Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to comment on this government's approach to correctional services, and the whole process of offender rehabilitation.
I am generally satisfied with the transfer of responsibility for corrections to the Department of Justice. We should hold no illusions that this move will automatically result in improved effectiveness, and efficiency, within our correctional system. There must be a new approach to go along with the new administrative framework. Like many northerners, I have been concerned for a long time about the number of adults incarcerated in our territorial correctional facilities, and about the way in which those same individuals find themselves returning to jail over and over again.
I am concerned about the quality of supervision provided for probationers and parolees in the smaller communities, and about the lack of preventative and post-release programming. I am particularly concerned, Mr. Speaker, about the almost total absence of counselling and therapy programs available to meet the needs of violent and troubled offenders.
Our correctional system, Mr. Speaker, simply is not working. We need to take a fresh look at the cultural relevance of many of our correctional programs, and redesign them to include a role for community resource people, and particularly the elders.
We need to develop effective, hopefully sound, treatment programs for adult offenders, and to follow-up with effective post-release programming in the communities. We need to establish well planned diversive programs in community settings, so that the offender incarceration becomes seen as a costly and unavoidable last resort. With the transfer of corrections division to the Department of Justice, now is the time for our correctional administration to consider these new and more effective options. Thank you.