Pubdate: Mon, 09 Aug 2010
Source: Calgary Sun, The (CN AB)
Copyright: 2010 The Calgary Sun
Contact:  http://www.calgarysun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/67
Page: 15
Author: Dave Breakenridge

CALL FOR PRISONS CLASHES WITH CRIME STATS

Let me get this straight.

We need to build more prisons in this country because, despite the 
fact that crime has been going down pretty much for the last 20 years 
or so, there is a rampant rise in unreported offences?

And, despite a majority of citizens in this country believing 
marijuana should be legalized or possession of it decriminalized, we 
need to increase penalties for people growing the demon weed?

And, despite their own internal polls showing crime isn't one of the 
top priorities of Canadians, it will be one of the centrepieces of 
this Conservative government?

And this government that wants to increase penalties for marijuana, 
and prostitution for that matter, is claiming a libertarian streak is 
behind doing away with the mandatory long-form census?

Is the heat in Ottawa this summer having the same effect on everyone?

A lot of questions, I know, but it's been hard keeping track lately 
as there's been a lot of talk about crime, and drugs, and how this 
world ain't what it used to be.

Statistics Canada released its annual crime statistics in July, which 
showed that yet again, crime is on the decline in the country.

Hooray! Right?

Wrong.

Crime isn't down apparently.

Ok, mathematically, it's down from 2008 to 2009, just as it had been 
from 2007 to 2008, and so on.

The severity of crime is also down.

But those with a stake in a law and order agenda, which isn't 
necessarily a bad one, just flawed, have been quick to remind us that 
crime is not in fact down.

Compared to 50 years ago, when they started keeping track, our crime 
rate is up a whopping million percent.

OK, that may be not be the reality, but trying to compare today with 
the '60s ignores the reality of a lot of great progress in the last 
two decades making our streets safer.

And ignoring the reality is easy, apparently.

With no stats to back it up at the time, former public safety 
minister Stockwell Day, currently head of the treasury board, 
insisted part of the reason we needed billions for more prisons in 
Canada is because there's a significant increase in unreported crimes.

I don't know if he knows, but for someone to go to jail, people need 
to report the crime, a suspect has to be arrested, tried and convicted.

And the offence that isn't being reported has to be serious enough to 
warrant jail time, and as stats have shown, offences that serious 
have been in decline.

Echoing that mistrust of the stats in a local radio interview was 
Calgary police Chief Rick Hanson, even though he was more than happy 
to use the drop in the crime rate as proof his boost in boots on the 
ground was making a difference.

Heaven knows how cops can at once use stats to prove they're doing a 
good job while claiming the stats are unreliable because they don't 
paint the whole picture.

But hey, at least the new prisons Day was talking about will go to 
use, what with minimum sentences for growing a handful of marijuana 
plants or running a flophouse.

Look, I don't want violent criminals, sexual predators or child porn 
producers wandering our streets, and if Stock had suggested that he 
wanted to fill jails with white-collar crooks and people preying on 
our kids, I'd be defending the man.

But this kind of bafflegab is tough to defend.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart