It costs $60,000 to house a inmate in a provincial jail, pay that homeless person $50k and that save $10k and frees up space in the jail at the same time
Ontario voters HATE giving money to the disabled, addicted, or mentally ill. They would rather blame people for their afflictions and feel morally justified in punishing them. Conversely, they have no problem spending money on prisoners, AS LONG AS THEY SUFFER.
So maybe we should build nice jails with cells that are more like decent housing units, with guards that are more like nurses and social / support workers. 🤔🫣
No thanks, we're going to use involuntary treatment legislation to funnel "addicts" and other "housing resistant people" into private clinics that, hey!, look a lot like shitty prisons.
I worked at a greyhound just under 2 decades ago. Met a former inmate who was just released that day. Told me they gave him a bus ticket to the city of his choice. He was 21, I think he was there since 18.
It was very obvious that institutionalizing had damaged his executive function. Dude had no clue what to do, no direction. Clearly had forgotten how to have autonomy.
He said he had no friends/family and picked the town cuz he'd been there once as a child and had good memories.
Ontario
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