After reading Simon Ducatel’s Greater emphasis on rehabilitation key to reducing recidivism I'd like to comment after attending a recent community Eagle Hill event with the RCMP.
The message I got was that the RCMP are as frustrated as the rest of us that the bad guys are back in the community before the paperwork is done, in spite of multiple repeat offences they are still awaiting trial for, not to mention showing up in court for those transgressions.
What we need is a reformed judicial system. I’m not a religious person, but the Bible says we all have choices and there are consequences for all of those. That’s a universal truth and let’s admit it, our whole society is based on that model.
Instead, we’ve gotten to the stage where when someone wrongs you, it’s your fault, shame on you for allowing it to happen and we should flagellate ourselves for that. That’s a symptom of a failed system.
The idea of consequences for actions you take of your own free choice, is completely foreign to the governing classes, primarily of Eastern Canada, totally out of touch with reality and their hangers on. We’re suffering the consequences of that and the frustration is one of the motivations of the "freedom" movement. Just a fringe minority we keep being told, but the expressions of sympathy for the cause are widespread, let’s not kid ourselves.
Rehabilitation? There has to be motivation and the present justice system certainly doesn’t provide it, on the contrary, the current mantra is to decriminalize drug possession, it’s going to save us. If you believe that, I have some ocean front property for sale in Arizona you might be interested in.
It’s only property crime we keep being told, criminals rely on that, but it seems increasingly there is a violent element to robberies and you never know if it might be your turn. We should feel safe in our communities, that’s what we have law enforcement for, but that is a thing of the past.
The police can’t protect us, so we have to hide behind security systems and gates. Do we have to reach the level of some third world countries where every house is surrounded by a wall and a vicious dog, before we have meaningful change? We’ve been coddling criminals since the reign of Pierre the Great and all it’s brought us is more and more violent crime. High school students murdered at their school?
Hans C. Ullmann,
Mountain View County
