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| Inmates' phone calls to be screened under new plan |
| By Edmonton Journal |
| Published: 12/08/2003 |
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The provincial government is proceeding with a controversial plan to screen inmate calls from remand centres after an Edmonton woman received harassing calls from her jailed attacker, the River Valley Rapist. The province issued tenders this week for a new inmate phone system, which is aimed at protecting victims and the general public from unwanted, harassing telephone calls and reducing the potential for telephone fraud. Solicitor General Heather Forsyth said she hopes to have the system in place sometime next year despite protests from defence lawyers that it violates the rights of inmates. The call for bids closes Dec. 17. The issue came under a spotlight during the dangerous offender hearing for Terrence Mousseau, the man who became known as the River Valley Rapist following a series of sexual assaults between 1996 and 1999. Mousseau, 47, was convicted of criminal harassment for repeatedly phoning one of his victims from Edmonton's remand centre. He also wrote her name and telephone number on the back of a Bible so other inmates would call her. He was declared a dangerous offender last July. Peter Tadman, a spokesman for the solicitor general, said the province has had a computerized call screening system in place in provincial jails in Calgary, Fort Saskatchewan, Lethbridge and Peace River for about three years to eliminate "outrageous" phone behaviour. It plans to expand the system to remand centres in Edmonton, Calgary, Medicine Hat and Red Deer. Tadman said the new system will permit inmates to call lawyers, prisoner advocacy agencies and the provincial ombudsman, but calls to others will be intercepted. Recipients of inmate calls will be asked by an operator whether they wish to receive the call and if they choose to accept it, they will be charged a nominal fee, Tadman said. Defence lawyer Tom Engel said he remains concerned the system will limit an inmate's right to contact his lawyer and will create a financial hardship for some inmate families. |
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