Mimico Correctional Centre - Prison Stories from Inmates

" Sometime during the month of March, the owner of the restaurant beside my office, offered to purchase my car. It had not been driven in over 7 months due to a license suspension. I had to boost the car but did get it started to let him check it out. My place in on the North Service Road in Oakville, close to the Oakville Place Mall. That day my street was blocked off for construction and I decided that I should take the car out myself just to see if it was in selling order. I drove about 500 meters down my street and turned around at the Oakville Place Mall. Just my luck there was an OPP officer having lunch in the mall parking lot. My car had no plates on it as it had been sitting for over seven months. As I was pulling into my parking spot the officer turned on his lights. I explained the situation about the not having a driver's license. Since I was already in my parking spot the car was not towed but I was issued a ticket and a court date by the officer.

I went to court the following month and plead guilty to driving a vehicle under medical suspension. I was sentenced to 90 days a Mimico Correctional Center in Etobicoke. During my first week there I was told that I would be put on the Temporary Absence Program. This allowed me to serve my time at home while doing community service on the weekends. Community service was from 7am-3pm on both Saturday and Sunday. I was ordered to help out at a church in Mississauga where I enjoyed working and the staff enjoyed having me there.

One week the jail decided that I would work at the church from 3pm-8pm. The Friday evening before the change of hours, my wife and I decided to rearrange the apartment since I didn't have to be up early Saturday morning. We worked on the apartment till about 4 in the morning. Saturday morning we were awoke by the phone ringing. I picked up the phone and was greeted by the Temporary Absence Program director who informed me that they have been calling all morning and that I had missed all their calls. I was taken off the Temporary Absence Program and was ordered back to Mimico within an hour, and would complete my sentence there. I pleaded with hem explaining that I was home and fast asleep.

A couple of weekends went by without any complications until I got really sick and was in excruciating pain. On May30th at 7am I asked the nurse if I could see the doctor immediately as I was in agonizing pain in my back and pelvis area. Four years earlier I had been diagnosed as having chronic kidney stones, I have been in and out of the emergency section at the hospital at least 5 times a year with this problem. I have been through electric shock therapy to break down the kidney stones. I have had tubes shoved up my penis to help the stones come out. I have experienced all the horrors that come along with kidney stones, so I know when I need to go to the hospital. I needed to see the doctor badly and the nurse simply told me that I would not be seeing the doctor. I asked for an ambulance due to my pain and I knew that I needed immediate medical attention. The nurse told me that there was nothing wrong with me and that it was all in my head. I asked her for her name to inform those in charge that she would not help me or provide any medical attention in anyway. The nurse then walked away from and two minutes later two guards approached me and asked me to come with them. I asked if they were taking me to the hospital or if the ambulance was coming. They laughed and said that I was not going to the hospital but they were taking me to the hole. The hole is a dark cell in the basement where they put, from what I though, the bad inmates when they get out of hand. I pleaded and begged to be taken to the hospital, but the guards told me to shut up and that the nurses did not believe I was sick and in pain that they didn't want to hear me cry anymore. I was crying because of the horrific pain I was in.

They opened the steel door and stripped me naked while telling me toughen up. They then left slamming the door behind them. The pain really started to get to me I have had many kidney stones in the past but none of them were like this. I begged and yelled for help. While screaming for help. Some other inmates started telling me to shut up and called me nasty names for hours. I remember being on my hands and knees begging someone to call for help. The next thing I recall, was that I was being pucked up off the ground. The pain was so bad that I had passed out cold and smashed my head on the concrete floor and didn't come to until someone had noticed me. I was told that my head was angled in such a way that it looked like I was dead when they found me. I was then put in a chair and dragged outside where a fire truck and ambulance were waiting for me. I asked for help and was told, We are going to help you by a paramedic. They gave me an injection of morphine immediately, which did little for my pain. At the hospital they really did what they could to help. When i was in less pain they asked what time I had arrived there. The nurse on duty told me I arrived at 8:30pm. I begged and screamed for help for over twelve hours and was treated as a liar. I was kept in the hospital over night and part of Sunday. A CTC scan revealed that I had two kidney stones and a ruptured hernia.

At around 3pm on Sunday I was taken back to Mimico with my pain in control. When I got there the guards brought me back o the basement which I thought was wrong, since they knew I had a serious and legitimate illness. I was confronted by a lieutenant who said that I was under a misconduct for screaming and that I was losing good time and he was adding an additional weekend to my sentence. I explained that I was denied medical attention for over 12 hours and that he was wrong for taking my time away form me. He just laughed at me and threw me back in the hole for being sick and angry that they were denying me medical attention.

