December 11, 2012
Rabble.ca – David P. Ball
Canada’s secret trials, immigration policy under fire on Human Rights Day
Events in Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Saskatoon, Ottawa, and Halifax rallied “support for Canadian Muslims rounded up in the so-called War on Terror — particularly the ongoing punishment without trial of three men under security certificates.” The actions coincide with the unveiling, 64 years ago, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, and with the arrest of one of the three. Security certificates allow the government to arrest, detain and even hold in isolation for long periods. One in particular, Mohammed Mahjoub, has been in detention for over twelve years and a second, Mohamed Harkat, for over ten years. http://rabble.ca/news/2012/12/canadas-secret-trials-immigration-policy-under-fire-human-rights-day
The Harvard Crimson – Casi S. Karunaratne
Cracks in Legality
SJN has had little around the death penalty since we can happily say not in Canada. However, this one story from Harvard University on the intersection of mental illness and a scheduled execution allows the author to lay out some parameters that may serve to caution Canadians, given the current estimate of 35% of prisoners suffering mental illness in our federal prisons. The US case involves multiple murders but, as the Allison Smith case remind us, the charges that result in the imprisonment of a mentally ill person should not matter. http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2012/12/10/death-penalty-mental-health
New York Post – Chuck Bennett
Homeless crazies can’t be rounded up – until they attack
This report highlights the heart of a dilemma around the intersection of mental illness and violent crime (SJN acknowledges that the terms applied to the mentally ill in this article are offensive and perpetuate stereotypes). “The state Office of Mental Health says they can’t be treated until they [show they] are a danger to themselves or others,” said DJ Jaffe, a mental-illness policy analyst. “Rather than prevent violence, the law requires it.” The stories speak forcefully to the case of homelessness and violent crime but not to the case where families and loved ones pursue psychiatric help without accessing the help. As we know, going to prison does not mean access to psychiatric services either. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/homeless_crazies_can_be_rounded_BZYb2rbTraTJ8tcFDKAzHJ
Florida Tri-county Sun Times – A summary of the FBI annual Hate Crimes Report for 2011
http://www.thevillagessuntimes.com/article/fbi-releases-2011-hate-crime-statistics
Full FBI Annual Hate Crime Report (2011)
A caution is in order in that the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) is anything but complete since not all law enforcement agencies provide data to the FBI. http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/hate-crime/2011
The States With The Most Hate Crimes [RANKED]
Though the FBI recommends against ranking in view of the selective reporting, the Business Insider hurried to do just that. http://www.businessinsider.com/fbi-2011-hate-crime-statistics-2012-12
Jesuit Refugee Service International and the International Child Detention Coalition (IDC)
A call on states to end the detention of children
The Global Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children was launched on the 21st of March this year at the 19th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. IDC invited various specialists to speak on the issue and presented a policy paper, ‘Captured Childhood’ that outlines a new model for preventing the immigration detention of children. On-line form for organizational support: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dE9wRl9UZXBoS2F2S3JOdlFuYkpPWEE6MQ Individuals can support the campaign through the two petitions at www.endchilddetention.org . PDF Report “Captured Childhood” http://idcoalition.org/ccap – Recommendations are in Chapter 7 and available at http://idcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/IDC-Captured-Childhood-Report-Recommendations.pdf
Kamloops (BC) News:– Cam Fortems The First Perspective
City to host First Nations court
Expected to begin in February in Kamloops, BC, the dedicated court will follow the model of New Westminster and North Vancouver, a restorative Justice – community court model. “It’s a dream for me,” said Linda Thomas, staff counsel with Tk’emlups Indian Band, who has worked on the concept for more than five years. http://www.firstperspective.ca/news/2567-city-to-host-first-nations-court
Montreal Gazette – Victor Swoboda
Sister Helen Prejean’s Dead Man Walking is brought to the stage
Commemoration of final Canadian executions includes excerpt from Opéra de Montréal staging Dead Man Walking was first staged in 2000 by the San Francisco Opera and was subsequently staged by several other opera companies in North America and Europe. Prejean will attend Opéra de Montréal’s opening performance on March 9. Jake Heggie’s operatic adaptation of Dead Man Walking will be performed by Opéra de Montréal in March. An excerpt will be presented Tuesday, Dec. 11 at Place des Arts as part of the free event The Last Hour in the Life of …, which marks the 50th anniversary of the final executions in Canada. http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Sister+Helen+Prejean+Dead+Walking+brought+stage/7676378/story.html#ixzz2EhukawXp
Toronto Star – Tim Alamenciak
The end of the rope: The story of Canada’s last executions
CBC News (BC) –
Repeat offenders get Christmas cards from police
Naughty or nice? Abbotsford police will be inviting a couple of dozen repeat offenders to change their ways before it is too late! A Christmas card is the new tactic, “featuring a Santa Claus dressed like a member of a SWAT team.” http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/12/10/bc-christmas-cards-for-criminals.html