Binky
05-12-2005, 09:18 PM
By ANTONELLA ARTUSO, Queen's Park Bureau
TORONTO -- The Liberal government expects to save money through diversion programs that send fewer people to jail.
The province's spending on justice will shrink for the foreseeable future --to $2.8 billion by 2008-09 from $3.1 billion in 2005-06, according to yesterday's budget.
However, the Liberals promised in their election platform that they would put 1,000 new cops on the streets.
Finance Minister Greg Sorbara said yesterday his government remains committed to the promise.
"The proposal is to cost-share that with municipalities, and (Community Safety Minister Monte) Kwinter is in discussions with municipalities on an ongoing basis to see how we're going to implement that," he said.
APOLOGIZE TO VICTIM
An official said the officers will be hired by the final year of the Grits' mandate, 2007-08.
In the meantime, the government will be looking for "efficiencies" to make up the shortfall caused by inflationary pressures and new salary costs.
One measure is an intermittent work program option for people who serve jail sentences from Friday night to Sunday.
Under the proposal, weekend jailbirds would be diverted out of the slammer and into work programs.
Another option for decreasing the jail population is youth diversion programs where non-violent offenders would be required to make amends in other ways such as apologizing to the victim.
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/OttawaSun/News/2005/05/12/1035939-sun.html
TORONTO -- The Liberal government expects to save money through diversion programs that send fewer people to jail.
The province's spending on justice will shrink for the foreseeable future --to $2.8 billion by 2008-09 from $3.1 billion in 2005-06, according to yesterday's budget.
However, the Liberals promised in their election platform that they would put 1,000 new cops on the streets.
Finance Minister Greg Sorbara said yesterday his government remains committed to the promise.
"The proposal is to cost-share that with municipalities, and (Community Safety Minister Monte) Kwinter is in discussions with municipalities on an ongoing basis to see how we're going to implement that," he said.
APOLOGIZE TO VICTIM
An official said the officers will be hired by the final year of the Grits' mandate, 2007-08.
In the meantime, the government will be looking for "efficiencies" to make up the shortfall caused by inflationary pressures and new salary costs.
One measure is an intermittent work program option for people who serve jail sentences from Friday night to Sunday.
Under the proposal, weekend jailbirds would be diverted out of the slammer and into work programs.
Another option for decreasing the jail population is youth diversion programs where non-violent offenders would be required to make amends in other ways such as apologizing to the victim.
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/OttawaSun/News/2005/05/12/1035939-sun.html