The province has hired a plethora of correctional officers this past year but less than a dozen have been appointed to the Sarnia Jail.
Ninety-six new correctional officers who completed the Corrections Foundational Training program were hired in September and assigned to 15 different institutions across the province.
In the West Region, 19 correctional officers were assigned to the Central North Correctional Centre, Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre, Stratford Jail, and Sarnia Jail.
The office of the Ministry of the Solicitor General said since July 2020, over 450 new correctional officers have graduated training and been deployed to work at the 25 correctional institutions across the province. Of those 450 correctional officers, 11 were deployed to the Sarnia Jail.
"The government has been clear in its commitment to support correctional services across this province. Correctional Officers are essential to community safety, law and order in our society, and the administration of justice," said Andrew Morrison in an emailed statement. "The government is investing $500 million over five years to transform correctional services through new hires and infrastructure improvements."
The Corrections Foundational Training program takes place over eight weeks both in-person and virtually. The training covers de-escalation skills, anti-Black racism and Indigenous cultural training, and inmate management techniques.
Morrison said recruitment of correctional officers is ongoing.
