An inmate at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary says he worries the Stephen Harper government’s so-called “tough on crime” legislation could lead to increased tensions at the jail.
Richard Leber is a spokesman for the inmate welfare committee at the penitentiary.
Leber says many prisoners are forced to double-bunk in tiny cells, while others are forced to walk around in dirty clothes for days because there are not enough washers and dryers for everyone.
He also says there are not enough meaningful jobs inside the institution.
Leber says that can be a problem when inmates have nothing to do:
“There is no actual job training. Twenty years ago guys used to learn stuff in jail like how to weld or autobody or something. When they got out they had a choice, they could be productive members of society and not come back.”
Leber adds most of the inmates will be getting out at some point, so they need to be better human beings coming out than they were going in.
Glen Fraser is an inmate who works in the kitchen.
Fraser says the jail is already bursting at the seams, no one has space for their own thoughts and there are lots of mental health issues.
He says at times prisoners feel like cattle and he doesn’t believe there are enough guards to properly handle the situation:
“We are going to be coming back out to society some day and what we do while we’re here determines on how we’re going to be when we get out. If we’re treated like animals, we’re going to act like animals. If we’re treated humane, we’re going to act human.”
A spokesman for prison guards on the Prairies is echoing the concerns.
Kevin Grabowsky speaks for the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers.
He says if the number of prisoners being admitted to the Prince Albert-area penitentiary goes up dramatically, it could make it tougher to keep gangs separated:
“Because it comes down to bed space. I mean, if you’re double-bunking cells, it’s knowing you have the right inmate and the right gang member going to the right place — or an inmate, who might not be a gang member, having to join a gang strictly to survive.”
Grabowsky adds guards are already feeling the effects of overcrowding and he expects the Tories’ new federal bill to hit the Prairies the hardest.
Meantime, a political scientist from Mount Royal College in Alberta says he believes the new bill is an attempt by the government to pander to its conservative base.
Bruce Foster says Bill C-10 will bring a lot of amendments to the Criminal Code.
However, he worries it will send many people to jail for trivial offenses, overload institutions and reduce the amount of rehabilitation that goes on:
“If you’re going to incarcerate them, if you’re going to restrict conditional sentencing which is served in the community — you’re going to end up with overcrowded prisons . . . not to mention you’re going to put a terrific financial burden on the provinces.”
He adds it will take time to build new jails, so existing facilities are going to become packed.