“Province introduces legislation to allow officals to listen to 'suspicious' inmate call”

Province introduces legislation to allow officals to listen to 'suspicious' inmate call

Posted: 16 Nov 2010 06:56 PM PST

REGINA — In an attempt to intercept possible criminal activity, the provincial government introduced legislation Tuesday so that officials can listen to phone calls being recorded by the new inmate telephone system.

The new phone system was put in place at the four secure adult correctional facilities in June, but the function allowing calls to be replayed hasn't yet been activated.

The government said the legislation, when passed, will allow a facility director and other authorized corrections personnel to listen to "suspicious" calls.

Currently, a warrant is required to monitor phone conversations, said Yogi Huyghebaert, minister of corrections, public safety and policing.

"Justice has advised that if we pass this legislation that we have the legal authority to be able to monitor the telephone calls," Huyghebaert said.

The system also allows for telephone numbers to be blocked, with should curb calls that inmates have sometimes placed as a means of harassment, the minister said.

"We know of instances where people from within the institutions have actually been phoning people, private citizens, and harassing. We also know that inmates have been phoning witnesses," he said.

Not every call can be monitored, Huyghebaert said, noting that inmates will be able to talk to their legal advisor without being monitored.

"(The system) is to monitor phone calls from people that are very high suspects of conducting illegal activity or harassing people on the outside. That's what it's for. If somebody is a low suspect individual, there's no reason to be monitoring," he said.

"The director of the institution and the intelligence people within the institution would have a far better grasp on who and what kind of an activity that they think they'll be conducting via the phone call."

To help pay for the operation of the new system, the cost of outgoing telephone calls is increasing from $1.35 to $1.85 per call plus long distance charges.

Offenders who are in custody while awaiting the outcome of their charges will receive three free local calls per day.

Calls to most government agencies and not-for-profit legal counsel anywhere in the province are free.

The Ministry of Corrections said similar systems are in place in correctional facilities in several Canadian provinces, including Alberta and British Columbia.

In the wake of a high-profile breakout from the Regina Correctional Centre in 2008, a report recommended better monitoring of inmates, including their phone calls.

ahall@leaderpost.com

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