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March 31, 2024 - 6:00 AM
A new program to reign in repeat violent offenders is less than a year old but already needs to expand in Kamloops and Kelowna.
The program was announced in April 2023 and identified 384 people across BC for the program.
In Kelowna, 40 have been identified and another eight are being considered, according to an email to iNFOnews.ca from the Ministry of Public Safety and the Solicitor General.
In Kamloops, 20 people have been identified and another five are being considered, the email said.
“We know the number of repeat offenders is exponentially higher than the number of spots allocated,” Kelowna RCMP Supt. Kara Triance told Kelowna city council last month. “As of February, 68% of the offenders are in custody.”
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Kelowna and Kamloops have two of the 12 “hubs” set up in the province under the program and account for almost 16% of the repeat violent offenders.
“Once an individual is identified for the Repeat Violent Offending Intervention Initiative program, they receive enhanced case management, monitoring, and surveillance, with police and probation working together to provide prosecutors detailed information that support decision making about charge assessments and sentencing and, where appropriate, connect individuals with the services, they need to help break the cycle of reoffending,” the ministry said.
No one from the RCMP nor the ministry was available to explain things like how the program works on the ground, how and when offenders are considered to be repeat violent offenders or how they are monitored when they are released from prison.
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