Few are sympathetic to complaints from beyond the razor wire. They want assurances that criminals are locked away, not living in luxury. Victims of crime want more inmate information and real input to ensure offenders pay. Corrections is trying to strike a balance between the competing concerns by responding to almost all of Arbour's recommendations, says Nancy Stableforth, who oversees female offenders. Although the law allows male staff to strip-search women in emergencies, corrections policy since 1996 prohibits it, she says.
Women are typically strip-searched when they enter segregation or return from unsupervised absences.
Staff are usually looking for weapons and drugs. For example, Arbour stressed that involuntary segregation of 30 days or more should be justified before a court. She also said that inmates who can show they were unlawfully treated by corrections staff should be allowed to argue for a shorter sentence. Asked why Justice hasn't taken the lead, a department spokeswoman said responsibility lies with the Solicitor General, who oversees corrections. Fifteen women are housed in the aging facility.