I was astounded this morning when I read an article about our prison system. Seems that all the hulla-baloo surrounding the new and expanded jail facilities and tough-on-crime justice system might have been a bit of overblown BS. Just when the feds are building new warehouses for hard-core criminals, the crime rate has dropped... yet again.
Seems to me that was what the critics were telling the government a couple of years ago. The crime rate is dropping in Canada so new prisons are a waste of money. The government told the critics that statistics were misleading and that Canada had entered a new crime-ridden period akin the the Wild West. Seems that the government might have been wrong?
So let's hear from the Vic Toews. According to Postmedia, "Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said he never believed predictions that the prison population would grow significantly when the government passed legislation that increased mandatory minimum sentences and repealed the two-for-one time-served provisions."
So why, then Vic, did you build more prison space?
However, Corrections Canada Commissioner Don Head, had this to say: "If you look back over the last 24 months, the federal inmate population has grown by about 1,500. That is the equivalent of about three large, medium-security institutions."
Let's make sure we understand this statistic. In January 2010 there were about 13,300 federal cons. 24 months later there were 14,800. That is a 10% increase. Is that insignificant, Vic?
Correctional Investigator of Canada, Howard Sapers, said "It is difficult to determine why the inmate population has not grown as much as expected, but suggested the provincial inmate populations may be growing, or
there could simply be fewer crimes occurring. In any case, he said, the growth is less than most experts had feared."
Fewer crimes might be occurring? Isn't that what Vic poo-pooed not so long ago?
Sapers comment also gives more credence to the Provinces who claim that the tough-on-crime policy of the feds would come at their expense.
So what is the bottom line? Once again, Canadian taxes are being used to fund the far-out orthodoxy of the Conservative government. And the silent masses just go on being silent!
Next up is the Old Age Security, wherein the government will probably raise the age for OAS from 65 to 67. And this at a time when jobs are scarce and age discrimination in the workplace is rampant. I wonder if that will wake up Canadians?
So let's hear from the Vic Toews. According to Postmedia, "Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said he never believed predictions that the prison population would grow significantly when the government passed legislation that increased mandatory minimum sentences and repealed the two-for-one time-served provisions."
The government of Canada, or more specifically the conservative government of Canada needs more prisons because they are going towards the United States system of "justice". Mandatory minimum sentences.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if these minimum sentences will be in place if and when conservative politicians are arrested for breaking Canadas election laws and other fraudulent practices during the last federal election? The irony would be delicious.
Personally, I think the entire conservative election phone fraud scam was directed by the Conservatives masters, the US Republican party. They have been doing these types of activities in the US for decades now.
The Canadian conservative party has been taken pages from the US Republican parties book for a long time now. Just you wait, once they start tossing poor people in jail they will start denying them the vote with laws similar to US ones, where you can't vote if your a felon. Then it will be impossible to dislodge them from office.
The conservative song used to be, if you elect us, we will cut the deficit and debt, a little pain now for a great saving later. Then we can fund all the social programs! Hooray!
But all the cuts went to corporate and personal tax cuts. And instead of the debt and deficit going down, they went up. Now we have more cuts coming.
Some might say this was the entire plan all along. Cut, cut cut, then when the debt and deficit grows, cut again. Cut those nasty social programs that conservatives hate so much.
But I would point out that those programs prevent Canada from being just another version of he US, with some haves, but mostly lots of have-nots.
Cut the debt? Just another conservative lie. Like increasing crime.