Protesters aiming to save prison farms say they're losing hope after about 15 people were arrested Monday morning during a demonstration at a federal lockup in Kingston, Ont.
"I don't think there's any chance to reverse (the shutdown of prison farms)," Dianne Dowling of Save Our Prison Farms told CTV Ottawa in a phone interview after the protest.
She said much of the livestock from previous closures has already been auctioned off, and the animals taken Monday -- about 8,000 chickens and 300 cows -- are scheduled to be sold at an auction in Waterloo, Ont., on Tuesday.
About 100 people gathered at Frontenac Institution to block seven trucks filled with cattle from leaving the property, one of six prison farms set to close down across the country. Fifteen demonstrators were taken into custody, including group organizer Andrew McCann, when they tried to block the first truck from leaving around 7 a.m.
They have been charged with mischief and were to be released on their own recognizance, said Kingston Police Const. Michael Menor.
By noon, the crowd had dwindled as many headed to the police station and courthouse in a show of support for those arrested on Monday and during a similar protest on Sunday, Dowling told CTV News Channel.
Eight protesters were arrested Sunday during a blockade that kept four trucks from reaching the farm to load up cattle. They were also charged with mischief and four were released. Others were to face bail hearings on Monday.
About 100 police officers were on site for Monday's protest, Dowling said.
Dowling, a dairy farmer, says she originally opposed the closure because it threatens farmland, already at risk from urban sprawl.
"It's completely surrounded by industrial, residential and commercial property at the moment, and I'm sure developers are drooling at the thought of getting some of it," she said.
But in researching the issue, she learned a lot about the prison farms' benefits for inmates, Dowling said.
"I've seen how valuable this program is in rehabilitating and training inmates, and when they're rehabilitated and trained, they don't re-offend," she said.
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said Monday fewer than one per cent of inmates who work on the farms continue with farming work when they are released from custody.
"My responsibility as public safety minister is to ensure that individuals who are in our facilities receive training that is appropriate, receive skills that are appropriate to the environment they will be returning too," Toews said.
"It's not a productive use of the convicts that are incarcerated for a period of time ... Our responsibility is to provide appropriate training and jobs skills so that they can be reintegrated in a wholesome fashion in society at large."
Supporters also pointed out that eggs produced at the institution were distributed to 18 prisons in Ontario and Quebec. Thousands of eggs were also given to the Kingston food bank every week.
In 2009, the federal government announced its plan to eliminate the farms by March 2011, and has stood firm on the decision despite calls for an independent impact study from the House public safety committee.
An appeal to the federal court argued Correctional Service of Canada did not consult inmates before cutting the program. It was defeated.
Government figures indicate the farms produced revenues of about $7.5 million against $11.6 million in expenses, resulting in a $4.1 million loss.
With files from The Canadian Press and CTV Ottawa's Joanne Schnurr
