Dec. 1, 2015
Toronto Star – Editorial (Nov. 30, 2015)
Canada needs a plan to deal with increase in dementia
After a strident reminder that other countries, notably Japan, are dealing better with dementia, the Star is quick to point out the lack of any plan with which to cope with a growing number of our senior citizens falling victims, while Japan has even instituted an insurance plan to finance the needed medical care while also pioneering ways to cope. http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2015/11/30/canada-needs-a-plan-to-deal-with-increase-in-dementia-editorial.html
Toronto Star – Jayme Poison and Jesse McLean
Peel police’s sexual-harassment records revealed: records
The Star has been running an investigation of police misconduct for some time and has finally accessed the disciplinary records for Peel Police. Some 60 officers since 2010, over five years, have been involved in serious sexual harassment and assaults, in many cases of fellow officers who have a mixed record for reporting the incidents for fear of repercussions on their career. There are still some secrets and other types of offences. http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/11/30/peel-polices-sexual-harassment-records-revealed-records.html
Ottawa Citizen – Elizabeth Payne
Supervised injection sites make financial sense, researcher says
Medical researcher Ahmed Bayoumi of St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto is convinced that safe injection sites are a god investment of tax dollars. The study update of a 2012 investigation is aided now by a successful treatment and preventative treatment for Hepatitis C. The new Liberal government is on record as favouring such safe sites as a risk reduction approach. http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/supervised-injection-sites-make-financial-sense-researcher-says Related article: Washington Post (US) – Christopher Ingraham Drug offenders make up nearly one-third of prison admissions, new analysis shows https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/11/27/heres-why-ending-the-drug-war-will-have-a-bigger-impact-on-prisons-than-you-might-think/
Centre for Crime and Justice Studies (UK) – Richard Garside
Time for bold action to downsize criminal justice
Garside is the Executive Director of the group and advocates that the police budgets, especially in the light of the Paris terrorism, are growing and seemingly unquestioned. Garside is advocating downsizing both the budgets and that approach to policing which ignores so many other needs in the context of criminal justice. Garside offers a five point plan for downsizing police and Decarceration. http://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/resources/time-bold-action-downsize-criminal-justice
Toronto Star – David Friend, Canadian Press
Ontario-developed sensor could keep drunk drivers off roads
So far, the device is being tested in school buses after a number of incidents in which drunk drivers have appeared. But the device is installed in the driver’s steering wheel and has the capacity to detect the alcohol. Sober Steering requires the driver to place the palm of his or her hand on the steering wheel before starting the engine and sensors react. Additionally, as the trip progresses, the driver must “check-in.” http://www.thestar.com/business/2015/12/01/ontario-developed-sensor-could-keep-drunk-drivers-off-roads.html
Centre for Crime and Justice Studies – Madeline Petrillo
‘I’ve the body of a woman but inside I feel like a child’
The centre offers the first of its series “Breaking the Silence” which focuses on the experience of women in prison. Lynne tells her own story about her history of interaction with all sorts of people and unpacks her personal involvement in the criminal justice system: “I can’t understand why people didn’t know what was happening to me and how I was. Maybe it’s because I was put in the background all the time. I wasn’t noticed. It’s as if I wasn’t there.” http://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/resources/ive-body-woman-inside-i-feel-child
Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime
Experiences of Victims of Mentally Ill Offenders in Canada
The resource (an 18 page downloadable pdf) is intended to help those whose lives have been interrupted by crime committed by someone who is determined to be mentally ill (less than 1% of criminal charges) and the various interactions with the system that usually follow, including an explanation of common victim reactions – with six personal stories highlighted – and a list of available provincial resources. http://crcvc.ca/docs/CRCVC_MentalIllnessReport_E.pdf