TORIES PLAN REVIEW OF PRISON SYSTEM

Safety Of Guards, Concerns Of Victims To Be Considered

The Conservative government is about to announce an expansive review
of the inner workings of the federal prison system, with an eye to
examining inmate programs, giving crime victims more say, enhancing
protection for prison guards and tackling the growing problem of drugs.

Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day is expected to release details of
the review later this month, in keeping with an election promise to
"review the operations of Correctional Services Canada with a view to
enhancing public safety."

"We're hoping to move as fast as possible," said Melisa Leclerc, Mr.
Day's communications director. "This is a key priority for 2007."

The review follows several pieces of get-tough legislation, which are
currently making their way through the parliamentary process, designed
to put more people in prison and keep them there longer.

Ms. Leclerc said departmental policy experts have already been
instructed to review the value of numerous prison programs, but she
would not elaborate.

The Conservatives have already cancelled a pilot project of the former
Liberal government to set up tattoo parlours in prisons in an effort
to cut down on infectious diseases.

Ms. Leclerc said another key concern is the escalating problem of
drugs in prison.

"We really want to address this issue," she said. "Some measures are
already there, but we need to beef it up a bit."

Mr. Day also wants to give crime victims a stronger voice in the
system and improve conditions for corrections officers, Ms. Leclerc
said.

Mr. Day has met with many players in the $1.6-billion-a-year prison
system in preparation for the review.

Corrections officers are hoping for better weapons to protect
themselves in the face of escalating prison violence, said Sylvain
Martel, head of the union representing 6,000 prison guards.

The Union of Canadian Correctional Officers is pushing for prison
guards to be armed with more powerful guns, Taser stun guns and pepper
spray.

Another significant problem, said Mr. Martel, is that the open-space
concept of Canadian prisons, where inmates can congregate, is no
longer safe in light of a growing problem with gangs and organized
crime.

"It's just wild inside," he said. "We need to have structures where we
can confine and control crowds."

If the government passes new laws that will increase the prison
population, it needs to build extra facilities to accommodate the
influx, Mr. Martel added

Mr. Day has already estimated it will cost as much as $245 million
over five years to build new prison cells to accommodate an increase
in prisoners, should the Conservative bills, including one to impose
more mandatory jail terms, pass in a minority government.

On the drug front, the government needs to amend the Corrections and
Conditional Release Act, the legislation governing the prison system,
to make it easier to conduct searches of inmates, Mr. Martel said.

Steve Sullivan, president of the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims
of Crime, said his organization has also been pressing for numerous
changes, such as giving victims more information about inmates,
including their behaviour in prison, as well as setting up a victims'
ombudsman to hear complaints about their dealings with Corrections
Canada.

Some victims are also concerned that killers come up for parole too
often. Their eligibility is reviewed every two years after their first
appearance before the parole board.

"We're not sure that two years is long enough," said Mr. Sullivan. For
crime victims, he said, "it's a very draining and emotional thing."