C.A.P.P. News
New! American Correctional Association: Exposed at last!
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3 Posted March 10
The Battle Has Been Won
World responds to jail change
Posted May 2006
Opponents of private prisons throughout the world are heralding the provincial Liberal government's decision to bring Central North Correctional Centre into the public fold.
"This is a very large victory, not only in Canada, but across the world," said Brian Dawe, executive director of Corrections USA, a non-profit coalition of corrections professionals from Canada and the U.S.
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Lessons to be learned
Posted May 2006
Now that the Harper Conservatives have tabled tough new laws to put more people in jail, the big questions to answer are, 'Where are they going to put them?'; 'How much will it cost?' and 'Is this the best approach to crime?'
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has not put a price tag on his crusade. However, it is obviously going to be steep, and experts are already questioning the wisdom of conducting such a crusade when crime rates are falling.
(While the murder rate rose somewhat in 2004 - from a 36-year low - crime as a whole declined by 1%, according to Statistics Canada.)
Despite this, the new Conservative budget calls for 1,000 extra RCMP officers to crack down on criminals and the Tory anti-crime legislation spells out a lengthy list of mandatory sentences to lock them away.
Inevitably, this will lead to a big demand for new prison cells. It will also open the door to intense pressure from ideological Conservatives to meet the demand by privatization.
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CNCC was cheaper but results pointed to provincially-run model as better says Kwinter
Posted May 2006
The privately operated Central North Correctional Centre was simply out-performed by its publicly run twin in Kawartha Lakes, a partial report comparing the adult prisons indicates.
A comparison review was conducted for the province by consulting firm Price Waterhouse Coopers throughout various times of the jails' operations, including an initial inmate transfer period, a transition period of six to eight months when the adult prisons were first opened and the remaining time of operation, known as a "Steady State".
"Overall, the data and analysis in this report indicate that (Management and Training Corporation Canada) is operating in material compliance with its contractual obligations under its Services Agreement with the Ministry," reads the comparison report's summary of findings. But, "A comparison of the performance of CNCC versus CECC (excluding costs) indicates that CECC is rated higher than CNCC."
In the partial 12-page executive summary, the consulting firm rated both prisons in performance categories that included security, classification, variety and volume, recidivism, health care, and community impact, among other issues. CNCC rated higher than the public jail in variety and volume, but the Kawartha Lakes facility performed better in every other category.
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Govt to take over MTC prison
Posted May 2006
QUEEN'S PARK, ON, April 27 /CNW/ - Ontario will transfer the operation of
the Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene to the public sector,
Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Monte Kwinter announced
today.
"After five years, there has been no appreciable benefit from the private
operation of the Central North Correctional Centre," said Kwinter. "We
carefully studied its overall performance compared with the publicly operated
Central East Correctional Centre in Kawartha Lakes, and concluded the CECC
performed better in key areas such as security, health care and reducing re-
offending rates. As a result, the government will allow the contract with the
private operator to expire."
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MTC jail had 'human' cost
Posted May 2006
Ontario Correctional Services Minister Monte Kwinter says an analysis of the Penetanguishene prison showed it was saving the province money under private operation, but Kwinter says there was a human cost.
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More on MTC's ousting
Posted May 2006
Central North Correctional Centre, which opened in 2001 and has been run by Management and Training Corporation since, will be operated by the provincial government, effective Nov. 10, 2006, when MTC's five-year contract expires.
The Ministry of Community Safety and Corrections made the announcement Thursday after completing a report comparing CNCC with its physical twin in Kawartha Lakes, which is publicly run.
A decision on the prison's future was needed six months prior to the current contract expiring.
"On just a cost basis the (private operation) was more economical," corrections minister Monte Kwinter told Osprey News Thursday afternoon, "but that reflected on the outcome.
"Management and Training Corporation was in material compliance with the (existing) contract, but there's no question that health care was delivered better at the Kawartha Lakes facility and that integration was better at the Kawartha Lakes facility," Kwinter said.
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MTC saved on personnel
Posted May 2006
To help the province make the decision, a comparison study between the two was done on a number of key areas like security, programming; inmate classification; the variety and volume of programming; programming quality; programming effectiveness; continuum of services; recidivism (rates of reoffending), health care and community impact.
"(The comparison summary) shows that in most areas CECC ..... was superior," noted Kwinter. "The other thing is that one of the key concerns ... is the contract really provided the facility with less personnel than we were using to ministry standards in the (Lindsay) facility and (they're) identical. To me, it didn't make any sense as to why they would do that and it's reflected in the outcome."
In the next six months, the ministry will be working with MTC, the employees and with the union to make that transition as seamless as possible, says Kwinter.
