July 26, 2013
Globe and Mail – Jill Mahoney
Canada’s crime rate drops to lowest level since 1972
The crime rate and the crime severity rate both dropped again in 2012, both by 3%. Homicides are down by 10%, critics say the crimes in the report are only those reported to police, and the two million reported crimes are down by 36,000. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/canadas-crime-rate-drops-with-homicides-at-46-year-low/article13416456
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
How’s Life?
OECD has been rating countries on a well-bring scale for some time. The latest report suggests that Canadians are doing very well, thank you. Most of the income numbers are in USD but Canada ranks above average on most of the scales such that the OECD labels us “exceptional.” Still, we have a broadening gap between the richest and the poorest. http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/countries/canada
Vancouver Sun – Zoe McKnight
Justin Trudeau clarifies comments on marijuana in Vancouver meet-and-greet
Trudeau has announced to a BC audience that he has changed his mind from de-criminalizing the use of marijuana to the legalization because de-criminalizing the use would leave all the black market apparatus in place and continue to occupy the police and courts. http://www.vancouversun.com/Justin+Trudeau+clarifies+comments+marijuana+Vancouver+meet+greet/8708050/story.html#ixzz2a5WNheEv Related article: Global TV News Erica Tucker A 40 sec video clip- Justin Trudeau urges pot legalization at B.C. rally http://bc.ctvnews.ca/justin-trudeau-urges-pot-legalization-at-b-c-rally-1.1383448
CNN News – John D. Sutter
Is income inequality ‘morally wrong’?
US president Obama says: “Growing inequality isn’t just morally wrong; it’s bad economics.” The growth in income, he says, continues to flow to the top 1%. Sutter offers some short comments from four ‘experts’ on the question of wealth and morality. http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/25/opinion/sutter-income-inequality-moral-obama/index.html
Government of Canada
Social Capital A Useful Tool for Public Policy?
The federal government has embarked on a new venture to examine the implications for social capital within the formulation of public policy. The site has a variety of topical papers related to the efforts to define and mesh the various notions of social capital with the pursuit of public policy.http://www.horizons.gc.ca/eng/content/social-capital-useful-tool-public-policy
New Haven (CT) Register: Norm Pattis
What kind of criminal justice system punishes the ill? Ours
Did you really think that rational thought directs our criminal justice system? Pattis doesn’t. “We only pretend to understand why people make the choices they do, and then we punish those whose behavior we don’t like. Our reaction has less to do with morals than with the brute and largely inchoate force of cattle prods forcing unthinking beasts through life’s cattle chutes.” http://nhregister.com/articles/2013/07/24/opinion/doc51f05ddfbb3c1823172273.txt
Centre for Crime and Justice Studies (UK)
Justice matters: A three year strategic initiative
The focus: “The criminal justice system in the United Kingdom is far too big, far too costly, and far too intrusive and needs to be smaller in every way. This means fewer arrests; fewer prosecutions; fewer prisoners; fewer probationers. In its place we need to develop an alternative set of policies and practices that, collectively, are a proportionate response to the harms that people experience.” Amen to that, Canada! http://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/project/justice-matters
SKN Vibes – Geneva (CHE)
Global gangs rake in $870 bn a year: UN official
Yury Fedotov, head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, says that gangs are better funded than police and that beyond funding, police have a hard time keeping up with the shifting shape of the sophisticated crime organizations.http://www.sknvibes.com/news/newsdetails.cfm/76652
Times Picayune (New Orleans) – Danielle Dreilinger,
New Orleans student education activists to address violence Friday
Started in 2006, just after Katrina, the Kids Rethink New Orleans Schools, Rethinkers for short, have 100 members and are holding a press conference followed by a series of workshops to promote RJ and other ways to end conflict peacefully. http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2013/07/new_orleans_student_education.html
Vancouver Province – Editorial
Why are police costs up if crime is down?
The crime rate and the severity of crime are down to the lowest level since 1972. But in 2011, the number of police officers in BC rose from 7477 in 2002 to 9,591 and Vancouver’s per capital costs of policing are $419 per year – 20% of the city’s budget. The Province is endorsing cutting police budgets in favour of higher priority social needs. http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/07/25/editorial-why-are-police-costs-up-if-crime-is-down
Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) – James Adonis
Would you hire an ex-crim?
To Canada, they are ex-cons; to the Aussies, they are ex-crims. But the question remains. Would you hire one? What are management consultants and small company owners saying about risk and hiring former prison inmates? Adonis has some recs about how to confront the workplace bias. http://www.smh.com.au/small-business/blogs/work-in-progress/would-you-hire-an-excrim-20130722-2qf63.html