This is by no means busting rocks or punching out licence plates. The federal government is closing down prison farms across the country – centres worked by inmates as part of their penance and a source of food for the institutions.
Some say they’re outdated, but others are arguing against the closures – and frankly, in the realm of crime and rehabilitation, these places offer good physical and psychological benefits.
But when money does some of the talking, it’s that much more worth listening.
Proponents of the system cite a $1 million price tag on milk at three Ontario penal institutions. People with the Save Our Prison Farms campaign say the cost of replacing milk produced at one of the farms, and which serves six prisons, undercuts the Conservative move to get rid of the farms.
The dairy herd at Frontenac Institution is slated for auction next month. Sales of agricultural commodities on other prison farms are forthcoming.
Similar prison farms are also located in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and New Brunswick.
Government officials, in making their tallies, have noted the revenue from the farms, but also say that overall there is a loss.
No surprise there, we all know incarcerating people carries a huge cost. Name another prison program that gets some of that money back.
The Conservative administration adds that there’s no practical value in that very few ex-inmates go on to a career in agriculture.
But it’s a lot more than balance sheets and career preparation. Proponents of the farms – and they include opposition members as well as the National Farmers Union – talk of the sense of responsibility and work ethic engendered by the farm work.
Perhaps the government takes the typical view that providing someone some computer skills will get them a job. But they’re really missing the boat in dismissing a program that demonstrates how a bit of work materializes into tangible goods before your very eyes.
