Pubdate: Fri, 30 Oct 1998 Source: Vancouver Sun (Canada) Copyright: The Vancouver Sun 1998 Contact: http://www.vancouversun.com/ Author: Janet Steffenhagen Vancouver Sun HALFWAY HOUSES CLOSING Provincial halfway houses and support programs for some drug-addicted criminals in the Lower Mainland have been terminated so scarce government dollars can be used to control high-risk, violent offenders, the government confirmed Thursday. The cancelled programs, while valuable, were underused and serving only a small number of low-risk offenders who commit mainly thefts and break-and-enters, said Chris Beresford, a spokesman for the attorney-general's ministry. The programs involve three halfway houses in Surrey, operated by the Phoenix drug and alcohol recovery education society, providing 28 beds in total. Also affected is the Salvation Army's Opportunities for Change program in Langley and New Westminster, which offers counselling and day programs for a maximum of 50 people. One of the halfway houses has already closed. The other programs are slated to end in November and December. "Let's be clear, these are good programs. This isn't being done because it's something we want to do," said Beresford. "But if we have to make program choices, we have to make them based on public safety, and that says put the dollars first into the higher risk offenders. And unfortunately, in this case, the funding is not there to continue with these programs." Liberal MLA Geoff Plant, who brought the matter to public attention Thursday after obtaining a leaked Oct. 14 government e-mail outlining the changes, said the decision will put homeowners and neighbourhoods at risk. "This means we are going to see dozens of convicts dumped onto the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver and into New Westminster, Surrey and other towns where they will start their cycle of crime all over again." A criminologist and the companies that had government contracts to provide the services said the decision is short-sighted and will do nothing to break the cycle between substance abuse and crime. "This type of offender, without any form of support services, tends to go back to abusing substances. Once he does that, . . . he goes back to a life of crime," said Greg Jackson of the Salvation Army. Criminologist Neil Boyd of Simon Fraser University, noting that substance abuse is a serious problem in Greater Vancouver, said the move is not an effective long-term strategy for crime prevention. "Many of these people, who initially commit so-called less serious crimes may ultimately graduate to more serious crimes." He recalled that serial killer Clifford Olson was once considered only a petty criminal. "I don't think that individuals involved in criminal activity pick up one type of crime and stick to it for their lifetime," Boyd said. Last year, the NDP government was sufficiently excited about the programs to announce an expansion of the program. But Beresford said only 60 to 75 per cent of the beds were occupied at any one time and the Salvation Army day program was less than half full. "There was thought to be a need and these programs would come in and fill that. But that hasn't happened." Corrections branch spokesman Bill Young said the programs are not the intensive detox and rehabilitation ones often talked about in the Downtown Eastside. He said the residences aren't like the halfway houses operated by the John Howard Society, which serve as a transition from federal prisons to the community. Many offenders in the provincial programs are already in the community on electronic monitoring before entering the programs. Michael Wilson of the Phoenix Society is appealing to government to reconsider its decision, saying the programs help down-and-out offenders in many important ways -- offering basics such as shelter, clothing and identification and graduating to counselling, addiction education and employment skills. "The programs addressed the kinds of needs that have been linked to re-offending behaviour." Wilson disputed Beresford's figures, saying most beds have been full in recent months. And he said the program is far cheaper than warehousing repeat offenders in jails. But Beresford said the government will have an additional $400,000 in the remainder of this fiscal year to spend on the province's worst offenders -- people such as long-term offender John Sebela, who has been isolated and placed under 24-hour supervision. "It's not that John Sebela is driving this decision," he added. "But it's people such as him -- the very visible, high-risk offender that needs intensive supervision. That's really where the dollars have to go." Asked why the government didn't announce the change, Beresford said he didn't think it was significant enough to warrant a news release because it affects only the contractors and about 50 offenders. - --- Checked-by: Patrick Henry