Correctional Systems Reminiscences

Tuesday’s speaker this week, was Terry Demers, the current Rotary Assistant Governor. She kept everyone spell bound with reminiscences from her time spent working with the correctional systems on an advisory committee performing investigations and making recommendations for parole and also for overall changes to the system.

She spoke about the many different types of clients that she came to know and described some of their experiences. One such fellow, who had committed over twenty five bank robberies, and had also served time for them many times, described to her how he avoided more serious injury during the commission of his robberies by concentrating on banks instead of privately owned businesses as the personnel he had to deal with were less likely to come after him with a meat cleaver (as one of his first victims had done) and that if he avoided using a weapon, his sentence would be short, so he would be back out on the street much sooner. The only downside was that he did not make as much money each time as banks only keep a small amount of cash that is accessible to a thief. 

She also gave us some statistics about the correctional system detainees, saying that about 48% of the men, and 89% of the women, are of aboriginal origin. She also said the about 95 % of non-aboriginal parolees, do not recommit and manage to stay out of the system from parole onwards. She also said that the average job expectancy for a corrections officer was four years with most leaving the occupation for other types of work, as it is a very stressful occupation.

Overall she was a very engaging speaker and everyone who was present could have stayed much longer, asking questions and listening to the many anecdotes.