Pubdate: Wed, 19 Sep 2007 Source: Winnipeg Sun (CN MB) Copyright: 2007 Canoe Limited Partnership Contact: http://www.winnipegsun.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/503 Author: Robert Marshall RETURNING CONS TO CANADA RISKY, STUPID "When in Rome do as the Romans do," and "don't do the crime if you can't do the time." Now there's a couple of old adages with a strong message. And that message is to think twice before embarking on a path of criminal activity in a foreign country where jail is the reality of getting caught. Because our federal government, that at one time boasted about its cradle-to-grave caretaking role, has changed. According to federal numbers it seems we are no longer as anxious as we once were to welcome home Canadians who have gone abroad or even just south of the border to break into homes, traffic in drugs, rob stores or abuse children. Hundreds of Canadians are imprisoned in other countries. Under the Liberals, from 1997 to 2005, not a single request for a transfer home from a Canadian prisoner serving time in the U.S. was turned down. This year, under the Conservatives only 14% have been approved. And that suggests discerning eyes are taking a closer look at the applications. Some, like B.C. defence lawyer John Conroy, see this change as blameworthy and take aim at the Minister of Public Safety. There are others who believe the minister should be in line for hearty congratulations. For looking after Canada's interests. Lawyer Conroy leaves me at a loss. Why blame the minister? He didn't go abroad, get into a jackpot, cause chaos and violate the norms, mores and laws of another land. The individual responsible for the transgression owes a debt to the violated community, not Canada. And for the most part Canada doesn't care about the crimes Canadians may commit outside her borders. In fact, a glossy pamphlet produced by Canada's Foreign Affairs Department and titled, A Guide for Canadians Imprisoned Abroad, states: "it is important to note that a foreign conviction will not constitute a criminal record in Canada." For years Corrections Canada and the entire prison system have been a centre of controversy. Critics on the left have panned it for being an extremely expensive, severely overcrowded training ground for criminals. The results, say some observers, are that inmate safety is jeopardized, access to programs limited, rehabilitation compromised and stress increased for all concerned. And if those left-leaning critics of Corrections Canada are accurate, why would other left-leaners -- or anyone else for that matter -- subscribe to a policy that parachutes cons from the States, or elsewhere, into a criminal training ground? Why would the Canadian taxpayer pick up the close to $100,000 per year to incarcerate someone for a bank robbery committed in Kansas City? Why would we want to add to the overcrowding of our prisons, create a new batch of risks and even force the premature release of people still considered dangerous by any standard? Some will argue fairness. That it's only fair for Canadians to serve their time in Canada. That somehow only Canada knows how to offer the correct balance of retribution, deterrence and rehabilitation. Arrogance defines such argument. So does risky and stupid. The treaty that allows prisoner transfers among dozens of countries was initiated and designed for humanitarian reasons. Not to be used carte blanche. Hopefully that's is how the discerning eyes in Ottawa see it. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek