Canada’s Prison Numbers and Costs Are Rising

OTTAWA, Ontario — Canada’s prisons were a little fuller last year, with an almost 1 percent increase in the rate of adults serving time, according to the Toronto Sun.

The cost to run prisons went up to handle it, too.

During the 2010-2011 year, there were approximately 38,000 adults in prison, according to a report by Statistics Canada. Roughly 36 percent were serving sentences of two years or more — a 3 percent increase in the rate of incarceration in federal Canadian penitentiaries over the year before.

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Canada’s Omnibus Crime Bill Impacts Criminal Justice System

OTTAWA, Ontario — Anticrime legislation in Canada could result in a surge of inmates entering its prison facilities.

The new Safe Streets and Communities Act combines nine crime bills that died during the previous parliamentary session into one omnibus piece of legislation. Now that the

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Trailer Possibly Used To Smuggle Drugs Into Prison

MAPLE RIDGE, British Columbia A horse trailer may have been used to smuggle a large quantity of drugs into a Maple Ridge prison.
 
Police are investigating, but wont provide details on the trailer, which was dropped off for repairs at the Fraser Regional Correctional Centre by a woman on March 7.
 
Dean Purdy, a spokesperson for the B.C.

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New Brunswick Plans Two Prisons

FREDERICTON, Canada — New Brunswick’s Supply and Services Ministry started development of two new prisons to alleviate capacity challenges in the provincial correctional system, according to a ministry spokesperson.
 
The $40 million Southeast Correctional Centre is 92,756 square feet and includes three housing units with 30 cells each. The $16.3 million, 41,519-square-feet Dalhousie Correctional Centre consists of five housing units comprised of 10 cells each.

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Closer to Home

Canada’s federal prison system embraces the highest design principles found in corrections facilities. "We’re interested in design, but not at any cost," says Michel Blais, project leader for Correctional Service Canada. "What we’re seeing is that we can add a great design for the same price as a bad design."

 

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