Mould halts in-person visits at Newfoundland's notorious, rodent-infested jail
![Her Majesty's Penitentiary Her Majesty's Penitentiary, a minimum security penitentiary in St. John's, NL, overlooks Quidi Vidi Lake on June 9, 2011. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Daly](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2023/10/4/her-majesty-s-penitentiary-1-6588078-1696415996688.jpg)
In-person visits have been cancelled at Newfoundland's crumbling, Dickens-era jail because of what inmates describe as an extensive spread of black mould.
The Canadian Press spoke with three inmates who said guards announced last week that the visiting room at Her Majesty's Penitentiary had been "condemned" because of the fungus. The closure comes as inmates and guards also cope with staff shortages, flooding, and rampant infestations of rodents.
"We're being traumatized while we're here, and there's nothing to help us," said inmate Jesse Lewis in a phone call from the St. John's jail.
Her Majesty's Penitentiary was first opened in 1859, the year Charles Dickens's "A Tale of Two Cities" was published. The original stone building has been renovated and extensions have been added to it, but the facility is still woefully outdated.
Lewis said inmates are often woken up at night by the screams of their peers who find rodents in their beds. The guards are tormented too, he said.
"A guard said last night that when he was typing on the computer, sometimes they'll run over the keyboard," Lewis said. "There's that many of them … it's not fit."
An inmate was bitten by a rodent and treated with antibiotics, according to a ruling last year by provincial court Judge Jacqueline Brazil.
Critics say Her Majesty's Penitentiary should have closed long ago, and provincial governments have been promising to replace it since at least 2014. The province said last July it had hired a company to begin clearing land at a new site.
The provincial Justice Department confirmed Tuesday afternoon that in-person visits had been "temporarily suspended" at the jail, but it said planning was underway to allow virtual visits.
"We acknowledge the infrastructure challenges at the facility; however, maintenance issues are addressed as they arise," said an email from spokesperson Eric Humber. "The (department) takes the responsibility of having inmates in our care very seriously."
Lewis said the cancellation of in-person visits means he won't see his grandparents, who drive nearly 70 kilometres from the community of Avondale to see him. But he said that many visits -- both in-person and virtual -- had been routinely cancelled anyway because of guard shortages.
Sometimes, his grandparents would make the drive only to be told when they arrived that the visit couldn't go ahead, he said. Staff shortages have also led to regular cancellations of mental health and addictions programs, Lewis said, adding that people are leaving the jail in worse states of mental health than when they arrived.
"You'd be charged for putting an animal in something like this," he said. "They're warehousing us. They're not rehabilitating us in any way, shape or form."
Newfoundland and Labrador has the highest rate of inmate suicide by jail capacity in Atlantic Canada, according to government figures. Between 2010 and 2020, five inmates died by suicide in the province's jail system, which has 281 beds. By comparison, five people died by suicide over the same period in Nova Scotia jails, which have a total inmate capacity of about 700.
The provincial Justice Department says it was notified about an inmate death at Her Majesty's Penitentiary on Aug. 22 but has released no details about the identity of the inmate or the cause of death. A department spokesperson said last week that the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and the office of the chief medical examiner were investigating.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6977430.1721929538!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
'There's mom and dad's house': New video appears to show destruction of Jasper neighbourhood
Video posted to social media on Thursday morning appears to show the charred remains of a Jasper, Alta., neighbourhood.
LIVE NOW Multiple homes, businesses 'lost' to wildfire in Jasper National Park: Parks Canada
Officials from Parks Canada and Jasper say "multiple structures, including a number of businesses and homes, in and around the town of Jasper, have been lost" to wildfire in Jasper National Park.
Prince William's 2023 salary revealed in new report
Newly released financial reports show that William, the Prince of Wales, drew a salary of $42.1 million last fiscal year, his first since inheriting the vast and lucrative Duchy of Cornwall.
Jennifer Aniston criticizes JD Vance for 'childless cat ladies' remarks: 'I pray that your daughter is fortunate enough to bear children'
Jennifer Aniston is criticizing JD Vance for comments he made in his past about women without children.
WATCH LIVE Alberta premier fights back tears, promises help as Jasper devastated by fire
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith fought back tears Thursday as she sought to console Jasper residents coming to terms with a community devastated by wildfire.
NASA says no return date yet for astronauts and Boeing capsule at space station
Already more than a month late getting back, two NASA astronauts will remain at the International Space Station until engineers finish working on problems plaguing their Boeing capsule, officials said Thursday.
'Skibidi Toilet:' If you don’t know what it is, you will
'Skibidi Toilet' is already an internet sensation and now its about to get even more exposure.
French sprinter will wear a cap during Olympic opening ceremony after hijab dispute is resolved
French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla will be allowed to participate in the opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics wearing a cap to cover her hair, an agreement reached with the French Olympic Committee after Sylla said she was barred because of her hijab.
Spicy dispute over the origins of Flamin' Hot Cheetos winds up in court
A former PepsiCo executive is suing the company, saying it destroyed his career after questioning his claim that he invented the popular flavor of Cheetos snacks.