Bowden Institution guards were among the over 500 correctional officers who protested in front of Stephen Harper's constituency office in Calgary on Sept. 15.
The members of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers (UCCO) marched towards the south Calgary office and met with members of the riding to send the message that they feel the government's “Tough on Crime” policies aren't making prisons safer and are putting Canadian communities at risk.
Correctional officers went door to door in the neighbourhood after reaching the strip mall where Harper's office is located.
“Basically we're asking for help,” said UCCO prairie president Kevin Grabowsky, explaining why educating the public in the area was such a vital part of the activism. “Ultimately they're his boss.”
It can be hard to understand the effect of how the union says Harper's policies will affect the country, since the knowledge of the complexity of the prison system may not be very high among the general public.
“People don't know what correctional officers do,” he said. “They see the TV version.”
The rise in institutional violence in the last year is in the double digits, he said, adding with the closure of three prisons across the country the Bowden facility is starting to feel the crunch as well.
“We have 200 inmates over-bunked in that institution,” he said. “Some of the decisions they've made is putting officers' safety at risk.”
Inmates don't just have to share a bed when this happens, but overall resources such as rehabilitation programs and employment opportunities are not doubled up, he said.
“When you don't occupy inmates' time they start to entertain themselves,” he said. “There's more potential for gangs, more potential for conflict, and more time for making weapons.”
The government says it won't apologize for maintaining law and order, and notes the increase in overall prisoner population has been just a quarter of the ballooning predicted by the Correctional Service of Canada, which estimated it would rise to 17,725 by this past year.
“The fact of the matter is that the expected influx of prisoners has failed to materialize,” said spokesperson Julie Carmichael, with the Ministry of Public Safety. “Our government has been clear – we will keep dangerous criminals behind bars where they belong.”
A worker at The Beer House said several corrections officers in matching shirts even came in to the restaurant just down the stairs from the Harper office in Calgary's south end.
The UCCO received a letter sent by Public Safety Minister Toews on Sept. 17 following the protest, agreeing to a meeting.
