It’s disgusting that the provincial government runs the Don Jail in downtown Toronto so badly that two people have been murdered there in the last few months. The reason given is severe overcrowding – most cells for two are occupied by three inmates – but that’s pretty disgusting too.

Very few of the 550 people in the Don Jail have been convicted of anything. In fact, two thirds of those in provincial jails in Ontario have never been convicted of anything, but are awaiting trial.

Some are refused bail because it is thought they would commit another serious crime before they came to trial on the first charge. They should be held in jail.

But most of those in jail and awaiting trial have two other problems. Many are homeless, without a permanent place to live, and the judge feared that if the person didn’t show up for trial the police wouldn’t know where to find them. Many also have a mental illness of one kind or another. The crimes they have committed are minor – stealing something small, disorderly conduct, minor assault – and if they had a permanent place to live they would be out on bail awaiting trial.

The cost of someone being in jail for a night is $162.00. An apartment costs about $900.00 a month, or $30.00 a night. To save money, the government should make a deal with landlords to help these individuals rent apartments and give them whatever support they need, particularly social programs.

A few years ago I took this kind of program idea to the McGuinty government on behalf of the Toronto branch of the John Howard Society. Staff in the premier’s office yawned and told me no one in the Cabinet was interested in this issue.

Have a few murders caught the government’s attention? Does it want to save money and resolve the overcrowding problem? Surely those we throw in prison because of homelessness or mental illness while they await trial deserve better.