To the editor,
Re: New jail seems overly luxurious, March 17.
To anyone who thinks being in jail is luxurious or enjoyable, I’d like to present a counter-example.
My late father spent a brief time at the Brannen Lake facility in the 1980s. In the 2000s he found himself unemployed and frustrated that he hadn’t yet been approved for EI and decided he’d rather go to jail than go on social assistance or end up homeless. He purposely caused a scene that got him tossed in jail and immediately regretted his decision. I quickly received a call begging me to bail him out.
Jail should be about rehabilitation, not punishment. Brannen Lake isn’t holding inmates with life sentences. The facility should be capable of helping provide a setting that will allow people to reintegrate back into society.
There’s a good reason why those who are homeless aren’t all clamouring to get into prison for a roof over their head and three meals every day. No matter how nice the walls, the lack of freedom over your own life isn’t worth it.
Kyle Misner, Nanaimo
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