On the criminal justice system and harm reduction in Canada

Aug 30, 2018 | 3:21 PM

CRIMINAL JUSTICE CATCH-AND-RELEASE

The Canadian justice system is in bad need of adjustment. We continue to be so soft on crime that it costs us in so many ways. We convict people of crime and then give them bail, or a promise to appear, let them back on the street, then probation after conviction, and they are back on the street again to commit more crime.

Here is an example of what I am talking about.

Today, August 30, 2018 in Provincial Criminal Court,

In Kamloops, 149 criminal charges in court today. Of those, 70 are for breach of probation or court order. 70 charges for people already guilty of committing crime, and what do we do? Give them more probation and put them back on the street.

In Prince George the same day, 53 charges and 38 are for breach.

No wonder our crime rates are terrible: we keep letting them go.

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IS HARM REDUCTION WORKING?

There seems to be some resistance on the part of the government around the effectiveness of harm reduction practices.

They are correct in the fact that drug use and the crime and death that follow the drug trade are for sure getting worse, not better.

Harm reduction programs were never designed to stop the scourge of drug use; they are designed to reduce the harm only.

Without harm reduction programs, the death toll and the crime rate would be much higher.

The rate of HIV and Hepatitis C infections would be much higher.

Harm reduction works, and we have data to prove it.

The real issue here is how do we stop the drug abuse, the young people ruining their lives, people dying by the hundreds.

The frustrating thing for me is I know how we can stop the carnage, however our government would never consider the idea.

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Ken Salter is a former outreach worker with ASK Wellness in Kamloops. Would you like to have your opinion published on CFJC Today? Click here to Sound Off.