Before you go ahead with this decision, you should have a look at it. The study in San Francisco, called the green project, which is operated by the San Francisco county jail, indicated that 29% of the inmates released were rearrested within the first six months, while those who took part in the prison farm programs had a recidivism rate of only 6%. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, on the same project, said it is “one of the most innovative and successful community-based crime prevention programs in the country”.
Sir, if these herds are going to be sold right away, we can't bring them back. Based on the evidence in the United States, this is a system that works. We're going to destroy the system and not get it back. What for? Is it for economics?
In your opening remarks, you said “a four-year cycle to ensure the programs are effective and efficient”. Ottawa and the bureaucracy around here look at the economics, but have you considered the people in that prison system?
You said you didn't do a study. Are you going to do one before this decision is ultimately concluded and it's a fait accompli?