Editor's
Notes
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A message
from the Honourable Dave Hancock
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A message
from the Honourable Heather Forsyth
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Protection
of Children Involved in Prostitution Act update
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Message
from the Deputy Ministers of Justice and Attorney General, and Solicitor
General
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Premier's
Award of Excellence Winners
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Justice
Minister visits study group
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Youth
Justice Committee Conference
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Young
offenders help other kids with art
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Crime
Prevention Week 2001
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New judges
appointed to Edmonton Provincial Court
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New prosecution
unit speeds up trial process
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Techno-news
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Caught
on video - Alberta prosecutor providing training on presenting video evidence
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Graham
Report recommends a unified family court for Alberta
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Previous Issues
Summer
2002
Spring 2002
Winter 2002
Seeing inmates
in a new light
by David
Maclean
 Marlin Snider, Correctional Officer and founder of the Calgary Correctional Centre's eyeglass shop, carries bags of eyeglasses to be shipped to less fortunate countries. Since 1997, inmates have cleaned, repaired, tested and shipped 669,000 pairs of eyeglasses. |
In countries like Guatemala, women support their families by crafts, weaving and sewing. When their eyesight dims so they can't thread a needle properly or clearly see patterns, their family can go hungry. A simple pair of reading glasses, so often discarded in Canada, can restore that person's ability to sustain her family.
Correctional staff and offenders at Calgary Correctional Centre teamed up with Operation Eyesight Universal and the Lions Club International to help solve the problem. They began in 1997 by having offenders sort, clean, repair, test and ship recycled eyeglasses.
Since that time, the Calgary Correctional Centre eyeglass shop has shipped 669,000 pairs of eyeglasses to people in 35 countries. Staff and inmates at the Centre are proud of their accomplishment.
They run the shop like a business, and are quick to point out that they exceeded their first quarter shipment goal by 15,000 pairs.
"We all get a real sense of accomplishment," says Dave English, Deputy Director of Programs at Calgary Corrections Centre. "The ability to give the gift of sight is amazing."
While the real beneficiaries of the program are the people who get the glasses they need, offenders at the Centre also benefit. Repairing, testing and cleaning glasses are marketable skills, and they receive a certificate recognizing their volunteer hours from Operation Eyesight Universal. Immersing offenders in a busy, shop-like atmosphere may help them reintegrate into the workforce when they finish their sentences.
Steve, an offender at the Centre, says he takes extra care when repairing and testing small glasses for children.
"With
all the glasses you do a good job," says Steve. "But when you
are working with kids' glasses you really slow down and take your time.
I have two kids of my own, so I don't want any kid walking around with
a distorted view of the world."
