Millhaven hunger-strikers end riot

May 1 2006

The hunger strike and riot that began on April 13 with prisoners in Millhaven's J Unit finally ended last week. Last Monday, inmates jammed open their cell doors and began lighting fires in protest over a variety of issues, including being denied family visits, lacking proper rehabilitative programs that target violence, cognitive skills, and substance abuse, and suffering poor quality food. One inmate sustained minor injuries from an assualt and was sent to hospital. The riot was broken up by correctional officers using tear gas canisters.

One inmate, Robert Houle, spearheaded the movement. Houle robbed a jewellery store in 2004, beating the store owner with a hammer and firing shots that resulted in a fractured skull. (The Hamilton Spectator, 1 May 2006)

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