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Regina inmate given ‘hurt feelings report’ calling them a whiner: advocate

Jul 18, 2018 | 1:30 PM

REGINA — A group that advocates on behalf of prisoners says a Regina inmate was given an insulting complaint form that called them a whiner.

Sherri Maier, a legal assistant who also works for Beyond Prison Walls Canada, posted a snapshot of the “hurt feelings report” form online last Friday.

Maier said she was given the form by an inmate who says they received it from a guard at the Regina Correctional Centre in April. She said the inmate has since been released.

One of the questions on the form — which appears on Ministry of Corrections and Policing letterhead — asks if the inmate requires a tissue for their tears and if the incident led to permanent feeling damage. 

One section on the form asks what date the individual’s feelings were hurt, “time of hurtfulness” and the name of “real man/woman who hurt your sensitive feelings.”

Under a section where it asks for reasons for filing out the report, the options include “I want my mommy,” “I have woman/man-like hormones,” and “I am thin skinned Saskatchewan Corrections needs to fix my problems.”

Maier said she was alarmed.

“With all the mental health issues, you give somebody that, it’s kind of like a slap in the face: here, we don’t care,” Maier said Wednesday. “Fill out the cry baby form or the whiner’s report.”

Noel Busse, a spokesman for the Ministry of Justice, said in an email that the form isn’t an official document and is not supported by the ministry.

“Corrections and Policing takes all complaints seriously and is extremely disappointed that this document suggests otherwise,” Busse said.

An investigation is underway, he said.

Maier said she doesn’t know if the form was intended to be a joke, but she said it’s unprofessional.

“Whether a guard made it on their spare time while they’re at work or a guard made it at home and brought it in as a joke, still somebody has to be held accountable for it,” she said.

— Follow @RyanBMcKenna on Twitter

Ryan McKenna, The Canadian Press