a all

 

 

 

The new jails will be modeled after the
Vancouver Pre-trial Services Centre.
Built at a cost of 427 million and
opened in 1983, the 150-bed max-
imum security jail for remanded in-
mates awaiting trial is an ultra-modern
and highly sophisticated complex.
Modular “living units” without bars
house up to |I7 inmates in separate
cells that ensure the prisoner's right to
privacy. This contrasts sharply with
long rows of iron cages ot Oakalla
which expose prisoners fo the full view
of one another.

With its soft colors, modern fabrics,
and acoustics which almost eliminate
noise, the VPSC demonstrates how
the environment can be used to man-
age behaviour and make life inside
more bearable.

When VPSC was being planned, “we
took into consideration an_ interior
design that would assist us in manag-
ing behaviour,” says Terry Egan,
operations director. Planners also en-
deavored to make the cells “suicide-
proof”

 

Gone, too, is the old-style system of
locks and keys. Instead, doors are
opened electronically from a central
computer manned by two officers in
“control.” With its huge panel of
buttons, keyboards, intercoms, and |4
consols monitoring 27 cameras loca-
ted throughout the building, the VPSC
control centre resembles the control
booth of a television station. It man-
ages all traffic, handles emergency
procedures, communicates — with
personnel who carry hand-held
communicators, and monitors the
building systems - telephones, fire
alarms, heating and air-conditioning.
If the computer breaks down, which
happens from time to time, a manual
system goes into effect (doors may be
opened by keys).

 

VPSC operates at a cost of $80 per bed
per day, and is the wave of the future.
“This place doesn't look like a jail,”
says Bernie McVea, principal officer.
“It's quite peaceful and does not have
the level of violence you'd find in the
old system.”

The inside view of the two B.C. prison
systems was a study in contrast - a
comparative look at the old style of jails
and the new. Those who took the
course saw what the law-abiding
citizen is normally forbidden to see.

Some were left wondering if society
can really afford to keep such hellish
places as Oakalla any longer. While
the cost of replacing the old jail may be
high, the price of maintaining it could
be a lot higher in terms of the adverse
effects it has on prisoners who even-
tually make their way back onto the
streets.

SIERRAS yl Sse a A Na BR yA SE PPI Ty PTET TPR RE AP

CONGRATULATIONS!

@

 

 

Douglas College
and Foundation member Chris
Johnson got dressed up to
be congratulated by Foundation
Board Chairman Bill Emerton
for the donation of his
parking pass to the
Foundation. Johnson and
Emerton, with many
community college members,
are geering up for the
Foundation's Spring Fund-rais-
ing activities.

faculty

along