Pubdate: Tue, 13 May 2014
Source: Lethbridge Herald (CN AB)
Copyright: 2014 The Lethbridge Herald
Contact:  http://www.lethbridgeherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/239
Referenced: Ending the Drug Wars (Report of the LSE Expert Group on 
the Economics of Drug Policy): http://mapinc.org/url/t4FrTmuU

CANADA NEEDS BALANCE IN WAR ON CRIME

Getting tough on crime has been a focus of our federal
government.

Here in Canada, it has been viewed by many as a shift to more of an
American-style form of punishment. For years, tough-on-crime agendas
have been common south of the border, as critics in the United States
have often scoffed at the light sentences received north of the border.

The United States, however, is home to a significant chunk of the
world's prison population, as a result, with a high degree of focus on
the war on drugs. A recent report by the London School of Economics
pointed to the collateral damage that war has levied on American
society in general, which is part of the reason the United States
imprisons more of its citizens than any other country, by a very wide
margin.

In fact, according to the report, the United States houses 25 per cent
of the world's prison population, despite having only five per cent of
the world's overall population living inside its borders.

Those figures come as no surprise to most but what some may find
interesting, is our two countries appear to be heading in different
directions on the issue. A pair of newly released reports show Canada
is gearing up for more strict sentencing laws, while the opposite may
be true for the United States.

Last week, Canada's auditor general warned as jail terms become more
stiff, overcrowded prisons will be the norm. In the United States, the
prison population has actually decreased in recent years. With two
million in jail, that is not enough to break America s hold as the
worldwide incarceration leader, as the National Research Council south
of the border added drug laws transformed the U.S. from a country with
an average prison population to one with imprisonment rates six times
higher than Canada.

Naturally, that has impacted the government's bottom line, as
corrections spending now accounts for 3.3 per cent of state budgets.
It was a mere $6.7 billion in 1985, and now rings in at $53.2 billion.
The study also points out crime did decrease during those times,
though not significantly, and recommends the U.S. stop handing out
mandatory-minimum sentences. Most American states, 40 in fact, have
relaxed drug laws since 2009.

Canada, on the other had, is examining adding mandatory-minimum
sentences to its Criminal Code, which raises the question -are we
doomed to repeat the mistakes of our American neighbours?

Certainly, there is frustration north of the border regarding our
justice system. Inconsistent sentences and criminals who often get off
much too lightly were reasons behind seeking mandatory minimums, which
in some cases, and for some serious offences, had some strong backing.

We must learn from the mistakes of the American model, and create a
justice system consistent with the ideals we hold true. Simply
stuffing our prisons full does little to eliminate the root cause of
crime, and as studies south of the border point out, that strategy
also falls short on significantly reducing crime.

Canadians need to take a look in the mirror and ask ourselves what
road we want to travel down. Do we want a model of the American system
in our country? Will mandatory-minimum sentences keep us safer? Are
there more progressive ways to achieve the changes we are seeking?

There is little doubt getting tough on crime really is not the issue
here - we all want to see those who commit crimes sentenced
appropriately. Ensuring that is done in the smartest way possible,
however, with the biggest possible impact on crime rates and
maintaining other aspects of the system, such as sensible
rehabilitation programs, is where the balancing act takes place. 
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D