"We need personnel to run that facility and we're going to have an increase in personnel because we're going to staff it up to the level that we do in (Lindsay)," he said. "So, what is going to happen, obviously, there will be opportunities for more jobs."
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The End Is In Sight
MP no longer fighting for for-profit Posted April 2006
Once a staunch supporter of the privatization of the Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene, Simcoe North MPP Garfield Dunlop now says he is not fighting to keep the jail privately operated, but will accept whatever decision the Liberal government makes in May.
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Future of CNCC decided in May Posted April 2006
Officials with the Ministry of Community Safety and Corrections Services won't say what plans are in store for Canada's first privately operated adult prison, but it appears the future of Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene should be clear by the end of May.
Management and Training Corporation's five-year contract with the ministry to operate the prison expires in November. According to the ministry, the current deal requires that the province inform MTC of its intentions six months prior to the contract ending. That means a decision on whether to keep operating the facility privately or turn it over to the province should be delivered by the end of next month.
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Premier McGuinty and MPP Dave Levac, it's time to keep your promise!
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The Man Behind the Curtain Posted April 2006
'It's a good story," concedes Bay Street lawyer Ralph Lean as he considers an unexpected switchback in his long career as one of Canada's most adroit fundraisers.
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Former Jail Manager Raises Concerns Posted April 2006
A former manager at the Central North Correctional Centre says he has major concerns about the well-being of employees and inmates at the jail.
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Dion continues battle against private jail Posted April 2006
A local woman has taken her fight to Queen's Park to have Central North Correctional Centre publicly operated.
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Government reviewing MTC's superjail contract Posted April 2006
The province will have to decide whether or not Management Training Corporation (MTC) is meeting its service contract responsibilities, and if it wants the Utah-based company to continue to run the Central North Correctional Centre (CNCC), by May.
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Don't renew jail contract, petition reads Posted April 2006
A petition will soon be delivered to Queen's Park asking that Premier Dalton McGuinty publicly promise to not renew the Management and Training Corporation (MTC) contract at the Central North Correctional Centre (CNCC) in Penetanguishene.
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Oklahoma: Move on Sheriff taking back CCA jail. Posted Aug 27
Tulsa County sheriff's officials made history overnight as the privately operated David L. Moss Criminal Justice Center returned to public hands.
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Pennsylvania: Letter to the editor. Posted Aug 27
Companies run private prisons for a profit. They abandon the responsibility of public safety as well as that of the people who work there, and even those confined in them.
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Ireland: Opposition to for-profits. Posted Aug 27
Claims of private prison success a "political sleight of
hand", says IPRT - Prison Inspector's concern at poor prison
conditions should not be used as a basis to support failed
privatisation policies, says Penal Reform Trust
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New Zealand: For-profit via the workers? Never! Posted Aug 27
The Public Service Association (PSA) is welcoming the return of the Auckland Central Remand Prison to the public prisons service.
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Arizona: Told you so! Posted Aug 27
Private prison mandate was wrong decision -
Arizona legislators have made their philosophical point. And it is costing you $11,000 a day.
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Florida: End private prison contracts!!! Posted Aug 27
For more than a decade, the Florida Legislature has fronted for the private prison industry with a credulous faith that it was saving money. For seven years, Gov. Jeb Bush had played along despite his well-founded belief that corrections is too serious a responsibility to be farmed out.
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New Mexico: County saving $$$ after firing Cornell. Posted Aug 27
County Manager Mike Trujillo told the Valencia County Commission, during a special meeting Friday that it will begin the 2005-06 budget with a million dollars more than his staff had expected while designing the preliminary budget.
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UK: Return Global prison to public.. Posted Aug 27
The Prison Officers Association called for the return of Rye Hill jail to public control yesterday, after the Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers found that staff at the private prison are being bullied by inmates. "We have been receiving information from our members about the lack of control, as well as lack of management supervision," a POA spokesman said.
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Canada: Beaten MTC guard says more staff needed. Posted Aug 27
It's difficult for Dwight to remember exactly what happened on Dec. 17, 2003, after he was beaten by an inmate at the Central North Correctional Centre.
"I just turned slightly with my body to say (to the inmate), 'There's the door,' and when I did, I don't remember anything else for probably three or four minutes," said the correctional officer, hesitating slightly to gather his thoughts - a side effect from the severe beating he received.
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Canada: MTC guards ratify contract. Posted Aug 27
The new contract means parity with their public counterparts and includes: a 12.75-per-cent wage increase over four years; an increase in time off; improvements to the grievance procedures, including an expedited grievance process; and an additional statutory holiday.
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