I did a post yesterday suggesting stronger police measures were appropriate in Vancouver to deal with street gangs. Two replies were very interesting and worthy of promoting to the main page:
WesternGrit said...
Oh yeah... those "mandatory minimums" are really helping. Most of these youth have no idea how the courts operate, much less what they can be sentenced. Tougher sentences aren't a deterrent - one only needs to look South of the border. They just end up costing us billions more in jail costs. If anything, tougher sentences make "smart" criminals want to stay out of prison more - meaning killing innocents, if they have to, in order to stay out of the clink. The petty criminals are another story. I have two close friends who are corrections workers and youth counselors at Saskatchewan prisons. They are pretty clear with me that most of the youth criminals actually COMMIT crimes to go to prison before the cold winter months. There, these young criminals learn to be better criminals from their gang buddies, uncles, and cousins. To fix the problems with youth crime, gangs, etc., we need to solve the problems that result in this behavior, and not rely on punishment for the "end product"...
February 18, 2009 2:12 PM
Koby said...
There is no evidence that the prospect of death or prison deters the gang members in anyway. Indeed, as many gang members live in the same location and are from similar ethnic backgrounds, getting "tough on crime" only serves to make things worse by helping foster gang culture in these communities. Legalize marijuana. Money from the illegal drug trade is life blood of gang cultural.
1 comment:
I am inclined to agre with your commenters.
The time to deal with gang crime is long before the meting of punishments.
The young, especially, and the less educated do not think in terms of action and legal consequence.
The conditions that lead them into gang behavour need to be addressed before the fact: poverty, alienation, poor education, lack of role models, etc.
It's not as easy or as obviously 'doing something' as 'getting tough on crime' but it has the advantage of being effective.
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