Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from almost 500 people from my riding who ask the government to take note of expensive crime and punishment policies, which are being abandoned south of the border in the United States; to take note of the government's reliance on double-bunking, which creates a high-stress environment and makes work dangerous for staff and correctional officers; to take note of inadequate rehabilitation programs and the spending of dollars on increased numbers of prisoners without tracking outcomes, such as recidivism, and without spending on the root causes of crime.
The petitioners are calling on the government to adopt rational criminal justice policies and best practices, to not rely on double-bunking at correctional institutions to reduce costs and to increase public safety.