Ontario will add 150 beds across three jails using modular construction. The province's ombudsman has raised concerns about overcrowding, with facilities operating at over 150% capacity. Solicitor General Michale Kernzer emphasizes a message of tough-on-crime, while experts argue for the need for more staff and community solutions. The Niagara Detention Centre, Vanier Centre for Women, and Cecil Facer Youth Centre will see expansions. Critics advocate for hundreds more beds to support humane treatment in jails, highlighting a crisis in Ontario's correctional system.
"If you commit a violent crime in Ontario, you will be caught, you will be prosecuted, and you will be locked up," Solicitor General Michale Kernzer stated. This reflects the government's tough stance on crime and indicates ongoing support for punitive measures rather than comprehensive reform for correctional facilities.
"Realistically there need to be hundreds and hundreds more beds if we are going to truly try and treat people with a modicum of dignity and humanity," said defence lawyer Alison Craig.
The ombudsman's June report found a "state of crisis" in the province's jails, noting issues like frequent lockdowns and overcrowding, with some jails operating at over 150% capacity.
#ontario-correctional-facilities #overcrowding #prison-expansion #tough-on-crime #community-solutions
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