Impaired Driving – Vehicle gone!!!

Impaired driving charges are as common in today’s newspaper as the weather report.  What we as a society have failed at, is drastically reducing or eliminating it.  We treat violators, be they 1st or 2nd time offenders with court dates, fines, license suspension and even jail time, but rarely eliminating the problem. Often you read cases of those with license suspensions continuing to drive.

While it might not be politically correct to say, what we need in Canada is appropriate punishment.  Now I know many will say that as a society we do not punish people, rather we try to help them.  To that I will say we already punish.  If you speed you get a ticket, no seat belt – ticket, fail to stop – ticket, and I can go on.  Who could argue that having to fork over money for something you do not want does not hurt.

While I do believe in the spirit of giving second chances, for some crimes, I feel that we already do it with impaired drivers.  Anyone caught driving with over the legal limit has a court date, fine, license suspended for a time period, and usually within 2 years back to normal.  But how do we deal with it from this point on?

What we require is a model that, after your first conviction for impaired or driving under suspension from impaired, or being in an accident while impaired (regardless of 1st time or not), the vehicle you are driving is seized, sold at auction with all money going to the local schools and hospitals.  Now the punishment fits the crime.  Vehicle not paid fully – your problem, borrowed a friends vehicle – your problem.  How many people would think twice about impaired driving if the consequences of a greater punishment really affected them. I can think of nothing more appropriate as, where the punishment fits the crime.

 

A Bi-Polar Social Mentality

A Bi-Polar Social Mentality.

How we have come a long way.  When I was a kid, almost everywhere you went you could find cigarette vending machines, or shops who would sell you cigarettes by the pack or individually, so your parents would not know you were smoking.

Today smoking is so taboo, that places that sell tobacco products have to hide it behind the counter, and also under cover of some form, so it is not visible. Out of sight out of mind.  While this logic is somewhat understandable you would think the same thing would apply to other products of this nature.

Consider that walking through many malls or stores, the same group that we are trying to protect from tobacco, are today overwhelmed with sights of bongs, roach clips and other drug paraphernalia.

While it is understandable that a society wants to protect its youth from possible harm, the same should apply to drug paraphernalia.

Sex Offender back on street again.

http://www.thespec.com/news-story/4258216-clairmont-pedophile-will-test-the-waters-as-soon-as-he-can-/

Is this the type of justice Canadians expect?  How shameful is it that he is back out on the street again?  I would love to read the Parole Board of Canada’s decision on this case.

Of interest is that tags such as low, moderate or high are applied to sex offenders. The only purpose served by this is related to release probability.  The lower they are rated the better chances for parole. Makes me feel sorry for the victims and the others who live around the halfway house or Community Correctional Centre where he will be staying.

Lets not forget there is no cure for sex offenders, so they need to remain in prison till warrant expire, then once released electronic monitoring for 10 years.  How could a decision of this type ever occur.

Sex Offenders

The following news link speaks to the current police operation on sex crimes against children.  Of interest is the occupation of some of these people involved in sex crimes.  As I have blog about previously, what make sex offenders especially dangerous is that some of them are educated and from positions of authority.   There is no socio-economic reason for the crimes.  These are just evil people who are more concerned with their own gratification at all cost.  Great work  by the many police departments involved.

Once these people are convicted by a court, they belong in a prison till warrant expire, then a dangerous offender tag applied to them for life.  After all they had no worries about ruining the lives of kids, only wanting to please their own desires.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/11/14/at-least-386-victims-rescued-after-project-spade-a-massive-child-porn-bust-that-started-in-toronto/

 

Statutory Release problems and sex offenders.

When an inmate is released on Statutory Release (SR), there are always conditions that are set for them to meet.  Inmates, who are a continual danger such as sex offenders, have the added condition of residency imposed upon them, possibly with Long Term Supervision Orders (LTSO), which are imposed by the courts for a period the courts determines.  Occasionally they will even go to halfway houses, which are not run by Corrections Canada 

But what happens when the inmates does not follow their SR conditions or LTSO conditions.  At that point there is either a suspension warrant issued, or the police already picked up the inmate because they committed a crime.

Once the Parole Board is informed of the inmate’s suspension and incarceration, the Parole Board of Canada reviews the file in what is termed as a Paper Decision.  This involves only looking at information on file and not meeting with the inmate.  The choice the Parole board will then make is to either revoke them or they will cancel the suspension and the inmate is then back out on SR.

As for the inmates who have their SR revoked, they go back to prison till their next SR date, and then they get to do it all over again.  The inmate on LTSO, follows the same procedure with the added exception that they have conditions set for a period of time after their warrant expire.

While common sense would suggest that if you are released from prison with conditions and you violate it, back to prison you go till your time is up.  But that is not the case.  The repeated chances they are given makes you wonder what accountability is there for them to really conform to societies ways?  Remember this rule even applies to sex offenders who are out there.  Disgusted, we should all be?  If released on SR and any inmate’s messes up, they should automatically be returned to prison to finish the rest of their sentence, and by that I mean not to a halfway house, CCC or camp, rather returned to a prison.  Time to make inmates accountable and protect societies and our vulnerable ones.

VIOLENT SEX OFFENDER and Corrections Canada.

http://www.thewhig.com/2013/11/04/alcohol-earns-man-trip-back-to-prison

The above news article taken from today’s Kingston Whig Standard, is a prime example of an individual who should never be in a Community Correctional Centre (CCC), but somehow ended up there.  The article describes this individual as “living off and on at the Portsmouth Community Correctional Centre for 5 years.

