OH CANADA, CRIMINAL HAVEN
Date: Thursday, July 02 @ 19:25:42 PDT
Topic: Government


Canadians must be proud when they reflect upon our accomplishments as a nation, except when we consider the recent UN report announcing we have achieved pre-eminent status as the world's leading exporter of illegal drugs such as methamphetamine and ecstasy.

Canada is also renowned among the criminal element for having the some of most comfortable prisons, along with one of the most lenient judicial systems in the civilized world. I'm not sure why we as a nation have decided to promote an environment that actively encourages criminal behaviour or does absolutely nothing to discourage it.

Consider some of the delightful aspects of being a criminal in Canada:

1. Double or even triple time credit for pre-trial custody. 2. Bail routinely granted for even the most serious of offences. 3. Reasonable likelihood of being sentenced to house arrest instead of incarceration. 4. Crime solvency rates fluctuate from about only 13% to 25% throughout the country, and arrested does not mean convicted. 5. Mandatory release from custody for the final one third of your sentence. 6. Numerous appeals and faint hope parole hearings for even the most heinous crimes, all taxpayer funded ( ex. Robert Pickton and Clifford Olson ).

Now for drug abuse:

1. Manitoba Health-funded local program to provide free crack pipe kits to crack users. 2. Safe Injection Sites ( Vancouver ) for intravenous drug users, again funded through health care dollars.

There are other similar "harm reduction" programs in many other jurisdictions. These are not drug rehab or addictions recovery. They exist to reduce risks when engaging in drug use. If that's not enabling I don't know what is.

As for organized crime:

1. We have laws that allow for gangs to be designated as criminal organizations. However because the burden of proof is so onerous and Judges are reluctant to convict, these prosecutions are so rarely successful they're almost useless.

2. Canada's ports police were decimated years ago and have never recovered. This permits unfettered exploitation of ports for drug exportation.

3. Canada's cops are overworked and rarely granted the time and effort required to solve lengthy and complicated organized crime cases. When they are prosecuted, sentences are not always lengthy even for known gangsters. Most learn from their mistakes when they get out. Cops are justifiably frustrated.

4. Top level crime bosses are well insulated. They take advantage of every protection afforded by Canada's Charter. When their underlings are arrested, more are recruited.

5. Witnesses are reluctant. They know the dangers in speaking out, for them and their families. Witness protection is woefully inadequate.

We're constantly told crime is decreasing, but if that were true, why can't we keep dangerous offenders behind bars longer? Jails are now often overcrowded. Were there more jails and shorter sentences decades ago? Is anyone truly surprised that we have serious organized crime and drug abuse problems? What better way to allow a problem to fester than to deny its existence. Canada is a fine country, but we have some serious issues. I love my country. I just wish fewer criminals did.





This article comes from CrystalMethBC - Meth Information Website
http://crystalmethbc.com

The URL for this story is:
http://crystalmethbc.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=325