The Church Council on Justice and Corrections, a 39-year-old coalition for justice reform that represents 11 of the largest Christian denominations, has written a strongly worded letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper condemning legislation that is expected to increase the number of convicts dramatically and require billions of dollars worth of prison construction. Now the group is trying to convince its congregations that laws to end conditional sentencing, impose mandatory minimum prison terms for non-violent offences, and prevent early parole will actually make streets more dangerous while draining tax dollars.
The council has created a graphic titled Prison Facts: The Co$ts to demonstrate the savings it says could be achieved by keeping non-violent offenders out of jail. The graphic is being distributed through church e-mail networks with an accompanying message that urges people to express their opinions about the issue.
