The federal government has been accused of building “super-prisons” by stealth as part of its $1.7 billion corrections boom. The Correctional Service of Canada plans to install new maximum-security cellblocks inside medium security prisons in Manitoba and Ontario over the next few years. Some observers say the plan adds up to an end-run around a Conservative vow not to build any new mega-jails. The federal prison population is expected to boom in coming years thanks to strict new justice polices planned or already enacted by the Conservative regime. The so-called “tough on crime” legislation will mean billions in new spending on prisons and jails. Most experts believe the policies will have little impact on crime.

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