Prairie Prison Inmates to make Remembrance Day Poppies

[CougarKing]

From the CBC, via Yahoo Newsfeed

Prairie prison inmates to make Remembrance Day poppies
Some federal prison inmates in the Prairie provinces will soon be making poppy pins for Remembrance Day next year, but the plan doesn't sit well with the union representing prison guards.

CBC News has learned that Correctional Service Canada, through its CORCAN job-training program, is teaming up with a private printing company to produce and assemble poppies for the Royal Canadian Legion in time for Remembrance Day in 2014.

Small, supervised groups of inmates in nine prisons and healing centres in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba will help assemble the poppies, a task that involves putting the red "flower" and black centre together with a bent steel pin.

The poppy components will be delivered to the participating facilities as early as December.

"I've got no problem with it," said Andy Fialski, a retired master corporal living in Winnipeg. "It's putting them to work doing something good for a change."

Sally Orchard, whose father served in the navy during the Second World War, said she hopes the inmates assembling the poppies will "maybe think about the guys that gave their lives for our country."


"Maybe it'll change their attitude," she added.
(...)

 

[GreenMarine]

But James Bloomfield, the Prairies region president with the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, said he's concerned about inmates gaining access to the metal pins used to hold the poppies together.

"If it's going into the mediums and maximums [prisons], there has to be security measures put in place," he said.

If the extra measure is a medal detector then whats the problem, if one gets out to make a Shank...well maybe the target is someone that deserves it, either way the tax payers save, the Legion gets Cheap labour, Immates gets points towards reabilitation plus job credits and Rememberance Day lives on!

 

[The Bread Guy]

Just curious to hear from anyone in the know:  does CORCAN still make office furniture anymore?  What level of secure institution would have CORCAN manufacturing?  I'm guessing the tools they use would be pretty dangerous outside the workshop, so there must be security measures in place.

If the extra measure is a medal detector then whats the problem, if one gets out to make a Shank...well maybe the target is someone that deserves it, either way the tax payers save, the Legion gets Cheap labour, Immates gets points towards reabilitation plus job credits and Rememberance Day lives on!

<sarcasm>
Using that logic, if we just let the inmates decide who needs justice, you won't need any guards, right?  Save a WHOLE heap of money that way.
</sarcasm>

 

[nn1988]

[...]well maybe the target is someone that deserves it, either way the tax payers save, the Legion gets Cheap labour[...]

The operation of making poppies is handled by a private contractor; surely have a profitable deal with CORCAN, an initiative of the Correctional Service Canada.

 

[Retired AF Guy]

Just curious to hear from anyone in the know:  does CORCAN still make office furniture anymore?  What level of secure institution would have CORCAN manufacturing?  I'm guessing the tools they use would be pretty dangerous outside the workshop, so there must be security measures in place.

Answer to first question; Yes, Bath Institution here in Ontario has a large carpentry shop making furniture. I'm sure that other institutions also have furniture shops. Joyceville on the other hand has a large metal shop. K.P. before it closed had a metal shop and years prior to that also had a furniture shop. Bath and Joyceville are medium prisons, while K.P. was a maximum.  In Bath its a quick pat down for inmates working with CORCAN, while inmates in Joyceville and K.P. went through a metal detector.

Collings Bay also has a CORCAN shop, which, if I've heard right, and I could be wrong, re-furbishes vehicles for the military.  Not sure what the security measures are.

 

[PuckChaser]

Collings Bay also has a CORCAN shop, which, if I've heard right, and I could be wrong, re-furbishes vehicles for the military.  Not sure what the security measures are.

I think they did the pod refurbs for the LSVW, but I could be wrong.

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

If the extra measure is a medal detector then whats the problem, if one gets out to make a Shank...well maybe the target is someone that deserves it, either way the tax payers save, the Legion gets Cheap labour, Immates gets points towards reabilitation plus job credits and Rememberance Day lives on!

You realize not everyone in Prison is a murderer, rapist, serial killer, etc... your basically placing your support behind indiscriminate killings making a statement like this which IMO is completely wrong.  Maybe you would change your tune if someone close to you or your family ended up locked behind bars for a few years. 

 

[PMedMoe]

Westmorland Institution in Dorchester, NB also does the CORCAN thing.  Inmates are not too happy after losing their $9/day incentive though.  Makes one curious as to where that money is now going. 

 

[jollyjacktar]

I think they should be put to use doing meaningful work of some sort.  At one time the jail at Lethbridge, AB had it's own farm and was self sufficient.  They canned the produce for winter if I remember correctly.  They need to have some constructive direction in their lives. 

 

[marshall sl]

You realize not everyone in Prison is a murderer, rapist, serial killer, etc... your basically placing your support behind indiscriminate killings making a statement like this which IMO is completely wrong.  Maybe you would change your tune if someone close to you or your family ended up locked behind bars for a few years.

  I've worked as a CO for 31 yrs and ...yes they all are murderers, rapists and thieves and thugs

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

  I've worked as a CO for 31 yrs and ...yes they all are murderers, rapists and thieves and thugs

Makes me almost wish we had a "like" button. >

 

[chrisf]

I think they did the pod refurbs for the LSVW, but I could be wrong.

You would not be, it's on the data plate inside, should be next to the door, same side as the hinge.