I can't speak for what's happening in the penitentiaries where men are serving time, but certainly in the women's prisons it is the rare woman who is entitled to have all of her documentation in her cell or in her room, depending on how it's described. They are supposed to have lock boxes in which to keep all of their documentation. Sometimes, if they have been in for many years, they have more than would fit in that lock box and they're supposed to have access to a second one, and it used to be that they would have access. These are literally metal boxes with locks on them so they can keep all their documents.
The argument offered to us for not providing many of the women with their documentation is a fear on the part of Corrections Canada that confidentiality will be breached. We've argued that if they have the lock box, that protects them. The other fear is that information might be misused. If it's breached people might be bullied, or that sort of thing. Again, we've argued that if they have a locked area, it shouldn't be an issue.
Right now, I don't know of any woman who has all of her documentation to which she is entitled by law. In fact, it is one of the challenges we're facing. I'm going to a hearing for a lifer next week, and part of the reason I'm going is that I actually have a fair bit of documentation and she has had great difficulty getting documents, even though she has a parole board hearing on Tuesday.
Oftentimes women will be shown documentation and they'll sign an acknowledgment that the documentation's been reviewed. Sometimes that's seen as indicating they've been given a copy. Sometimes they have and sometimes they lose it, but oftentimes they haven't been provided a copy. They've simply acknowledged that they've read it, or the contents have been communicated to them.