Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Federal prisoners will be charged more for room and board

I assume everyone realizes First Nations, Metis and Inuit will be affected most.

Regardless it's hard to see how keeping poor prisoners from making phone calls helps rehabilitation. This is especially so where the true expenses of prison are unaffected by the trifling cost recovery suggested.

http://www.thestar.com/mobile/NEWS/article/1175514
 
OTTAWA—Public Safety Minister Vic Toews is taking his get-tough on crime campaign a step further by making prison inmates pay more for room and board behind bars.

The minister said Wednesday that Corrections Canada will also eliminate incentive pay for convicts who work in prison shops and turn the running of all prison canteens over to inmates.

Other changes will streamline the way prisoners purchase products from the outside and make them pay to cover all the costs of their phone calls.

4 comments:

tono-bungay said...

Part of the tough-on-criminologists campaign.

Anonymous said...

The average Canadian is going to love this.

Anonymous said...

The CPC says they're cutting the fat.

In a few situations (Service Canada employees let go while there's a large backlog for example), the CPC almost certainly doesn't believe their own rhetoric, but doesn't care that they're cutting the muscle.

In many other situations, like this one, they may think they're cutting the fat, but they're actually cutting the grease. They keep going like this and the engines of society and the economy will seize up.

Anonymous said...

Wouln't it be nice if Harper actually spent some energy and money on assisting victims? I have assisted many victims and they would like to have resolution, counseling and maybe even restitution (depending on the offence). How many child victims of sexual assault turn into violent teens and young adults? Does Harper think some magical fairy shows up and gives these children support and counseling?

Why is he spending all this money on the offenders when he could be spending it on the victims?