Youth crime

A society without criminality is an utopia and there is no need to think much to realize that. There are no magic pills to “clean up the soul” or to eradicate “evil” but there are, at least, means that can be taken to reduce criminality. Of course, as there are many different mentalities, these means can be contested, even more when they have been proven to be inefficient or less effective than others. The bill C-10 proposed by the conservative government that intends to reduce youth criminal activities is a good example of contestable means, for it has already been proven to be ineffective, and the costs surrounding this law are to be way higher than they are now.

            I think that what scandalizes me the most in this issue is that the conservative Government keeps ignoring facts in order to follow its convictions on its interpretation of justice and the Justice Minister said it clearly: “We’re not governing on the basis of the latest statistics; we’re governing on the basis of what’s right to better protect victims and law-abiding Canadians.”[1] How legitimate is this to make laws, not in order to improve the justice system, but to make it in agreement with your principles and beliefs? In my opinion, this is inadmissible.

 Moreover, the government doesn’t consider the long term repercussions of this law on a social point of view. They intend to give more severe sentences to young offenders instead of focusing on prevention and rehabilitation programs. The fact is that prisons don’t make criminals become better citizens. It is like putting a bandage on an infected wound; it hides the problem but doesn’t solve it. This is exactly what forensic psychologist Dr. Teresa May-Williams expresses as she says: 'We can't ignore the fact that our "tough on crime" stance that puts a person in prison and assumes that their drug problem will somehow magically disappear while they're incarcerated and they'll never get out again and offend, is ridiculous!'[2] Also, how can you fully integrate a society if for 20 years you have had only contacts with criminals?  Would you feel as you belong to the community or to the criminal world?   From this perspective, prevention and rehabilitation programs aren’t means that can be ignored.

The fact that building new prisons is more expensive than prevention and rehabilitation programs makes me also think that the bill C-10 is not a brilliant idea. As we know that “Many programs that prevent youth crime or assist youth in the community are far less expensive than incarceration” [3], shouldn’t it be more rational, in an economic and reasoning way, to abandon this law project and try to improve an effective system that is already in place? How can previous cases be ignored like that when the financial issues are supposed to be the conservative government’s first concern? Many state governments of the United States like Texas have abandoned these ways “as it spent a fraction of the $2 billion those prisons would have cost — about $300 million — to beef up drug treatment programs, mental health centers, probation services and community supervision for prisoners out on parole.”[4] When Texas, a state known for its very conservative mentality, becomes more innovative then Canada as it is going in the opposite direction, we can start talking about serious regression.

After what I have heard and read, I can only come to the conclusion that this crime strategy is going to be a failure. Not only Harper government is denying the facts that its strategy could lead to long term social and financial issues but its reasoning on the subject is paradoxical to its economic policy. In my opinion, the real conservative government’s issue is not about improving the justice system, it is about unfounded convictions and beliefs and such  beliefs have no place in politics. I find it unethical and disrespectful toward the Canadian people and I find it shameful that it is done in the name of a so called security. This whole situation makes me wonder if we are not going to enter another “ Great Darkness” as Quebec have been between 1936 and 1959. After all, this is not the only case where Harper government is making Canada regress. I doubt that a total regression would be very plausible, but I think that we should be more attentive to what is going on with this government as it, in my opinion, doesn’t seem to act in order to improve our society.

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[1] Chase, S. (2011, September 20). Weighty Tory crime bill targets drugs, sex offenders, and ‘out-of-control’ youth. Retrieved November 1, 2011, from The Globe and Mail: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ weighty-tory-crime-bill-targets-drugs-refugees-parolees-and-terror/article2172621/

[2]  Milewski, T. C. (2011, October 17). Texas conservatives reject Harper’s crime plan. Retrieved November 1, 2011, from CBC NEWS- Politics: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/10/17/pol-vp-milewski-texas- crime.html

[3] Centre for research on youth at risk . (n.d.). Fact Sheet. Retrieved November 1, 2011, from Myths About Youth Crime in Canada: http://www.stthomasu.ca/research/youth/myths.htm

[4] Milewski, T. C. (2011, October 17). Texas conservatives reject Harper’s crime plan. Retrieved November 1, 2011, from CBC NEWS- Politics: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/10/17/pol-vp-milewski-texas- crime.html