Yes, Canada pension is probably thrown in there too. That is quite a list for people who have offended in this country and tossed into prison. Those rights should be removed and removed now.
Corrections Canada spends more than it ever has on costly and largely ineffective rehabilitation programs for prisoners. The drug rehabilitation program is one. Five million dollars was spent in 1994 on drug rehabilitation. To what avail? Drugs still flow into the prison. Prisoners still leave with the drug habits they entered with because of the availability of drugs inside. Those are facts.
Why is the Liberal government not addressing those concerns?
It is also true for sex offenders. In the 1993-94 budget of corrections Canada there was a total of $98 million for inmate programs described as education and personal development, occupational development programs and employment, spiritual, social, cultural and special needs programs.
We affirm as Reformers the government's responsibility to guarantee a minimal level of care to all convicted inmates: basic food and shelter, basic medical treatment, clothing and a rehabilitative framework based on the inmate's initiative. We also recognize that the rehabilitation of inmates shall be based upon incentives and merit. You earn your way.
A guaranteed system of initiatives shall determine the level of discipline. We propose that the framework for this system shall be set up in a way that clearly presents the relationship between the severity of the crime for which they are imprisoned and their demonstrated willingness to seek rehabilitation.
In other words, it is a self-rehabilitative program. Under our model, temporary absences would be a rare occurrence, especially for the violent offender. Maximum security institutions would house violent and serious offenders who are considered dangerous or who are serving true life sentences.
The program would be guided by the following principles: labour intensive work details without pay or skills training, no conjugal visits, only a core duty of care, restricted access on a very limited basis to entertainment and communications.
That was the maximum prison. We suggest that medium security prisons should house non-violent offenders and only those who have a proven willingness to participate in rehabilitative programs out of the maximum security institutions.
These positions would not be permanent. Any misbehaviour or loss of inmate initiative would result in the inmate's being returned to the maximum security.
Right now the process is the exact opposite. The pressure is on the maximum-medium to keep pushing down the inmates lower and lower, to re-evaluate their risk assessment. That is what is happening inside right now. Change the risk assessment to get them out of those maximum institutions into the medium, change the risk assessment to get them out of the medium into the minimum. That is what is happening.
The program should consist of the following. Inmates will work in print shops, carpentry, machine shops and garment production. Some of those things exist right now. Machine shops are being phased out in many institutions. What is replacing them? Educational programs. Prisoners will be given the opportunity to upgrade their formal education based on compliance with the prison rules.
Authority must be turned back too to the staff that run these prisons. We suggest that minimal compensation commence at this level. We would also allow a pay and trust up to $5,000 for the inmate to ensure that he has adequate resources upon release from prison.
What does it stand at right now? It is $80 after an inmate has served a substantial length of time. He has $80 in his pocket when he walks out the door. Is that adequate? What will he do if he cannot get a job right away? He will go back to crime.
That direction must be taken away. That thought must be taken away from them and they should be given something productive inside. They are obliged to work in the system. At this point prisoners would earn increased access to entertainment and communications after they have earned it.
With respect to minimum security facilities, we would propose they be run on the following principles. Minimum security prisons shall house non-violent offenders and those who have earned the privilege at this level, again the non-violent.
Work crews and apprenticeship programs will be trade oriented. They will be required to participate in some fashion in a work program. There will be a day pass system to encourage employment in private industry.
Sixty per cent of inmate pay would be applied to the inmate's room and board. Twenty per cent would be directed to the victim of the crime for which the individual is serving time and the remaining 20 per cent would be placed in trust for the inmate's
family or for the inmate upon release. There would be increased privileges, in particular conjugal visits, and they would be only on the minimum security level.
In addition, Reform believes the following reforms must be considered: non-voting privileges, no children in prisons. I have seen it said time and time again: "I went to see daddy in prison". How far do we carry that or the conjugal visit home? Is that a place to bring children? No pornography, personal TVs or stereos. All of these are on the commissioner's directives. Yet there is no enforcement in this area.
Reform believes these are the concerns Bill C-53 should focus on and not a program of temporary absence whereby prisoners' rights are given higher consideration than the protection of society. One has to ask why this bill is coming into being? It would appear it is as a result of a financial concern. In other words, it is too costly to keep them inside.
Reform believes a graduated system of accountability must be revisited in order to place the principle of individual accountability back into the prison system. Inmates no more than any other Canadian should not be able to take their position for granted.
The Reform Party's vision for the future of Canadian corrections is that responsible and co-operative behaviour will lead to privileges and perhaps transfer of deserving inmates to a less restrictive facility. Misbehaviour and infraction will mean the loss of privileges and even the return to a higher level of incarceration.
Canadians want to see some substantial reform in this whole area of incarceration. It is too bad these principles are not reflected in Bill C-53.