Binky
05-29-2005, 09:35 AM
OTTAWA -- An itsy bitsy spider can cause a brawl behind bars.
The removal of the arachnid -- a "pet" of a British Columbia inmate -- touched off a riot that caused $40,000 damage to the provincial institution last June.
According to Behind Bars II, a damning report of Canada's prison system compiled by Conservative MP Randy White, other uprisings were caused by disrupted kitchen schedules, late snack delivery and fury over "snooping" when a guard tried to investigate the smell of marijuana wafting through the institution.
White said the incidents reflect how convicts across Canada are ruling the roost.
"This tells you very clearly that the inmates have control. If they don't get what they want, they'll just tear the place apart," he said.
"Management says, 'OK, if you tear it apart, we'll put a minimal effort into stopping you, but if you do it we'll just use taxpayers' money and repair it again.'"
In another incident at B.C.'s Kent penitentiary this January, prisoners staged a riot that caused $80,000 in damage to protest a late meal.
"The prisoners were upset that holiday kitchen schedules meant they would have to wait until 10:30 a.m. to be served breakfast," the report reads. "Guards tried to prevent the inmates from rioting by offering them extra pancakes but were unsuccessful."
White, who is pressing for an independent operational review of Canada's corrections system, said too often the prison commissioner's directives aren't followed by management at the institutional level. Because prisoners' rights reign supreme, he said violent outbursts ensue when they don't get their way.
2005 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact: http://www.canoe.ca/Help/feedback.html
Website: http://www.canoe.ca/
Webpage: http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/WinnipegSun/...
The removal of the arachnid -- a "pet" of a British Columbia inmate -- touched off a riot that caused $40,000 damage to the provincial institution last June.
According to Behind Bars II, a damning report of Canada's prison system compiled by Conservative MP Randy White, other uprisings were caused by disrupted kitchen schedules, late snack delivery and fury over "snooping" when a guard tried to investigate the smell of marijuana wafting through the institution.
White said the incidents reflect how convicts across Canada are ruling the roost.
"This tells you very clearly that the inmates have control. If they don't get what they want, they'll just tear the place apart," he said.
"Management says, 'OK, if you tear it apart, we'll put a minimal effort into stopping you, but if you do it we'll just use taxpayers' money and repair it again.'"
In another incident at B.C.'s Kent penitentiary this January, prisoners staged a riot that caused $80,000 in damage to protest a late meal.
"The prisoners were upset that holiday kitchen schedules meant they would have to wait until 10:30 a.m. to be served breakfast," the report reads. "Guards tried to prevent the inmates from rioting by offering them extra pancakes but were unsuccessful."
White, who is pressing for an independent operational review of Canada's corrections system, said too often the prison commissioner's directives aren't followed by management at the institutional level. Because prisoners' rights reign supreme, he said violent outbursts ensue when they don't get their way.
2005 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact: http://www.canoe.ca/Help/feedback.html
Website: http://www.canoe.ca/
Webpage: http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/WinnipegSun/...