Evidence of meeting #85 for Public Safety and National Security in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was transfer.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:55 p.m.
Commissioner, Correctional Service of Canada
Very quickly, over 95% of the inmates in maximum security are inmates whose behaviour we cannot control other than in that environment. As I said, they assault staff. They assault other inmates. They traffic drugs. They need a high degree of control and supervision.
Paul Bernardo is not of that type. Again, I know he committed horrific crimes. Now he's under minimum security, but there are offenders who never get to minimum—
12:55 p.m.
Commissioner, Correctional Service of Canada
Yes, he's at medium, but there are offenders who never get to minimum security.
12:55 p.m.
Liberal
Jennifer O'Connell Liberal Pickering—Uxbridge, ON
Thank you for that.
I think a crucial point is the suggestion that meddling in this classification process could actually leave our correctional services employees at risk, and that the process is not a determination of sentence but a safety issue primarily for the people who serve Canadians and actually do this incredibly difficult work with people who have committed the most heinous of heinous crimes.
We have people who work in those institutions. Is a fundamental piece of maximum security versus medium security about ensuring that the right classifications and security measures are applied to those who pose the greatest risk and ensuring that those parameters are put in place, essentially, to keep our employees safe and protected doing this work?
12:55 p.m.
Commissioner, Correctional Service of Canada
Absolutely. It's a very challenging environment. However, as I said, maximum security institutions are for those whose behaviour cannot be controlled elsewhere.
12:55 p.m.
Liberal
Jennifer O'Connell Liberal Pickering—Uxbridge, ON
Thank you.
When an inmate is moved to medium security, for example, the perimeters are still secure to maintain that lack of public safety risk, but the incentives for good behaviour would also encourage inmates not to attack correctional service workers. They still would have controlled limits to ensure that there's not a chance of escaping or somehow a more comfortable stay in prison. Medium security operates as a mechanism for behavioural changes, to ensure the safety of correctional workers.
12:55 p.m.
Commissioner, Correctional Service of Canada
Absolutely.
We work with the offenders through programs, interventions and services. The goal is always that they can acquire certain skills and move to, let's say, medium.
A lot of inmates in maximum security are serving determinate sentences and are going to be released. We want to ensure that when they are released, they are better than when they came in, to ensure the safety of the public.
1 p.m.
Liberal
Jennifer O'Connell Liberal Pickering—Uxbridge, ON
Thank you. I think that's certainly the case. We could probably have an entire conversation on determinate sentences and inmates, but in this case, where it's indeterminate, one could think, who cares? If he is someone who can never be rehabilitated, there is no benefit.
However, if the benefit is to ensure a behaviour that keeps correctional workers safe, then there is a benefit.
1 p.m.
Liberal
Jennifer O'Connell Liberal Pickering—Uxbridge, ON
The benefit is to ensure that the behaviour doesn't invoke more violence within the system and more violence to innocent victims—those who, frankly, do incredibly difficult work on behalf of Canadians to keep those inmates secure and not a risk to public safety.
Thank you.
1 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Heath MacDonald
Thank you, Ms. O'Connell.
Thank you, Ms. Kelly, for your co-operation and all your answers.
To everyone else sitting at that end of the table, we appreciate it.
At the moment, that brings this meeting to an end. I will look for agreement to adjourn the meeting.
1 p.m.
Some hon. members
Agreed.