Over the Easter weekend the Edmonton prison remained on lock down, leaving inmates little to look forward to since the lock down caused scheduled visitations to be canceled. While the prison is on this status the inmates are confined to their cells, and this confinement allows the staff to perform thorough searches of every area of the facility. The lock down was put in place on April 1, 2015, at approximately 5:30 pm so that staff members could conduct an exceptional search according to a release that was sent out. Normal operations were suspended during the lock down period, and this was done in order to ensure the safety and the security of both the staff and the inmates at the facility. Normal operations were resumed after the lock down was lifted at the prison.

This is not the first lock down to occur at the Edmonton prison, these measures have been taken in the past. Past violent incidents that led to this status included the stabbing of a prisoner in August of 2014, and placing the facility in lock down prevents inmates from moving freely and having the ability to remove any prohibited items and contraband. Keeping the inmates confined to their cells makes it safer and easier for the Edmonton prison staff to search everything, and to ensure that new contraband is not secreted somewhere that has already been searched. Inmates do not like being on lock down, and this should act as a deterrent but the truth is that many of these individuals have nothing but time on their hands, and the entire staff and the inmate population suffers from the actions of a few bad apples.