Pubdate: Wed, 28 Nov 2007
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2007 The Ottawa Citizen
Contact: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n1369/a10.html
Author: Bruce Switzer

CANADIANS DEMAND JUDICIARY GETS TOUGH IN SENTENCING CRIMINALS

Re: Crime bill 'a slap in the face' to judges, Gomery says, Nov. 27.

Retired judge John Gomery describes the plan to create mandatory 
minimum jail terms for drug crimes as a "slap in the face" to judges. 
He suggests the Conservatives don't trust the judiciary to create 
appropriate sentences for individual cases. As much as I respect Mr. 
Gomery, I respectfully disagree with him.

It was noted judges are unhappy about this proposal and other 
legislation that suggests a failure on their part to impose proper 
sentences. Frankly, if the judges were doing their work properly, 
this wouldn't have been an idea whose time has come so that our 
government needed to introduce reforms.

I don't know how often I read in the media of a drunk driver causing 
injury or death who gets away with what appears to me to be a very 
light sentence. And then I read that the same person convicted of the 
crime re-offend later. In watching the TV evening news, I get the 
same impression with the courts' treatment of people in the drug 
trade who belong to gangs.

One purpose of the judiciary is to protect the population by removing 
the dangerous criminals from society and placing them in prisons. My 
strong impression is that the police are doing their jobs 
effectively, but the judiciary are not imposing sentences appropriate 
to the serious crime. The federal government has the responsibility 
to pass laws that will protect the citizenry where the judiciary 
fails. If it takes a governmental 'slap in the face' to get the 
judiciary's attention, then so be it.

Bruce Switzer,

Ottawa
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart