Two Alberta criminal lawyers' groups say the government's decision to close a successful sex offender rehabilitation program is detrimental to public safety. The Criminal Trial Lawyers Association and the Criminal Defence Lawyers Association say they've heard the Phoenix program, a secure 18-bed treatment program for sex offenders operated out of Alberta Hospital Edmonton, will close by March.. The lawyers' associations say results of the program have been "phenomenal," and that details about the government's plans for the program's replacement are limited. "We call upon the government to reverse this ill-advised decision, and recognize that the Phoenix program provides superior treatment to offenders, which in turn, better protects us all." Snaterse denied the lawyers' claims that the new program would offer each offender only six hours of treatment per week.

Source: CBC News November 23, 2016 00:35 UTC