After years of decrying dangerous prison working conditions, the union representing guards says it was caught off-guard by a government fact-finding tour of B.C. correctional centres.
Dean Purdy, BCGEU component chairman, said the union wasn't alerted in advance of the tour but he welcomes the initiative nonetheless.
"This kind of caught us off-guard and we're curious to see what the plans are," Purdy said this week.
"It's something we want to follow up with them on and see what their thoughts are on the process."
Laurie Throness, parliamentary secretary for corrections, began his tour late last week. Attorney General Suzanne Anton said safety is Throness' primary objective
"Safety is the driving force in the B.C. correctional system - from the training that correctional officers receive, to the security features in new and expanded custody centres, to how we assess and manage offenders both in custody and in our communities," Anton said.
She said the government is willing to listen.
"The review ahead is about going further, listening to the perspectives of all involved and exploring ways that we can advance safety within the current corrections budget."
Purdy said a WorkSafeBC examination of Prince George Regional Correctional Centre was already scheduled for fall as part of an ongoing review of the province's six maximum-security jails and three medium-security centres. That review came as no surprise; it followed 18 months of discussion between the union, government and the agency.
Overcrowding has been a key concern in the system, leading to an increase in assaults on inmates and guards. Prior to 2002, officer-to-inmate ratios were capped at one to 20. In Prince George, the ratio hovers around one to 40, according to Purdy.
The situation had deteriorated to an extent where two years ago, Purdy suggested a corrections officer would be killed on the job unless action was taken.
He hopes the union can be included in the tour and said he believes that Anton, a former Crown prosecutor, may have some insight into the issues.
One proposal the BCGEU is raising is rotational lock downs of the living units around a prison. Purdy said the practice is being used at some jails now, "and it's been quite successful."
Currently, inmates are out from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. except for staff lunch breaks and coffee breaks.
The Okanagan Correctional Centre in Oliver, slated for completion in 2016, plus expansion of the Surrey Pre-Trial Services Centre, should help to alleviate crowding, he said. Purdy was counting on WorkSafeBC to come up with some recommendations to hasten change.
"We're kind of in limbo right now. We do think, because they're going ahead with this, they have some answers."
Throness, a former public administrator who has researched prison system history, invited "constructive dialogue with concerned stakeholders."
He is to send a report to Anton by June 2014.
- with files from Mark Nielsen, Prince George Citizen
