X-ray eyes
Body scanners in Nova Scotia jails to reduce potential of contraband entering the facilities
The province is turning X-ray eyes on jail inmates.
“We want to basically reduce the potential for contraband to enter our correctional facilities,” said Sean Kelly, director of correctional services in Nova Scotia.
The Justice Department has requested that interested parties submit proposals for providing body scanners for the province’s five correctional facilities.
“We believe it will dramatically limit the introduction of contraband, and increase our capacity to control the possession and trafficking of contraband in our facilities,” Kelly said.
“It’s a problem in every jurisdiction in Canada. Some (Ontario and Alberta) have already moved to the purchase of body-scanning devices and others are in the process of moving in that direction. It’s considered the best practice standard currently.”
The province is requesting submissions of intent by Sept. 1 from companies that can provide the whole body transmission X-ray systems for adult jails in Yarmouth, Dartmouth, New Glasgow and Sydney, and the youth facility in Waterville.
“It’s basically very similar to the X-ray equipment you would see in a hospital, keeping in mind that it has also proven to be very safe and effective for the operators of the devices as well as for the individuals who are being scanned,” Kelly said.
“It looks very similar (to airport scanners), although the ones you see at an airport are surface scanning devices versus X-ray scanning that actually sees through an object or a person. It can detect contraband that’s actually hidden in body cavities, whereas the one at the airport would only detect it if it was on the surface of the person. For instance, if someone had a revolver strapped to the hollow of their back.”
Kelly said the total cost of the five identical scanners required should fall in the million-dollar range.
He said the technology is actually less intrusive than the traditional strip-search procedure.
“That is not to suggest that we plan to eliminate those (strip searches) at the present time but it is considered to be less intrusive and perhaps more appropriate when you think of looking at the effects of trauma when you look at offenders, many of whom have been the subject of physical and sexual abuse in the past, especially women and youth.”
John Peach, executive director of the John Howard Society of Nova Scotia, said he is ambivalent about the introduction of the scanners.
“I can understand today, with the difficulty they have with contraband, that they may feel it is necessary,” Peach said. “If it flies in violation of the Constitution I guess somebody is going to have to take that up as to whether it would be viewed as unreasonable search and seizure.”