Inspection finds ‘culture of intimidation and violence’ at Okanagan prison

BC’s newest prison has a problem with violence and power dynamics while supervision lapses.

That’s according to a recently published report following an inspection of the Okanagan Correctional Centre in Oliver. The oversight inspection found supervision was inconsistent while long-term and dominant inmates dictated a hierarchy inside the jail.

Those caught breaking the rules by the “heavies” inside the jail were subject to assaults in their own cells, according to the report. From January 2024 to September 2025, there were 25 known cases where an inmate entered someone else’s cell and assaulted them.

It’s the first inspection report of a BC Corrections facility since the province tasked its oversight body, the Investigation and Standards Office, with reviewing conditions at its 10 provincial prisons following recommendations from the BC Ombudsperson a decade ago.

The oversight body’s September inspection of the prison found it met most expectations, but flagged its lack of supervision and rule enforcement.

“This lack of consistent supervision has created conditions in which unequal power dynamics can emerge and persist unchecked,” the report reads. “In the absence of clearly defined and enforced boundaries, individuals known as ‘heavies’ have been able to exert control over aspects of unit dynamics, undermining safety and contributing to a culture of intimidation and violence.”

This was most obvious during meal times, when there was “no line or order” to food distribution, and it was described as a “very chaotic environment.”

The dominant inmates get free picking of the food, sometimes taking food other inmates’ trays, but the unwritten prison rules extend to phones and showers, where graffiti marks some for “long term inmates only.”

Prison staff inconsistently enforce rules and order, while they also inconsistently supervise inmates who venture into other units or prison cells. Inmates are allowed to visit other cells with permission, but rule-breaking is inconsistently punished. While that doesn’t mean an inmate is assaulted in every instance, it is a risk noted in the inspection report.

Both staff and inmates were surveyed in the inspection with 54 per cent of surveyed inmates responding.

Aside from safety concerns, with one inmate noting he would feel safer in the mental health unit, inmates complained about long wait times for health care and high prices for the canteen and phones.

A majority were concerned about a lack of shop programming, but BC Corrections has kept their wood and metal shops closed because of expensive ventilation issues, according to the report.

The oversight inspectors recommended the Okanagan Correctional Centre standardize enforcement for cell visitation and meal distribution, along with removing signage and graffiti around the jail.