Pubdate: Mon, 22 Nov 2010 Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB) Copyright: 2010 Canwest Publishing Inc. Contact: http://www2.canada.com/calgaryherald/letters.html Website: http://www.calgaryherald.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66 MAKING CRIME PAY Crime really does pay -- and the Alberta government has found a laudatory, progressive way to make it do so. Justice Minister Alison Redford says $150,000 of the $19 million worth of frozen criminal assets the province holds, will go to the Alberta Council of Women's Shelters to assist them with a pilot program that deals with domestic violence in rural locales. The money will be used to increase security at rural shelters, provide training for staff and offer transportation for abused women who may have no way of accessing the services they need, such as courts, health care and counselling. This is truly an innovative way of funding justice-related initiatives to help the victims, and with women's shelters often short of the funds they need to carry out the good work they do, it's hard to think of a more propitious first recipient of this money. The assets include cars, jewelry, cash and even houses, that are the proceeds of crime. Redford says more funding announcements are in the offing. That's all to the good -- there are plenty of victims' services and crime prevention initiatives that deserve to benefit. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt