A program designed to prevent the most dangerous sex offenders from repeating their crimes is going to be cut just as a five-year study has shown that it dramatically improves public safety and saves money.
The current Canadian government has already faced heavy criticism for reducing funding for many prisoner rehabilitation programs, some of it coming from the official prisoner ombudsman.
Programs were found to save money
This latest cut affects the 18 Circles of Support and Accountability programs across the country. The programs currently have about 700 trained volunteers who help reintegrate offenders from prison back into the community. Most sites are preparing to close after government funding ends on March 31.
The programs were found to save $4.60 for every dollar they spent in the study by the National Crime Prevention Centre which is funded by the government’s own Public Safety Canada.
‘It’s crazy’
“It’s crazy, actually. It’s like the left hand isn’t talking to the right hand,” said Susan Love who runs the program in Ottawa. “It’s like this five-year study that was just done was irrelevant. Why invest the time and the money?”
Canada used to be recognized as a leader in the rehabilitation of prisoners. The current government has a tough-on-crime agenda that focuses more on punishment. While this may be popular with conservative supporters, it has been criticized by a leading organization of the country’s lawyers.
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