GUARD: WE PAY UP DRUG DEPTS FOR INMATES

OTTAWA -- Canadians are paying off inmate drug debts by reimbursing
missing property in prisons, according to a Sun Media source. The
veteran correctional officer for the Ontario region said most claims
for lost, stolen or damaged items are bogus because the item has been
traded off for drugs.

"It's a scam. It's just one big farce," he said. "He submits a claim
for his $300 pair of Nikes that have gone missing, the Crown can't
prove where they are, so he ends up getting the money for them.

"In the meantime, he's paid off his drug debt."

1,504 CLAIMS

Sun Media revealed that Correctional Service of Canada paid $225,833
for 1,504 settlement claims for missing property in prisons in the
last two fiscal years. CSC policy allows for the payments when it's
deemed staff haven't exercised "reasonable care" to protect a
prisoner's property.

To promote a "respectful" prison environment, CSC has an obligation to
protect personal property, said Graham Stewart, executive director of
the John Howard Society of Canada. But he said the high number of
approved claims suggests there isn't a "high level of care."