the mistake of looking a little too closely at the computer system used for the images. As I said earlier I’m somewhat of a computer geek and was again facinated by the device and once the guard noticed I was looking he told that I was nothing more than another prisoner and that I had better keep my eyes front or else. The guard never told me what the or else meant but I was almost positive that it would not be good.

As it turns out, the guard probably just meant the food and temporary accommodations. Each of the cells at this stage are a disgusting cess pool of what looks like feces in the fully exposed toilets, vomit filled sinks that dispense clorine flavored tap water, and graffiti covered walls with concrete benches embedded in them. While during my stay in one such cell all the prisoners were served a meal. It was definetely a step up from what had been served in the Durham holding cell.

They came in two plastic containers one of which contained two pieces of whole wheat bread, a package of lemon flavor crystals, a fruit cup and a spoon. I quickly ate what was served but quickly realized that if I continued I would probably either throw up or have to use the toilet. I lost my appetite and never looked inside the second container.

Just prior to being served and eating the food I went through the rather humiliating experience of being strip searched and checked for contraband. I was told to place my street clothes into the same type of bag that is used to hold suits and it was afixed with my name and file number and placed on a rack for storage. I had picked up an orange bundle along the way that I was told to open and it revealed what I would be wearing for the rest of my stay. The bundle contained a set of blue boxer briefs, white ankle socks, and an orange t-shirt and jumpsuit. Unfortunately the prison shoe supply stock had dwindled and because they had none that fit me, I had to remain shoeless during my stay. I put everything on and was taken by a guard to another holding cell closer to the entrance where I then met with a female medical professional.

She asked me some standard questions and then asked me about my medical history. Other than my need for glasses for distance I have always been given a clean bill of health. I had no real want or need to see the inside of the prison more clearly, so I told her that it was not really an important requirement. She then gave me a shot and I was oficially finished with my processing and I was taken by a guard and placed in a much larger cell at the other end of the long corrider. Upon arrival the other two occupants were already asleep on the concrete shelves so I layed down as well. At this point I had been awake for over 36 hours other than the 2 hour nap I had taken on the Sunday evening that the story began, and I eventually drifted off. The nightmares I began to have of the entire experience were interrupted by another guard opening the cell door.

We were led by the guard towards an elevator that decended to a lower level and we travelled down another long corrider until we were next to a large device made of wood that resembled an old style electric chair. The guard told us to each place both sides of our face down against a type of small glass plate and then to sit down in the device. I later learned that it was a metal detector used to check whether or not we had somehow managed to smuggle in contraband.

We were eventually taken to what is called a pod within a range. It is a fairly large area that contains 16 cells with 2 bunks in each, 3 public showers, a group of tables and seats bolted to the ground as well as a television mounted high on one wall. There were already a number of occupants there that I had not seen during my processing so I kept mainly to myself. It also contained 3 phones similar to payphones that could be used to make collect calls. Finally…I might get some questions I had answered.

I immediately called family members that could provide me with those answers. The first two calls I made were met with no accepting of the collect call charges and simply hung up on me. The final call I made was answered by my father in law who gave me the lowdown. It wasn’t a positive conversation.

The first thing I discovered was that both my wife and our son were alright, and a weight was lifted from my heart as well as my shoulders. The next thing I discovered is that there was absolutely no investigation done during my absense and that the charge of assault was moving forward despite my innocence. I was told that my wife had called the Durham Regional Police Station multiple times throughout my initial stay in the holding cell and had offered to come in and make a video statement which was promply denied each time she requested it. Eventually the responding officers informed her that they no longer wanted to hear from her and that the case was no longer in their hands and to call the Crown attorney instead. She had also tried to arrange for bail but because of misinformation about the bail amount and the time of transfer that was provided to her, I had already made it onto the prison transfer vehicle bound for Lindsay. I informed him of what I knew up to that point, the bail would be $2000, which he did not know, and that I would be appearing sometime the next day in live court, which he did know. As it turns out my wife figured out how to access the phone numbers in my cell phone and had made a call to almost everyone in it and had located someone to post bail. I also told him that I was not allowed to call her to give her any updates which he had already assumed based on the nature of the charge. He concluded the call by telling me not to worry and to keep my head up. I never told him that both those things are not something you can do while in prison with other inmates around. I worried anyway and quickly scanned the pod.

Guards came by during my time in the pod and dropped off towels as well as bedsheets and the television was turned to the cable channel selection screen. I frequently check this station when planning on what to watch, but I had absolutely no interest in seeing it scroll at that current moment. Eventually another guard came into the pod to tell us that there were no toiletries available and that it was time to get into our cells. I was partnered with another person that pretty much kept to himself and I prepared the top bunk for the night. Ironic that I am afraid of heights and wouldn’t normally choose the top bunk, but I thought it best not to complain. I figured I would probably not get much sleep anyway. I was right about that.

I’m not sure why but the television on the range was left on throughout the night and because of the emptiness, echoed into the cells. At home I have no problems falling asleep with the television on, but this place seemed to make that impossible. The lights were eventually shut off in the cell and I was able to finally fall asleep until I was woken up by an alarm that went off sometime in the night.

I awoke to flashing lights that entered the cell from a small outside window and a blaring sound that I thought could only signify some sort of problem. Between that and the television blaring it made any further sleep at the time impossible. Eventually the noise ceased and the television no longer seemed as loud although the volume had not been lowered to my knowledge. The rest of the night passed by with rare moments of light cautious sleep until the lights were turned back on and two guards opened the cell and started to read off the names of those that would have to come with them to prepare for court.

The procedure to prepare for court was very much like the entry processing. However the guards were concerned about my lack of footwear when I was about to be brought back upstairs. I informed them that at the time they had no shoes available and the guards constantly looked at me with distain and mistrust. After changing back into my street clothes however I was informed that the shoes I had been wearing when I was brought in would have to remain behind and I would be walking around in only my socks including for my court appearance. This was overheard by another guard who eventually was able to locate a pair of shoes for me to wear.

I was placed into a holding cell with the others that were attending court in Durham and guards eventually brought around some plastic containers of food. After opening the container and looking inside I reflected on the contents. It contained two pieces of whole wheat bread, a small container of peanut butter, bran flakes in a separated compartment, accompanied by milk, orange juice and a spoon. I’m not sure how they plan meals but based on these contents there is a great need to keep everyone regular. I still had no desire to use the facilities and did not want to miss my court appearance because I was stuck on the toilet. I skipped the bran flakes and drank the milk and juice. I opened the peanut butter next and picked up a piece of bread and after less than a second realized that the spoon wasn’t accompanied by the usual fork and knife combo. I felt fairly stupid when I realised that prison was probably not the type of place that would knowingly provide anyone with a knife, even a plastic one. I used the spoon.

Eventually it was time to be taken back to Durham and a guard read out some names that include mine and asked me to take position against a wall where I was shackled and handcuffed to four other prisoners. The O.P.P. officers led us back outside and we were then placed into the O.P.P. prison transfer vehicle for the return trip.