TORIES PROPOSE PAYING PRISONERS TO REFORM

Reward-for-rehab plan would offer inmates incentives: Van
Loan

Sex offenders, drug addicts and alcoholics serving time in prisons
could be rewarded with money if they take part in treatment programs,
says Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan.

He raised the prospect of incentive pay Tuesday as he announced that
the government is taking legislative steps to ensure prisoners take
responsibility for completing their rehabilitation plans.

"One of the aspects of our legislation is to allow for greater
incentives, to encourage inmates to carry out their correctional plan,
and that may take the form of enhanced prison pay," Van Loan told a
news conference.

"We will create the opportunity for wardens to work with incentives to
encourage good behaviour and not just disciplinary measures to punish
bad behaviour."

Van Loan did not elaborate on how much extra money prisoners could
earn for undergoing treatment, which would be in addition to the $6.90
they earn daily for working at prison jobs.

The participation pay is one of several ideas under consideration, Van
Loan said, as part of an overall new thrust toward holding prisoners
responsible for completing their corrections plans, which would be
taken into account when deciding parole.

The proposed legislation also will enshrine in law an existing policy
of letting victims participate in parole hearings, and will authorize
police to make arrests on the spot for those who violate their parole
conditions.

Don Head, the commissioner of federal prisons, told a Commons
committee last week that incentives are needed to encourage the 20 per
cent of offenders who "absolutely refuse outright" to participate in
treatment.

"These individuals have become a significant challenge for us," Head
said.

Steve Sullivan, the federal victims' ombudsman, said he is "not
necessarily opposed" to prisoners being paid to take treatment, as
long as the end result is that society is safer upon their release.