SOFT TIME FOR MANY PRISONERS

Not many people will remember Richard Speck, so we'll refresh your memory.
In 1966, he murdered eight nurses in Chicago on one horrible night.

He died in prison in 1991, and the final outrage was the revelation of a
videotape that showed the mass murderer snorting cocaine, drinking booze
and partying it up with his "friend." Years later we were all treated to
video of a costume party attended by that degenerate Karla Homolka.

Apparently, he did and she does whatever they want in prison. The same
seems to be true in many B.C. federal prisons.

A news item from earlier this week stated that cellblocks at Kent and
Mission Institutions were locked down due to violence and other incidents.
Those other incidents included seizures of alcohol, drugs and weapons.

Now we realize that making a shiv is pretty easy in prison. Any sharp
object can be turned into a weapon, but excuse our na(vete for being angry
about inmates having loads of drugs and alcohol on them.

We haven't been in a medium or maximum security prison lately, but we're
guessing that they live in small cells surrounded by walls and bars. Not
exactly a lot of space to search for drugs and alcohol. And how exactly are
these inmates getting this stuff into the prisons? Anyone in charge of
running a prison should be humiliated that this stuff is being smuggled in
right under their noses.

Conservative Party of Canada MP Randy White, the party's solicitor general
critic, has studied the system extensively and makes the shocking claim
that some of the stuff is being smuggled in by prison staff, as well as by
friends and family of inmates during conjugal visits.

"Senior staff seem more interested in keeping peace," White says.

Perhaps a more docile prison population is easier to handle, but this is an
outrage that governments seem unwilling to try and stop.

White says he has been calling for a prison inquiry for eight years. Add
our voice to that chorus.