Pubdate: Sun, 11 Mar 2012 Source: Chronicle Herald (CN NS) Copyright: 2012 The Halifax Herald Limited Contact: http://thechronicleherald.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/180 Author: Jeffrey Simpson Note: Jeffrey Simpson is a Canadian journalist based in London, England. AUTHOR, FORMER LAWYER PANS TOUGH-ON-CRIME LEGISLATION Prime Minister Stephen Harper seems hell-bent on cracking down on crime but his hardline stance will cost Canadians dearly, concludes a new book that analyzes Conservative policies. "I have looked at the issue from every direction and virtually all of the credible evidence shows that the tough-on-crime agenda is exactly the wrong way to go, Paula Mallea, 62, a former criminal lawyer who is now a researcher for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, says in a recent interview. Mallea's recently published book, Fearmonger, portrays the Harper government as being obsessed with crime. She found that the government has devoted about 40 per cent of its legislative agenda to crime, even though the crime rate has been dropping for 20 years. And almost every Conservative crime bill relates to locking people up for longer prison terms. The measures fly in the face of advice from legal experts, Mallea said. Victims' advocates, academics, lawyers, judges and even the corrections system dismiss the direction as wrong but the Tories persist, probably due to "a hidebound ideology which prevents the government from admitting the foolhardiness of their agenda, Mallea says. She predicts the stubborn attitude will take a huge toll on the country. "It will be extremely destructive to thousands of individuals, families and communities, and will lead to high deficits both provincially and federally, she says. "The government continues to be unmoved even by the evidence that his crime bill will incarcerate minor marijuana growers more harshly than some child molesters. One piece of legislation passed last year - bill C-10 - will itself cost $10 billion by removing two-for-one credit for jail time, resulting in more people being behind locked up for longer, Mallea says. She uses marijuana growers in British Columbia as an example - only one of every six people caught growing marijuana today goes to jail but after C-10 they will all go to jail for at least six months. "There are hundreds of them, she says. Then there's the social cost. As more people are sent to jail with lengthier sentences, families will be fragmented, Mallea says. And forget about the tougher consequences deterring more people from committing crimes. "We know from the research and bitter experience that long sentences do not deter potential offenders because they are acting spontaneously or they are planning not to get caught, she says. "Or they are so impaired by mental illness or addiction or both that they are unable to form a rational judgement as to the likely consequences of their actions. She says recidivism rates are even likely to rise as rehabilitation programs are scaled back. "I honestly can't see anything good about the legislation, Mallea says. "It is true, and commendable, that there will now be laws to deal with child pornography, but these comprise a very small part of the whole agenda. "The bill represents a purely punitive model which does nothing to prevent crime, catch offenders, or help them rehabilitate. It is a very vindictive approach to criminal justice, and has been proven to fail over the centuries and in other Western democracies. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.