Opinions vary on jailing needs

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/02/2012 (5379 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There was a poor turnout for its Brandon meeting and its mandate doesn’t allow it to specifically recommend that new jails be built.

Nevertheless, the work of the Manitoba Adult Corrections Capacity Committee will be worthwhile, says its chairman.

“I don’t think the minister of justice would have asked us to do this without seriously considering what we say,” said chairman Richard Bruce, the former chief of the Brandon Police Service.

The three-person committee has been struck to explore the best way to expand Manitoba’s jail capacity for adult males during the next five to 10 years.

The provincial jail system is far over capacity. As of Wednesday, there were 2,363 adult inmates at seven adult jails, which have a total capacity of 1,492.

At the Brandon jail, the capacity is 248 and there were 363 inmates.

The committee has also been asked by Manitoba Justice to advise what services and training should be available in jails to help inmates prepare for life after their release and prevent them from re-offending.

To that end, the committee has been touring Manitoba communities in search of input. Meetings have already been held in The Pas, Thompson and Dauphin. On Wednesday it was Brandon’s turn.

Bruce, however, pointed out it’s not part of the committee’s mandate to recommend to the province whether to build new jails. Rather, the committee will recommend how many more beds will be needed.

“We don’t make any decisions about building facilities,” Bruce said.

About eight people attended the Brandon meeting at Canad Inns, including representatives from the Brandon Friendship Centre and John Howard Society.

Suggestions included the need for a liaison to guide aboriginal offenders toward elders and cultural programming when they’re released.

Those in attendance also cited a need for transitional housing and an expansion of programs that cover such subjects as aboriginal spirituality, mental health and anger management.

One observer, who works in the mental health field, said that a lack of psychiatric facilities in the province means that those with mental health issues are being misdirected to the Brandon jail. They commit petty crimes and wind up in jail where there’s a lack of mental health programming.

Among those at the meeting was Progressive Conservative justice critic Kelvin Goertzen, who said the need to build another jail is obvious. The committee’s work would be useful, he said, if it focused more on preventing offenders from re-offending.

“Those sort of discussions, I think, might be a little more engaging,” said Goertzen, who said he’d like to see more programs for drug rehabilitation in jails, and supports in the community to prevent offenders from returning to gang life.

There will be further meetings in Winnipeg and Beausejour, and the committee has until spring to make its recommendations.

» ihitchen@brandonsun.com