DRUG SCANNERS RARELY USED IN PRISONS, GUARDS CHARGE

CALGARY -- Canada's prison guards say Ottawa isn't serious about stemming
the flow of drugs into penitentiaries, saying hi-tech scanners at some of
the toughest prisons are rarely used because of budget concerns. But a
corrections department official says guards are responsible for the safety
and security of the 51 federal prisons, adding that sounding the alarm about
equipment breakdowns is part of their job.

"If they're saying ion scanners are not working for weeks or people are not
trained on them, they have an obligation or a duty to bring that forward to
management," says Michele Pilon-Santilli, spokesman for Correctional
Services of Canada.

Drugs have long been considered a major problem in Canada's prisons, with
80% of inmates having some sort of substance abuse problem when they enter
the system. Starting in 2000, ion scanners were bought to stem the flow of
smuggled drugs.

A guards' union survey within the last month found some prisons use the drug
detection devices sparingly and the scanners can sit idle for weeks or even
months.

Pilon-Santilli says a report completed in mid-June found all prisons except
healing lodges had working scanners. "They felt the (union information) was
outdated, isn't factual and that there is no large-scale failure in
technology across CSC."

She rejects allegations that budget concerns affect how often scanners are
used.

Random urinalysis suggests 12% of inmates test positive for drugs or alcohol
at any time, Pilon-Santilli said.