Ontario to examine involuntary addiction treatment for people in jail, on parole, probation [Video]

Ontario is set to study how it can introduce involuntary addictions treatment for people involved in the correctional system, as it prepares to table a justice bill the government is positioning as being tough on crime.

The government intends to mandate treatment for people with addictions in jail, on probation and on parole, and officials will now look into how this can be done, how much it would cost, what sort of help they would need from the federal government to enact those measures, and consider lessons learned from other jurisdictions.

The idea of involuntary treatment has been a controversial one, with advocates arguing that it rarely works and treatment is significantly more successful when someone is ready to quit.

Health Minister Sylvia Jones said she wants to hear from experts and people with lived experience during consultations.

“Look, there’s no doubt that there has been an increase in the …