EDMONTON, AB: Wildrose Shadow Justice Minister Scott Cyr today released the following statement calling on Alberta Health Services and Alberta Justice to reverse the decision to cancel the Phoenix program, the gold standard for sex offender treatment:
“I echo the calls from criminal lawyers’ groups, police officers and other stakeholders who maintain that the cancellation of the Phoenix program for sex offenders would be a mistake and make our communities more dangerous.
“The intense programming offered by Phoenix will in no way be replaced by a lesser program at the Calgary Correctional Centre.
“According to a recent study the current Phoenix program works incredibly well with the most dangerous of sex offenders, with recidivism rates of less than four per cent.
“We need to keep the current system in place to ensure sex offenders aren’t released back into the community without proper supports and a higher likelihood of re-offending. This is about keeping our communities safe.”