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Home · Diocese · PCC Letter |Praised be Jesus Christ|Laudetur Iesus Christus| PCC LetterOct. 19th/2007Dear Editor, This letter is addressed to our faith communities and to all persons of good will. We feel confident that the concerns raised in this letter will resonate with your desire to create a society where human dignity is respected and public safety is ensured. We are conscious that advocacy on behalf of the voiceless can quickly become a platform for those wishing to gain a political advantage. In light of this pitfall it is vitally important to state that we have approached this issue in humility and that we have resisted every attempt to lay blame. While we recognize that all the correctional centers in our province are suffering from the same kind of challenges, we are most conscious of the conditions at the Saskatoon Correctional Centre (SCC). The examples used below are drawn from the situation at the SCC. As well, it is important to note that we especially appreciate the hard work of correctional workers, the administration in our correctional centres, personnel in the justice department and the volunteers with whom we work. In raising the following concerns, we want to draw public attention to support all of their efforts to see our correctional centres better serve the public good. Chief among the concerns that we share with our public servants are the living conditions in the correctional centres. In the past months as many as thirty eight men have been housed in a gymnasium and are sleeping on mats on the floor at the SCC. Indeed, these accommodations are so inadequate that it has sometimes been necessary for these men to urinate in a container because they cannot access the washroom. We can only imagine the distress this causes for aging inmates who must use the washroom often. Further we are concerned about incarcerated people with serious mental illnesses. It is deeply disturbing to know that a man who is tormented by voices is locked up for twenty three hours a day in an eight by ten foot cell. Our dismay turns to indignation when we learn that he has been held in this cell for the past six months because the SCC has no other way to assure his safety. The dire conditions that we speak of have been escalating for several years as is evident from the Ombudsman’s report “Locked Out”. In 2002 this very compressive study of our correctional centres, recommended that steps be taken “to eliminate the need for double bunking and dormitories”. This brings us to a second concern, effective programming for the inmates. It is profoundly disturbing that space at SCC that had been used for programming has been transformed into dormitories and that this has occasioned the cessation of the little programming that had been offered in these areas. To be sure, the past decade has witnessed a steady decline in programming which inmates can access to the point where the SCC offers virtually no rehabilitative options to the men incarcerated there. Again the Ombudsman’s report, “Locked Out”, highlighted the strategic plan articulated in 1998 by Saskatchewan Corrections which was to revitalize programming for those in trouble with the law. While the need for improvements for programming and accommodations has been documented the situation continues to worsen. These realities require urgent attention and action That the conditions we describe are a violation of human dignity is obvious but they also pose serious concerns for public safety. Individuals motivated by sexual deviance, addictions, mental illness and rage need opportunities for treatment. In our view, incarcerating men in the conditions we describe and providing them with little or no rehabilitative programs simply intensify their problems with potentially devastating consequences for our communities. Clearly, there are many issues which have led to the dismal situation that has developed. While one might point to the consequences of increased gangs and drugs in our cities, it seems clear that the courts inability to manage the number of men remanded in our correctional centres is of greater significant. We are aware that it is common that over half of the population of the SCC is made up of men awaiting trial. Many of these men never serve a day of sentenced time either because they were not guilty or because they have already served their time as a remanded inmate. Surely, we need to more efficiently determine if these men are guilty and then implement a strategy which will curb their destructive behavior. Reforms in this area may be more urgently needed than a new dorm which can house all the men awaiting court. We ask the public, especially the faithful of our communities, and all those who are directly charged with addressing these issues to prayerfully consider how human dignity and public safety can be better served. We believe that this situation can be improved with public support and a vision toward the good of all those we serve. Sincerely, Bishop Albert LeGatt Bishop Cindy Halmarson Right Reverend Rodney Andrews 08.11.2007. 21:16 This article hasn't been commented yet. |
Prayer for All the Deceased
By Thy resurrection from the dead, O Christ, death no longer hath dominion over those who die in holiness. So, we beseech Thee, give rest to Thy servants in Thy sanctuary and in Abraham's bosom. Grant it to those, who from Adam until now have adored Thee with purity, to our fathers and brothers, to our kinsmen and friends, to all men who have lived by faith and passed on their road to Thee, by a thousand ways, and in all conditions, and make them worthy of the heavenly kingdom.
Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen. |Letter of St. James|
By Thy resurrection from the dead, O Christ, death no longer hath dominion over those who die in holiness. So, we beseech Thee, give rest to Thy servants in Thy sanctuary and in Abraham's bosom. Grant it to those, who from Adam until now have adored Thee with purity, to our fathers and brothers, to our kinsmen and friends, to all men who have lived by faith and passed on their road to Thee, by a thousand ways, and in all conditions, and make them worthy of the heavenly kingdom.
Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen. |Letter of St. James|
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