Oct. 4, 2013
Canada.com – Douglas Quan, Postmedia News
Federal policy on crime just plain nasty, says retired senior public safety official
Mary Campbell retired in April as director general of the corrections and criminal justice directorate at Public Safety Canada. Presenting at a conference in Vancouver, Campbell said: “The deeply embedded nastiness of the current governing party is constantly displayed in their actions, whether it be creating even more punitive carceral conditions, erecting barriers to reintegration, never letting the offender be more than the worst thing they have ever done, using victims for political ends – the list is truly endless.” http://www.canada.com/health/Federal+policy+crime+just+plain+nasty+says+retired+senior+public+safety+official/8994044/story.html
Toronto Star – Guest Editorial – Michael Kirby
Give more Canadian kids better access to mental health care, and save lives
Past chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, Kirby wants to tackle the issue of youthful suicide – the leading cause of non-accidental death for youth, 760 a year. Kirby wants to launch a social movement and wants $100 million over four years from the federal government to raise awareness and offer preventative measures. http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2013/10/03/give_more_canadian_kids_better_access_to_mental_health_care_and_save_lives_editorial.html
CBC Saskatoon – Dan Zakreski
Police fighting to keep lid on gang violence
Police are looking for ways to confront an outbreak of violence between two rival gangs – the Terror Squad and the Saskatchewan Warriors. Four men have been shot – all survived – and the fight is a turf war over control of the drug trade. http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/canada/saskatoon/story/1.1876216
Guardian (US News) – Associated Press
Louisiana prisoner released after 41 years in solitary – Herman Wallace, who is dying of cancer, endured long legal battles after his 1972 murder conviction
In a struggle with state authorities resisting his order for a new trial for Wallace, US District Court Chief Judge Brian Jackson ordered Wallace released immediately. Sentence to 50 years for armed robbery, Wallace was later accused of killing a guard, an offence which was overturned 40 years later. Wallace spent 41 years in solitary. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/02/louisiana-prisoner-released-41-years-solitary
Canada.com – Tobi Cohen
Prison watchdog raises concerns about inmate self-injury, 6 years after death of Ashley Smith
Correctional Investigator of Canada Howard Sapers Howard wants enhanced training for guards who work with offenders who may harm themselves. There is a chronic problem among female inmates in particular and the response rather than mental treatment is often “pepper spray, segregation and physical restraints.” http://o.canada.com/news/prison-watchdog-raises-concerns-about-inmate-self-injury-6-years-after-death-of-ashley-smith/#.UkmehRAz2oM.twitter
Health Care Canada, Inc.
Mental Illness, Offending Behaviours & Criminal Justice Services
The conference includes a number of prominent speaks and panels, both on the intersection of justice and mental health and the question of re-integration of the offender in the community. The conference is Oct. 17, 2013 in Toronto.info@careconferences.com
Globe and Mail – Kate Kelland, Reuters (London, UK)
Predicting violence in psychopaths ‘utterly useless,’ psychiatrists say
The tools used to diagnose psychopathology and the likelihood of psychopaths to re-offend are rated by this study at about 46% or as good as a toss of a coin said Jeremy Coid, director of the forensic psychiatry research unit at Queen Mary University of London. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/predicting-violence-in-psychopaths-utterly-useless-psychiatrists-say/article14654568/?cmpid=rss1
CBC Waterloo (ON)
Waterloo Region gang prevention program could vanish – Region ranks 4th for street gang crime in province
inReach is a gang prevention program first funded by the National Crime Prevention Council. When those funds ran out, the region offered temporary funding and now the services face extinction by Dec. 31 unless alternate funding is found. In Ontario, the region has placed fourth for gang crime in Ontario. The predicament underlines the instability of funding for good work and the setbacks following the drying up of funds. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/waterloo-region-gang-prevention-program-could-vanish-1.1874382