June 29, 2014
Toronto Star – Edward Greenspon and Anthony Doob
Stephen Harper’s incoherent approach to crime
Lawyer Greenspon and U of T Professor Doob attempt to find a rationale in the various changes and new laws brought in by Harper under the tough-on-crime approach. “Stephen Harper’s high-handed personal attack on the chief justice of Canada is part of a pattern of contempt for legal institutions and the law itself…Harper’s approach to criminal law reform is best described as a confused mess.” One really fascinating comparison is the sentencing for harming a police dog or horse compared to harming an officer. Time to end the disrespect for both the law and Canadians! http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2014/06/28/stephen_harpers_incoherent_approach_to_crime.html
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
World Drug Report 2014
This link offers two chapters for the 2014 report. Chapter one of the World Drug Report 2014 provides a global overview of the latest developments with respect to opiates, cocaine, cannabis and amphetamines (including “ecstasy”) and the health impact of drug use. Chapter two zeroes in on the control of precursor chemicals used in the manufacture of illicit drugs. http://www.unodc.org/wdr2014 Full report (128 page downloadable pdf) World Drug Report http://www.unodc.org/documents/wdr2014/World_Drug_Report_2014_web.pdf
The Sentencing Project (US) – Marc Maurer
Slow to Act: State Responses to the 2012 Supreme Court Mandate on Life without Parole
The report is an update on the status of the mandatory LWOP sentences for youth convicted of murder. 28 states have LWOP still on the books and while some few have substituted very long sentences none have applied the solutions retroactively to the statutory requirement. At the time of the Supreme Court ruling there were over 2500 under the LWOP sentence. http://sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/jj_State_Responses_to_Miller.pdf
Maps for contact with the justice system and mental health services from CMHA-Ontario
On June 22 communiqué featured a link to Canadian Mental Health Association/ Ontario MHA Ontario – Navigating the Adult Criminal Justice & Mental Health Systems http://ontario.cmha.ca/files/2014/06/Adult-Criminal-Justice-Mental-Health-Systems-Map-2014-Final.pdf The link has a map of the adult criminal justice system and its interface with the public and the mental health system role. We at communiqué also noted the availability of a juvenile map but were unable to supply a working link. Our thanks to Dorina Simeonov of CMHA who noted our plight, corrected the link and sent along the correct one. http://ontario.cmha.ca/files/2014/06/YouthJusticeMHMapFINALSep92013-English.pdf
Ottawa Citizen – Andrew Seymour
‘Horrific conditions’ in crowded jails signal need for overhaul, says John Howard Society
The Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre is back in the news again as John Howard Society draws attention to the overcrowding problems caused in turn by a broken remand and bail system. Ontario has some of the most severe conditions for bail and the result is that many arrested and charged but not convicted remain in detention until trail. Catherine Latimer, Executive Director of John Howard Canada: “Our sense is that the area in the justice system where we find the greatest injustices at the moment is probably in the remand system, both in terms of the numbers that are there and the process in which they are getting bail or not getting bail. And secondly, the horrific conditions in which these people, who are presumed innocent, are being detained.” http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/horrific-conditions-in-crowded-jails-signal-need-for-overhaul-says-john-howard-society
Toronto Star – Laurie Monsebraaten
Ottawa won’t appeal landmark child-care ruling
Former Toronto airport customs officer Fiona Johnstone can breathe a little easier now, 10 years after seeking accommodation to work hours to include child care arrangements. After its long case history through Human Rights and the courts, the Feds will not appeal to the SCC and Fiona`s concern at the time is now the law of the land. Employers, including the federal government and its various agencies, must try to accommodate child care needs. http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/06/27/ottawa_wont_appeal_landmark_childcare_ruling.html
Justice Not Jails (US)
A Mental Health Jail Is an Oxymoron; Diversion Is What’s Needed
This coalition of community and faith groups in southern California is trying to establish that diversion from prison and mental health care is the only humane response when the mentally ill are convicted of crime. “District Attorney Jackie Lacey stated, “the use of jails as a surrogate mental health ward has resulted in extremely high costs. The current system is, simply put, unjust.” http://justicenotjails.org/mental-health-jail
N. Y. Times – Stephanie Clifford and Jessica Sylvia-Greenberg
In Prisons, Sky-High Phone Rates and Money Transfer Fees
Costly telephone calls and money transfer fees have raised the profitability level of investments in the expanding prison industry. Often a product of an exclusive contract between the prison authority and a private contractor, the prison authority gets a substantial cut on each call or transfer. Advocates and inmates themselves have begun filing lawsuits over the victimization. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/27/business/in-prisons-sky-high-phone-rates-and-money-transfer-fees.html?_r=0