Mr. Speaker, yesterday it came to light that an individual convicted of a horrific murder, allegedly inspired by the TV show Dexter, was permitted to watch this very show from his prison cell. My constituents find this incredibly upsetting. Crime victims are demanding to know why he has had access to violent material that is closely linked to his heinous crimes.
Common sense dictates that violent criminals should not have access to violent TV content, particularly when this precise content has inspired their crimes. In this case, he even assumed Dexter's identity online and wrote extensively about his desire to become a serial killer.
Correctional Service of Canada's own directive on appropriate material for prisoners states that material is not permitted that could jeopardize the safety of individuals.
The good news is that taxpayers do not subsidize cable for convicted criminals. However, the prison system should take a look at how it makes decisions on correctional plans. The corrections system should be correcting criminal behaviour, not giving convicted murders access to the materials that inspired their crimes.