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The Canadian Champion Tueadoy Saptember 26 2000-11 Super-jail won't be perfect, but it will be better, corrections minister telis Chamber breakfast By IRENE GENTLE The Champion Community safety, cost efficiency and whittling down offence rates are the goals behind a provincial overhaul of the correctional system, said Ontario's Corrections Minister Rob Sampson. He attended a Milton Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting held at Granite Ridge Golf Club Tbursday to speak about the changing lace of ibe Maplebursa Correctional Complex. ~Vben the construction dust settles next spring, Maplehursi wilt hold about 1,200 maIe inmates and 324 temale inmates. 0f those, tbe vast majority seilI be on remand, or awaitiug trial or sentencing. The remainder will be provincial prisoners sentenced to two yeam or less. A rampant recidivism rate is one reason Ibe corrections system was in need of refurbishing, said Mr. Sampson. Though be admitted the details are sketchy, the best statistica available place the rate of prisoners wbo reoffend at about 80 per cent. "We have 80 per cent of people in the front door coming back in again," said Mr. Sampson. "We better figure out bow to get this reoflending rate down." System fo be revamped Revamping the system so tbat better tabs eau be kepf on those wbo reoffend is a good place stan, be said. "We don't very effectively measure rehabilitation rates," said Mr. Sarupson. "Surprising, but we don't." Noting some operating jails are so old fhey pre-date confedera- sion, be said a commitmenf to public safety bas led to tbe creation of new and retrofitted mega-jails. Tbe new facilities seili be no-frilîs, but packed witb state-of-the- an security measures aimed at cracking down on recidivism rates while cutting cosSa. Rehabilitation programs, linkages witb community agencies upon inmate release and universal standards and results measure- ment are pan oU the plan. 'These standards would ~ f0 aIl factltttes sebether they be pnvately or publicly mn," said Mr. Sampson. "We need to com- pare institutions and find out wbaf works and sehat doesn't work." When ifs completed, Maplehurat seilI be the largest facility of its kind noS only in tbe province, but the country. tt'll also be one of the few jails f0 combine sentenced and remanded prisoners. Complefed by November An $89 million construction projeet bas been underway at abe jail for some time. By November, four 192-person unifa sbould be complefed. They'll be self-contained and split into six wedges, holding about 30 inmates each. Another wedge will house an enclosed outdoor exercise ares, sehile an eightb would be an activity ares, wbicb would bouse a video remand studio. The video studio would show abe umates to attend coun for whistle-stop appearances via a closed circuit television, saving transponafion coafs f0 far-flung couns. In the late fait, tbe current Maplehursa population is expected to stide into these nese unifs, allowing construction creses to retrotif the exisfing facilifies. A separate female facility, beaded by Superintendent Sberee Cybulaki, will round ouf tbe site. Acknowledgîng concerna about the impact on local bealtb care, Mr. Leitbead said 43 on-site nurses seul supply 24-bour bealfh "It's flot going to be perfect, but it's going to be a heck of a lot better than what we have now, which is nothing." R, UWSM and psycbiatrîc care for the înmates, said Maplebursi Superintendent Ian Leithead. The Province s also working on a discbarge policy to set aside seorries that inmates seont he ambling dosen Main Street upon release. Currently, ail sentenced inmafes are esconed to a bus beaded for their home fosen. In She future, fbat seilI likely lie followed up witb a linkage fo a community agency, wbicb seilI continue the rebabilitative work staned bebind prison sealîs. But remanded prisoners are more difficult f0 escorf off the premises because tbere's no way of knowing seben tbey'll be dis- cbarged, said Mr. Leitbead. Despite thaf, ail menfally disordered inmates seul eitber be dri- yen to their bome communities or picked up at fbe jail by an agency from abat community, be said. Tbe new sysfem docant bave aIl the ansseers but ifs af least asking tbe questions, said Mr. Sampson. 'tf's not going to be perfect, but ifs going f0 be a beck of a lot better tban sebat we bave ttOW, whicb is nofhing," be said. DIGITAL CÂBLE TVWITM UFE-UKE PIClURE. One lookat Digital Cable TVfrom COGECO and you'll be raving too. Thanks to breakthrough digital technology, colours are more luminous and crisp. Yourfavourite movies, sporting events and programs will corne ta hje with a new vitality and vividness that con only be described as a work of art. NOW yOU'LL SEE TV DUFFEREII11.y. 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