HMP inmates are going without toothbrushes due to shortage

The horrid conditions of Her Majesty's Penitentiary will not come as a surprise to the average citizen of Newfoundland and Labrador. After all parts of this institution date back to the 1850s. But after decades of complaints ranging from bustling rodents to busted radiators the province's citizens representative is sounding the alarm on a new issue. The complaints started on about the 21st of October and they were coming in in bunches throughout last week with complaints about individuals not having access to toothbrushes. Yes, you heard that right. The institution appears to have run out of toothbrushes. These aren't your typical run-of-the-mill toothbrushes. Those can be sharpened and turned into weapons. Instead, they're shorter, made of a pliable material, and cannot be weaponized. It's not as easy as running up to the grocery store and buying 200 toothbrushes. It's a safety and security issue. So whether it's a supply chain issue or some shipping delays or whatever, we're not sure. Without clear answers, we tried to ask the Justice Minister. We were told she was not available. In a statement, the Department of Justice blamed the issue on shipping delays, but says HMP has sourced 1,200 new toothbrushes from the West Coast Correctional Centre in Stephenville. The department says work is ongoing to fix the supply issues. HMP is no walk in the park. The facility is overcrowded, overrun by rodents. Inmates often see rec time and visitation suspended due to staffing shortages. But for those who argue inmates are deserving of such punishment, Moss argues basic needs still have to be met. We put people in jail as punishment, not for punishment. not giving someone a toothbrush is you know I would consider to be a pretty rudimentary thing and and it's you know it's the type of thing that that needs to be met. While Ma says complaints have only been coming in for about the past week we've been told the situation has been going on longer. I've spoken with the mother of one inmate who says her son hasn't had a toothbrush since October 3rd. He's complaining of a sore throat and tongue. and she says she doesn't understand why the problem was left to linger. Ryan Cook, CBC News, St. John's.