Pubdate: Fri, 20 Jun 2008
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2008 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Contact: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/opinion.htm (Opinion)

LOCK THEM UP LONGER

Canadians pride themselves on being nice, liberal-minded people. But
sometimes being nice is just plain stupid.

Look no further than the way B.C.'s soft justice system mollycoddles
career criminals who laugh at the law by racking up conviction after
conviction.

As Vancouver police Chief Jim Chu points out, the lenient sentences
these chronic thieves -- some with more than 100 convictions --
receive has led to a "ludicrous" situation.

Chu would like to see a "30 strikes and you're out" law that
automatically puts those criminals with 30 or more convictions in jail
for a significant period of time.

Now some nice folks will say that long jail sentences will do little
to help rehabilitate the offenders, who invariably are addicted to
drugs.

We say the longer they are off the streets the better -- for us and
them. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake