Wage Increase for Prisoners

Corrections Canada can't do its job so it wants taxpayers to fork up more dough:

In his annual report to Correctional Services of Canada, Howard Sapers [a correctional investigator] claims Canada's inmates are underpaid, saying compensation for their work and participation in programs hasn't increased in nearly 20 years.
[...]
Federal inmates get three free meals a day as well as essential items, such as soap. But they have to pay out of their own pockets for additional treats, like cigarettes, booze and chocolate.

These extra costs create a black market economy, Sapers said, with prisoners borrowing from their fellow inmates and assuming all the risks that come along with those arrangements.

The creation of a parallel prison economy often results in intimidation, harassment, and both physical and psychological abuse among prisoners.

We pay prisoners? Keep in mind it costs $74,000 per year to house a minimum security male inmate or $110,000 for maximum security. Makes me wonder if it makes sense to demand $73,000 from the government or else I'll commit a crime. Anyway, the bureaucratic mindset is clear: it's ok if we mess up because you pay the consequences.

Jon N

Posted by Jon N at November 27, 2006 01:00 PM