In 1996, CSC moved women who were classified as higher security prisoners out of the regional women’s prisons for what we were told would be an 18-24 month period, in order to allow time for the installation of security fences, razor wire, additional high security cameras and other security measures at the regional prisons. Now, approximately four years later, instead of seeing the incorporation of all women into the regional prisons, the Correctional Service of Canada is working on the further fortification of the prisons.

This will be the third “enhancement” of static security measures at the new regional prisons -- all for the same women who have yet to be incorporated into the prison populations. The first was the doubling of the “Enhanced Security Units” in 1994, and the second occurred in 1996 and 1997, when the security fences, razor wire, eye-in-the-sky 360 degree swivel zoom and infrared cameras, as well as additional internal and external security measures were installed at all of the regional women’s prisons.

Rather than replicate the problems of constructing segregated units for women, albeit within the grounds now of the women’s prisons, as opposed to in the men’s prisons, CAEFS has suggested to CSC that they implement their pre-existing unimplemented plan to focus on the use of more dynamic (human and humane) staff support and interventions to “manage” the women classified as maximum security prisoners as well as those classified as having significant ?mental health concerns’.

If the conversion and/or development of minimum security houses and community resources were instead the focus of any new resources, however, the vacated prison beds behind the walls should result in sufficient cell space to accommodate the women imprisoned in the segregated maximum security units for women in men’s prisons. CAEFS was not involved in the development of current plans but will seek and welcome opportunities to develop appropriate implementation strategies to accommodate all women prisoners in the regional prisons and their surrounding communities. To this end, CAEFS has urged the Solicitor General to establish the sort of advisory body envisioned by the Task Force on Federally Sentenced Women, the Arbour Commission and advocated by CAEFS, most recently in our submissions to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights regarding the Five Year Review of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act.