A former commissioner of Canada’s prison system has joined the protest against a federal government plan to close Canada’s six remaining prison farms.
John Edwards, who was commissioner of Corrections Services of Canada until 1996, said the prison farms at six federal minimum security institutions are an important link in the rehabilitation process for many prisoners.
“I think these farms provide value for money, definitely,” he said.
“I think it is a wrong-headed and short-sighted decision to close them down.”
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The prison farm system, which was started 130 years ago, provides work for as many as 300 inmates at prisons in Kingston, Ont., Dorchester, N.B., Stony Mountain, Man., Prince Albert, Sask., and Innisfail, Alta.
Public safety minister Peter Van Loan has justified the decision by arguing the farms cost $4 million a year that could be spent elsewhere in the corrections system. As well, they offer work experience in an old-fashioned farm model that does not produce marketable skills in the modern economy.
Money saved
Edwards said the money argument misses the point. The food produced reduces costs in federal institutions, and prisoners in minimum security cost much less to house and maintain than prisoners in higher levels of security.
However, the more important value of the prison farms is to give inmates who are moving toward release some work experience, skills and discipline.
“The whole idea is that these prisoners that start at a higher level of security gradually move from an environment that is very harsh through a transition to a real world situation,” said Edwards.
“The prison farms offer prisoners a glimpse of a more normal life. They will have learned work habits. I think these farms are worth a lot.”
He said work and training opportunities are limited in the federal system and eliminating 300 of the jobs that do exist does not make sense.
“The key thing is if you are going to put someone in jail for five years or more, you have to keep them busy in a constructive way. You have to prepare them to leave.”
Campaigns to save the prison farms are being waged across the country by prison employees represented by the Union of Solicitor General Employees within the Public Service Union of Canada as well as by the National Farmers Union.
Critics of the decision suggest that law-and-order ideology is as much behind the Conservative move as is concern about cost saving and teaching useable skills.
The impression was reinforced in the House of Commons last spring after the NFU took part in a Parliament Hill rally against the closings.
Prince Albert Conservative Randy Hoback, whose riding houses one of the farms, asked in question period if defending the rights of convicts really is a priority for farmers.
“This is an exciting new direction for the membership drive for the NFU,” agriculture minister Gerry Ritz replied sarcastically.
“Of course, it does require a captive audience since it really does not represent any farmers. While it is busy lobbying for criminals and bad guys, we are out there building a new set of rules and regulations for farmers that will benefit them domestically and in the international marketplace.”