Monday morning when I was released I was in so much pain again, that I had to go back tot he hospital. This time without shackles on and with my wife. I was admitted to Credit Valley Hospital around 7am where I stayed most of the morning until my pain was under control. The following day I saw my family doctor and he did an ultrasound and saw the kidney stones and the hernia.

I told her about my weekend of hell and she informed Mimico about the seriousness of my illness. She told them that I was in need of a hospital bed and all my medications for the remainder of my sentence at Mimico. And so the following weekend was spent in the medical ward, fully medicated and therefor in little pain. When I was asked on Sunday about getting my med back when I leave early Monday morning (as I had none at home) the nurse told me that the med would be ready for me when I left Monday morning.

Early Monday morning, I was being released and was given an envelope with my name on it that was empty. I have no proof but believe strongly that a guard took this powerful pain medication. I asked a lieutenant about my meds and told him that I have contacted the ombudsman and told him I was instructed to ask for a request form to overturn the misconduct I received and that I have rights.

The lieutenant told me that by the time the superintendent read my letter my would be over so there was no point in me taking action and that he had no idea where my meds were. That week I informed my doctor's office about the situation and they were going to call Mimico to find out what happened. I spent the week in bed or on the floor due to the pain I was in. I was incapable of working and even turned away jobs due to my illness.

On Friday June 12 I entered Mimico in a lot of pain. I told the guards that I needed to see the doctor to ensure that they would be giving me the proper meds and as prescribed. The male nurse told me that they could not give me medication for pain relief at all. I told him that I did not get any pills back last week and he checked the record which said I should have gotten 20 pills. He said it was not his problem and that my illness was last weeks problem and that I was not sick anymore. I begged for him to help me and he did end up giving me Tylenol for pain. I made it back to my hospital bed and managed to fall asleep. Saturday morning we were woken up at 7am for medication. I couldn't make it out of bed without the assistance of an other inmate. Before I saw the nurse It tried to urinate without any success. From previous experience I know that when I cannot urinate I am passing a stone. All I could pee out was a fee drops of blood. I slowly made it down the hall to the nurse station where I informed them of my situation and the severity of it. The nurse was hesitant to allow me to see the doctor and I was told again that there was nothing wrong with me. I was in tears at that point in pain and I was allowed to see the doctor. The doctor checked me out and said that I would be allowed to take the prescribed medications from my doctor and that he would help me. When I left the male nurse insisted I pee in a cup before he would give me my medication. I reminded him that just week prior I was taken from there by ambulance and that my situation was severe. He didn't care about that or the doctors orders. On the way tot he bathroom I fell to the floor and was unable to get up. I started to scream please call me an ambulance. The male nurse approached me in the hallway and told me to get up. I could not get up or even roll over. He kicked me in my kidney and said "stop your bullshit." He kicked me again in the back and said that he needed to go to the bathroom and that I as in his way. I was unable to pick myself up and I just screamed for help. For ten minutes he stood over me saying I was bullshiting him and that he wouldn't fall for it. Screaming at me to get up. Finally a lieutenant showed up with two guards beside him. I thought I was being saved but I was wrong, The man who was in charge told me to get up but I couldn't. He then ordered th guards to get me up. They grabbed me one on either side and began to drag me down the stairs. I asked if the ambulance had arrived but I was told that I wasn't going to the hospital but rather tot he hole where I cannot bother the nurses with my bullshit. A crying mess I begged him to call 911. They just laughed at me and the guards tightened their grips on me. They opened the door to hell and threw me in. I was in such pain in that time that I was unable to get up to the bed. I was on the concrete floor crying and whimpering for help and screaming for an ambulance. There was no answer for a long time so I began banging the cell door from my spot on the floor. I remember breathing so heavily and then I believe I passed out on the floor. I woke up to 3 guards and a lieutenant picking me up and placing me on the bed. Now that I was awake the pain was so great that I felt like I was going to die. This time it was a different lieutenant and I begged him to please call me an ambulance. He said he would send a nurse down to see me. They left and about 20 minutes later that same male nurse returned with his cup insisting I cooperate with them and pee in the cup. I explained that I could not pee because a stone was blocking the way. The guard opened the little flap in the door and passed me the bottle. Crying and screaming in pain from trying to urinate for them as they stood right there in front of me. All the while he was shadow boxing in front of me like he was training for a fight or something. I pushed my hardest but was only able to pee a few drop of blood stained urine. He yelled at me for not filling the cup. He tested the cup for drugs and ignored the fact that blood in urine is a red flag for someone in need of medical attention. He gave me a few pain killers and left without further help. 30 minutes passed and the pain just worsened. I started to bang at the cell door again begging for help. In the span of 12 to13 hours I banged repeatedly only stopping to fail at attempts to urinate. I was never in more pain in my life. After seeing three different lieutenants and all the nurses I thought I was going to die in that cell. I beg for help and cry and plead and instead I'm thrown in the hole and treated as a liar.

