ALTA. BILL AIMED AT CRACKING DOWN ON DRUG USE, GANGS IN PROVINCIAL JAILS

EDMONTON (CP) - Alberta jails, reputed to be the toughest in Canada,
will continue to lead the way in corrections by making them even
tougher, says the province's solicitor general.

On Wednesday, Heather Forsyth introduced Bill 26, amendments to the
Corrections Act that will allow random drug testing in provincial
jails and deny early release to troublemakers. There will be zero
tolerance of drug use, gangs, possessing or using a weapon, or
threatening correctional staff or visitors, Forsyth said.

As for early release, there won't be any more Get Out of Jail Free
cards for Alberta prisoners, the government says.

Offenders will have to earn their early release, called early
remission, through "positive behaviour," not just by staying in jail,
Forsyth said.

Currently, offenders only serve one-third of their sentence in jail, she
noted. "If an offender breaks some of the laws that we're speaking about,
they will go before a disciplinary board and will lose days off of their
earned remission.

"They can also be punished in other ways. They can lose some
privileges they currently get in the facilities."

Internal disciplinary hearings will be required if rules are broken,
whether or not criminal charges are laid. The disciplinary boards will be
compelled to consider denying inmates early release.

Currently, offenders are only tested when it's suspected they are
using drugs. Routine random testing will help deter illicit drug use,
Forsyth says.

The province runs nine correctional facilities. Observers suggest
Alberta is already the toughest place to do time in a provincial jail, an
assessment Forsyth agreed with Wednesday.

But Liberal justice critic Laurie Blakeman said the solicitor general
isn't getting at the heart of the problem of addictions.

"I think it's fabulously naive to think that they're going to be able to
stop drugs from going into prisons. If people are addicted, they'll do
anything to get hold of those drugs," Blakeman said.

Maureen Collins of the Edmonton John Howard Society agreed it's
important to deal with drugs in the jails. "When there is excessive
drug use or drugs are readily coming into an institution it creates
tensions. It results in muscling between inmates and those kinds of things."

But Collins says the tough approach won't be much of a deterrent to
most inmates. She also said Bill 26 doesn't do enough to treat the
drug and alcohol problems that may have got them in trouble in the
first place.

"You can catch people through random tests, but nothing will change.
You may put them in segregation or take off earned remission . . .
keep them in jail a few weeks, a few months longer but it isn't the answer."

The head of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, which includes
jail guards, welcomed some of the bill's provisions, including random drug
testing and zero tolerance on gangs.

However, Dan MacLennan said the bill won't ease the overcrowding and
understaffing problems the union has long complained of.

Wednesday's bill is the latest get-tough measure from the Alberta
government.

In the 1990s, it took away privileges including pool tables and colour
televisions purchased by inmates. It replaced the colour TVs with
black-and-white sets. Last year, a government MLA suggested the
province should take away inmates' TV sets altogether.

The province removed meat from some jail meals several years ago, and
refused to pay for underwear and socks, doling out coveralls and
leaving the rest to prisoners.

In 1996 a former justice minister tried unsuccessfully to bring in
chain gangs, shackling prisoners in work crews. The idea was quashed by
the Tory caucus at the time.

A government review has recommended that smoking be completely banned in
the jails, a move backed by the provincial union for health reasons
even though it acknowledges inmates will likely react violently to such
a move. It also recommended inmates be charged room and board.

Forsyth said Wednesday they are working toward implementing the
smoking ban.