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 Author: Celine Montigny FAVOUR CRIMINALS Hallelujah!, It's about time. A good slap is what they all need. It is beyond me how the judges in this country cannot see what is staring the rest of us Canadians in the face. The reason the Harper government wants to set mandatory minimum jail terms is because the judges have not been doing the job that Canadians expect of them. We believe that they have shown repeatedly that they favour criminals instead of the victims. Canadians often read that what should be a 10-year term turns into a judge's five-year sentence. A slap in the face for the judiciary is a big change from it always being the victim who gets the slap in the face from the court system. All Canadians want is that if it's 10 years' minimum sentence for the crime, then judges should make it 10 years, not a day less. I am disappointed by Mr. Gomery's attitude , but I am more disturbed by his message: criminals have nothing to fear in Canada. Celine Montigny, Ottawa - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom