Hudak looking to revive chain gangs

Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak says he plans to put prisoners to work if he’s elected this fall.

He says while there have been voluntary inmate work programs in place for a while, it’s time to make them mandatory with prisoners doing up to 40 hours a week of manual labour. “The goals I see are scrubbing down graffiti that’s a growing problem in our province, picking up garbage that litters our streets, cutting grass, raking leaves. Those types of manual labour, an honest day’s work that I think prisoners should be doing to give back to society.” Hudak adds that he’s not asking prisoners to do anything more, than what hard-working Ontario families do every day.

Update: correctional services minister Jim Bradley has fired back, saying “Hudak’s reckless proposal would endanger communities by putting thousands of convicted criminals in our parks and neighbourhoods with our kids and families. The McGuinty government believes convicted criminals belong behind bars.”

Adam Atkinson has more on this story: