Today's Post has a piece on the Conservatives' justice system legislative approach. In fairness, criminal justice is not a wedge issue between the Liberals and the Conservatives.
Both Parties have supported the criminal justice reforms proposed over the last year. There is a difference in emphasis -- Liberals focus more on rehabilitation Conservatives more on deterrence -- but both Parties have the same goal of a safer Canada.
The specific reforms are welcome but a broader problem remains.
The criminal justice system is outdated, inefficient and relies on untested (and questionable) assumptions. Canada is better served by a global review of criminal law and punishment with an evidence based approach to limiting crime rather than dealing piecemeal with, say, fraud. Such a review can only succeed when, as now, there is a broad consensus on goals and objectives.
The political will exists; it's time to take crime seriously and make real change.
3 comments:
The Harper government is anti-prevention and pro-prison industrial complex, for a variety of reasons. They are also anti-rehabilitation when they cancel and reduce programmes to waiting list's. I believe they,the CPC, have poisoned this debate, as is their way, while the damage is being done. LK
The Conservative approach to crime is based on emotion rather than, say, what people who study the issue think might work best to reduce crime in Canada.
Harper's ex-chief of staff, Ian Brodie, admitted, that specifically with the Harper government’s approach to the Canadian criminal justice system, Conservative anti-intellectualism helps them with their base.
It’s the same as their approach to foreign policy.
Tub thumping. Rather than thinking of ways Canada could actually make a difference, even in a small way, in places like the Middle East, for example.
Like the program the Conservatives cancelled which trained Palestinian judges in Western Jurisprudence, and hopefully dulling the influence of legal and political Islam.
Statement from Canadian Police on the importance of the Gun Registry.
https://www.cacp.ca/media/news/download/824/GunRegistry.pdf
It appears Stephen Harper as a newly elected, idealistic reformer voted originally voted in favour of the gun registry.
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