Thank you, Mr. Chair, and through you to the witnesses.
Mr. Clarke, I have written down a couple of things you had to say.
I'll preface my remarks by saying that there is a responsibility on behalf of the state to make sure that those people who are incarcerated by the state for crimes committed against society...that the state should do as much as it can so that you leave our institutions with the tools you need in order not to return. That's what I'll preface my remarks with.
You say prison is not a good place to maintain a good level of health. One of the things I noted on visiting many prisons across this country of ours is the degree among some prisoners of possessing, I would say, a healthy body, meaning to say that they take part in exercise programs, have gym facilities available, and have an adequate diet with which to maintain health.
I wonder if you could, in a very succinct way—because I have several other issues to address—explain what you mean by its being difficult to maintain a good level of health.