After my hand had become swollen from banging I stopped and began to pray to God. I have never been in a situation where medical attention was not given when it was needed. At that moment a nurse and a guard came in. The nurse checked my temperature and blood pressure and the guard told me that he knew what I was going through since he had kidney stones 5 times. I looked at him through my tear filled eyes and begged him to help me. The nurse said I was normal and that I should just try to relax and that it was all in my head. About 20 minutes later the guard that spent the time at the hospital with me last time opened the door. He said that I should have been taken to the hospital on Friday and that considering the amount of pain I was in that he was going to get me help. He was my angel. He helped me to my bed and to get my socks on. I couldn't even do the easiest of things myself. It took me 15 minutes to walk what should take 2 minutes. The guard informed me that I had to see the lieutenant before we could go anywhere and we began the log trek to see him. The pain I was in really slowed my movement speed. We walked up to the third floor to see the man in charge there. Once I got up there a lieutenant called me a clown. He said "not this clown again. Get this clown out of my face." He approached me and punched me in my shoulder. He then almost made me spin right around with the force of his assault to my other shoulder. He then pushed me from behind out of his office causing me to fall to the floor due to the poor balance I had in foot and hand cuffs. The guard then helped me down the stairs thankfully and into the van. Three guards told me to not worry about the lieutenant and that he was always like that. I asked on of them how one could fake kidney stones and he said that I would get the help I need. As soon as I got to the hospital the nurses immediately gave me morphine and checked my bladder and found that my bladder was full and that a stone was blocking my urinary tract. I begged for a catheter but was told that it would obstruct the stone as well. At about 3am in the morning I was able to pass a stone in the hospital. I was able to walk and was given strong painkillers to go home with. After 13 hours of begging and having spent a number of hours in the hospital and being prescribed the powerful drugs I was on I was still brought back to the hole. But this time I had a blanket. The guard told me the name the of the lieutenant and suggested that I take action. I was finally able to rest but now I was in a state of panic. I was burning up and felt like I had a fever. I asked for a nurse to take my temperature. She did and said it was fine. I asked to go to the regular range as I didn't do anything bad to be put in the hole. She left without taking me with her to the hospital range. I asked her to leave the flap open a bit as I am claustrophobic and she said to man up and do my time and slammed the door and the flap shut. I requested to use the phone to call my wife at 7:30pm. The guard said that I need to ask when I need it. At 7:30pm when I asked that same person they told me there were no phone calls after 6pm after we had already discussed me making the call.

I couldn't sleep so after what seemed like 6 hours of staring at the walls. Then something happened on top of all these things that keep me up at night now. I heard what sounded like 4 guards yelling “Here we come pretty boy”. I knew on the of the inmates was gonna have a rough night. They kept yelling things like "Here we come you faggot!", "You're getting fucked tonight!" It sounded like they were going to rape an inmate and that they were trying to terrify him into thinking they were going to perform perverse sexual acts on them. Little did I know they were talking to me. I finally realized they were talking to me when they started to use my last name. Just then the lights all went out including the lights inside my cell that are always on and the lights outside. They placed a stereo at my door that repeatedly played YMCA by the village people over and over again for two hours. For two hours guards outside the door went into detail about the sexual assaults they were going to perform on me and how they would all rape and sodomize me. They also kept slamming the door which made a lot of noise too. They called me a faggot and went into detail about how my mouth and anus will be used as their sex toys. I was now terrified into thinking I would be a rape victim. For the entire 2 hours they terrified me with threats of rape, sodomy and many perverse and unthinkable acts. They told said I was going to love their penises in my mouth and anus and that I'm the new bitch on the block and their sex slave. I thought I was going to be raped and I was disgusted that people could actually treat a prisoner like this and have authority in the prison. It baffles me still how these 2-4 guards could have the opportunity to perform such and action. This torturous behavior went on for hours before it all stopped and it was silent and the lights came on. I didn't move until 5:30am I was frozen and still in awe of what happened to me, how it could happen and whats gonna happen next time I'm there. When my cell was opened for me to leave nobody said a word except one inmate who was next to me who asked if I had heard all that went on last night. I started to cry and told him that they were doing that to me. I got outside and saw my wife and explained what happened. We immediately went to the police department to file a report. We also contacted the ombudsman and the media. Since that day I have woken up in the middle of the night screaming for help and replaying the events on that day of hell. My hand is numb from banging for someone to come help me. It could be permanently damaged. I am terrified to go back there. I was sexual and physically abused by the nurses, guards, and lieutenants, the people who are paid to protect me and have trust authority over me. I was in jail for a traffic offense and I'm being denied medical attention, and tortured and ignored when I cried for help all along. I'm still terrified please help me. "

Gangs