Warren — Musings —07.18.2011 09:35 PM
…there’ll be more, too:
On the other side of the coin, what about the costs of the program and the risks? Hudak says it will cost $20 million a year. Critics suspect that’s low, possibly seriously low, when considering the cost of transporting and supervising nearly 3,000 provincial inmates, assuming all take part in the chain-gang program. What about risk and liability? Of that inmate population, estimates are that about 1,000 inmates are in jail for violent offences, ranging from sex crimes to accessory to murder. So, about one third of the people taking part in chain gangs would be violent offenders. In American jurisdictions, there have been at least 10 escapes from prison work crews — just in the past two months. That public safety risk is causing some states to revisit the use of chain gangs. Knowing these things, are you ready to have chain gangs working in your neighbourhood?
