Conservative changes to conditional sentence to cost taxpayers millions more

Kevin Page the parliamentary budget officer estimates that the proposed rule changes the Conservative government is making to conditional sentences will cost the Canadian taxpayer around 145 million extra per year.

Conditional sentences often called house arrest allows offenders to serve sentences in a community. A New Democratic Party member Joe Comartin requested Page to estimate the extra costs involved in changing conditional sentences.

Page is much disliked by the Conservative government because his findings often contradict those of the government. Often government departments refuse to cooperate with his investiagtions as well.

Page estimated that had the requirements of the Conservative bill (Bill C!0) been in place in 2008-9 the Federal government would have had to pay an additional 8 million and provincial government an extra 137 million.

Removing someone from house arrest and putting them in prison raises average costs from 2,600 to 41,000 dollars per annum. For more see this CBC article.