Pubdate: Tue, 19 Aug 2008 Source: Edmonton Sun (CN AB) Copyright: 2008 Canoe Limited Partnership. Contact: http://www.edmontonsun.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/135 Author: Mindelle Jacobs IT'S TREATMENT TIME Career Criminals Must Deal With Addictions, Mental Health Issues Canada's police commissions are urging politicians to keep chronic offenders in pre-trial custody so they get the help they need and the public is protected. Repeat criminals typically have addictions or mental health problems and releasing them on bail simply gives them the opportunity to continue victimizing people, says Brian Gibson, chairman of the Edmonton Police Commission. "We have to be able to hold these people and start giving them some help because they won't do it themselves," says Gibson. The solution, according to the Canadian Association of Police Boards, which represents the country's police commissions, is to lock up frequent offenders pre-trial and force them into treatment. At its annual conference over the weekend, the association passed a resolution from the Edmonton commission calling for legislative reforms to keep repeat offenders in "secure treatment or other custody" until the courts have ruled on their cases. "Failure to respond to the underlying addiction problems from the point of arrest and bail can only result in a failed justice response to that offender's problem of habitual offending," noted a background paper to the resolution. My sympathies go out to the frustrated police officers and prosecutors who see the same core group of lawbreakers over and over again. As for many of the victims, they've probably lost much of their faith in the justice system being able to control the career criminals who ruin so many lives. I'd love to see more of these revolving-door repeat criminals locked up pre-trial to give law-abiding citizens a break. But I've long given up on the idealistic notion that chronic offenders can be rehabilitated behind bars. Yes, jail prompts some people to turn the page, leave their criminal pasts behind and become productive members of society. To those few, congratulations. But I suspect most repeat lawbreakers simply burn out by the time they're middle-aged. Prison rehabilitation, I fear, is pretty much a myth. Instead of trying to patch up damaged human beings when they're already well into self-destruction mode, we should be tackling problems at the outset. That means pinpointing kids with mental health problems early and getting immediate help. Mental health problems in children are more prevalent than childhood obesity or Type 1 diabetes, notes Tracy Vaillancourt, the Canada Research Chair in children's mental health. "We historically have done a terrible job when it comes to children's mental health," says Vaillancourt, a University of Ottawa academic. People in the field are doing a remarkable job, but there's not enough funding, she says. Except for big school boards, school districts can't afford psychologists, and teachers are left to deal with children with significant behavioural issues, she says. "Canada has a history of valuing treatment over prevention, so what do you expect?" TOUGH TASK Inevitably, some kids start hanging out with the wrong crowd and get into trouble, she adds. And she agrees with me that it's tough to rehabilitate chronic offenders. "Once they're on that trajectory, it's almost impossible to derail them," she says. "The best thing for them to do is either turn 50 or get married." Canada needs to better fund early childhood education and parenting centres, as well as devoting more resources to identifying kids with problems, says Vaillancourt. Instead, we think we can fix them once they get to jail. - --- MAP posted-by: dan