The provincial government says it’s satisfied with legislation it passed two years ago that allows jail officials to listen to the calls of some inmates.
According to Judy Orthner of Corrections and Public Safety, the calls are recorded through an electronic system.
Prison officials do not have access to all phone calls conducted by inmates but if they believe criminal activity may be taking place over the phone, they can proceed, she says.
“If we feel we have suspicions an inmate is conducting criminal activity, what we will do is get a warrant so the company that is storing the recordings for us will pull those recordings that are specific to that inmate.”
Although Orthner says Corrections and Public Safety does not keep records of how much criminal activity is taking place over prison phones, the department believes the system is working.