Drumheller, Bowden prisons to expand

CBC News

 

Two federal prisons in southern Alberta will receive dozens of new beds as part of a $50-million expansion plan.

 

The Drumheller and Bowden Institutions will each receive an additional 96 medium-security beds while another 50 beds will be added to each prison's minimum-security areas.

 

Crowfoot MP Kevin Sorenson made the announcement Tuesday in Drumheller on behalf of Public Safety Minister Vic Toews.

 

"The expansion of Drumheller and Bowden Institutions is the next step in helping ensure that criminals serve sentences that better reflect the severity of their crimes," Sorenson said in a news release.

 

The new beds coincide with tougher sentencing laws designed to see criminals serve more of their sentences before being eligible for parole.

 

The prison expansion in southern Alberta is expected to be completed within three years as part of a plan by the Correctional Service of Canada to add 2,700 beds to men's and women's prisons across the country over the coming years.