Drug and alcohol addiction and abuse. Recognition. Prevention. Treatment
20/20 Parenting. Recognizing and mitigating early vulnerabilities and risk factors.
Letters to Kerry
Stories of Victory, Struggle, Tragedy, & Workplace Concerns
September 10, 2005:
This letter is a real eye-opener regarding the conditions offenders live in. - K
I also believe through experience, that the young offenders act is a cause for a lot of the problems with youth today. It is a get out of jail card. This needs to be addressed.
Also through experience, our jails do not rehabilitate offenders, instead the inmates run the jails, and they have it easy, a TV in every cell with cable up to channel 60, pay TV movies, lots of card and board games, computers, too much free time, lots of drugs (especially meth). Our jails are more of a vacation from society for most, so when released they go out and re-offend because they know how good they will have it back in jail. By the way this is only provincial jails, less than 2 yrs over 2 yrs time and they have it even better.
Some serious changes are needed in our society if we are to change the direction in which youth are headed. Drugs are too easily accessed in our country and crime is on the rise yet again.
I know these things because I had to spend some time there. You may also be interested in knowing that the jails have more inmates under 30 than I have ever seen (not that I am in jail a lot, actually I have only been once and it was for 4 months) and most are in for crimes they committed trying to get money for drugs. Our jails are a joke. There is no rehab that’s why so many re-offend.
Drugs are very easily accessed almost everyone brings them in (cavity searches should be a requirement) and are bought using canteen (get drugs, pay for them with food - coffee, chocolate bars etc.). There is no treatment in jail. The courses that are offered are not mandatory for most so many just sit in their cells, watch TV, get high, eat and sleep and when the time comes they are released and the cycle continues. It’s a joke!!!
Also many inmates are allowed to keep up to, and sometimes more than, $1000 in their account and this can be used to buy play-stations, games and other high-end things you would think would not be allowed in jail.
Jason
