Disciplinary Hearing Coordinator (DHC)
Disciplinary hearings are held with Disciplinary Hearing Coordinators (DHCs) who represent the correctional centres while supporting with the hearing logistics. Their permanent roles are that of correctional supervisors. As correctional supervisors, they manage a team of correctional officers, including charging officers, who bring their allegations of CAR breaches (charges) before an independent correctional decision-maker.
During the penalty phase of the hearings (sentencing) DHCs also recommend, in an advisory capacity, the most appropriate penalty. The standard practice of the independent correctional decision-maker is to ask the DHC for their recommendation on penalty, and if they agree, then that sentence is imposed. DHCs work part-time or on an as-needed basis (as backfills).
For more on the role of DHCs, you can read my blog post, I Was a Prison Judge and the Recent Supreme Court of Canada Decision Is Not the Big Win We Needed (May 19, 2025).
Dope sick
Experiencing drug withdrawal symptoms.
While in Records, inmate Kone ignored multiple directions from the officers to comply with body scan protocols repeatedly telling them “I don’t care” and “send me to seg.” Then, unexpectedly in the middle of Records, he lunged at Officer Gray. Inmate Kone testified in his hearing that he was dope sick from using heroin on the street and “wasn’t in a good head space.” During the penalty (sentencing) phase of the hearing, I took into consideration that the incident occurred on the day he entered custody and the impact of being dope sick on his mental health and well-being.
When he entered custody he was dope sick and irritable. He stopped taking methadone and is doing much better. He received a CGI-C rating of 2 indicating he is “functioning well but may be exhibiting very mild or occasional symptoms that do not fully reach the criteria for a diagnosis of any mental disorder or minimally cause distress or impairment in functioning.”
For the majority of his time so far at the Centre, he has been dope sick. Because he is new to custody, his client logs do not provide an indication of his working relationships with prison staff.
He said he was still high when he was admitted into custody and then dope sick.
Dry cell
An empty cell without a toilet or a sink. If an inmate is suspected of carrying drugs within their body then they are placed in a dry cell so that they can be monitored. The lack of plumbing facilities allows prison staff to observe an inmate’s bowels allowing them to confiscate drugs or any contraband items.
Placement in a dry cell is also called Drug Interdiction Protocols, when an inmate is suspected of having drugs within their body.