How does one spend 5 years living on and off at a CCC, well its like this?   The individual might be released on Statutory Release (SR) or SR with residency to a CCC or was out on the street on Long term Supervision Order (LTSO) and violated the conditions of their release. From there they are returned to prison till the Parole Board reviews their case. They are either ordered revoked or released back on SR. The problem with this is two-fold.  In the first place you have an individual that is to much of a risk to be freely released into society that they require extra conditions, and secondly they are being placed in a facility that has absolutely no Correctional Officers to oversee them or static security to maintain them, rather all that is there is a contracted security group, which by the way  has to be the cheapest bidder.  Felling safe now?

Statutory Release should be a one shot deal. If you mess up, back you go till your time is done, not the revolving door that it currently is.

I would encourage everyone to read the attached article, and you decide if this individual deserves the right to be in a CCC or is better suited for a real prison with walls and Correctional Officers.  Also remember the individual is described as in 1997 as sexually assaulting an intoxicated and unconscious women and then in 1999 he attacked a 50 year old homeless women, beating her and raping her.

Sex Offenders beyond the watchful eyes of Correctional Officers.

How safe is our communities, when Community Correctional Centers (CCC), have absolutely no Corrections Canada (CSC) employees, specifically Correctional Officers, working in these facilities after 4 pm daily?  Now remember, CSC stated that 25% of the population in CCC facilities are sex offenders.

Now lets look ahead to the end of 2014, when CSC will be closing its Hamilton CCC, an internal message not yet released to the Canadian public says.  The impact that this will have on other facilities is that they will have to pick up the bed numbers, thus meaning more sex offenders in local CCC without proper security.

Is this something we should be worried about?  You bet.  The reality is that Correctional Officers are held to a higher standard then any contracted security company will be.  Correctional Officers are specifically trained, have more authority over inmates, are federal peace officers, and are specifically trained to deal with federal offenders. Their duties are based on public security, not dollars. Private security companies are in business to make money, this is their bottom line.  No private security company is equal to Federal Correctional Officers in their powers, training, or mandate.

Putting it all together spells danger for the Canadian public.  More sex offenders in local communities, and no security to watch over them, a dangerous mix.  It is time to rethink the release of sex offenders into CCC, since they are still at risk to reoffend as they are not cured, and keep them behind the walls of a prison, not in a motel like setting.

Sex Offender numbers in Community Correctional Centres

Today I received part of my original access to information request from Corrections Canada (CSC), asking for the number of sex offenders in Community Correctional Centres (CCC) on stat release, with residency conditions.  The answer from Corrections Canada, based on a snap shot taken on October 6, 2013 is  25 %.  That represents one in four inmates in CCC are sex offenders.

Lets look at why they are released to a CCC on residency condition.  The answer is simple, it is because they are too volatile to be released without conditions. Doesn’t sound like the neighbour anyone wants, now does it.  Also remember that none of these sex offenders are cured so they still require structor and supervision; so why hurriedly place society at risk by releasing them back into community contact before warrant expire.  Consider this, when you loose your license for impaired driving for one year, the system does not give it back to you after 2/3 of your sentence.  Are we in society not correct to assume that when a sex offender is removed off the street for a time period imposed by a court, that they will not be back on the street till that time is served?  Are victims and society not owed this, I think so. So what the rush?  Remember they have committed one of the most descicable crimes, so why give them any breaks to get out soon.

A CCC is not really a prison. While they fall under the authority of the Correctional Service of Canada, they are just a glorified hotel staffed on the evening shift and mornings by non-CSC uniform staff.  As you might not know inmates in these places are even allowed to keep cars or motorcycles on the premise if they own them or buy them.  Not sounding much like a prison is it.

Victims and society are owed better than this.  Sex offenders committed the crime and they need to pay what society asks of them.  Zero tolerance for despicable crimes. Lets keep sex offenders in no less then a medium security prison.  We owe it to the victims and vulnerable members of society.

Sex Offenders in England

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/conservative/8201521/Sex-offenders-including-paedophiles-should-be-allowed-to-adopt-Theresa-May-told.html

 

Check out this news article from England, about allowing sex offenders the right to adopt kids.  

Sex Offenders

The Correctional Service of Canada, as part of the criminal justice system and respecting the rule of law, contributes to public safety by actively encouraging and assisting offenders to become law-abiding citizens, while exercising reasonable, safe, secure and humane control. — Mission Statement

 

A mission statement is meant to be more than just words. It is the philosophy, beliefs, and practices of an organization.  So why when asked about sex offenders in Community Correctional Centers, not having access to community gyms where youth and other vulnerable members of society may be, do they (Correctional Service of Canada) not answer the question?  After all keeping sex offenders away from these people is “respecting the rule of law.”  All sex offenders are prohibited from being in contact with them, so this information should be readily available.

In previous blogs, I have shown that in a response to an access to information requests, that I made, they indicated that they did not have this information.  I was told that this would be very expensive for me if I wanted this answer. Am I expected to pay them to find out the information that they should already have at their fingertips?  After all respecting the rule of law would mean that they ensure that sex offenders are not coming into contact with youth and vulnerable members of society.  Further I have written to Corrections Canada on this issue on Oct 4, 2013, in an e-mail, and even followed up with another e-mail to see if they received the first one, and still no acknowledgement of receipt.   Is it not an important enough subject?  I am willing to bet that for parents and victims it is.

The struggle for this answer continues, as I  will engage the department through political means if necessary. Stay Tuned.