VIOLENT YOUTHS NEED STIFFER TERMS - MORGAN

Sask. Party Minister To Lobby For Changes To Young Offender Law

More can and should be done to keep violent young offenders from
repeating destructive behaviour, says provincial Justice Minister Don
Morgan.

Changes to the Youth Criminal Justice Act need to be made in order to
keep chronic, violent young criminals behind bars longer, where they'd
be able to receive the help they need, Morgan said.

He'll be voicing these concerns in Ottawa on Friday at a meeting of
federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for justice.
They'll be discussing a comprehensive review of the Youth Criminal
Justice Act, which was implemented in 2003.

The courts need the ability to hand out longer-term sentences to
youths with long histories of violence, those becoming increasingly
aggressive, those with serious drug addictions or those who've
committed weapons-related offences, he said.

"I'm not approaching it with the idea that we necessarily want to
appear to be punitive. We want people to be held accountable for their
actions, but we also feel that while somebody is in custody we can use
some of our other community options that are available for treatment
by way of either addictions or education (programs)."

Once repeat offenders are off the streets, healing can begin, he said.
He adds work is being done within other ministries to develop
drug-addiction treatment, educational and family support programs
aimed at troubled youths.

"Incarceration is never a substitute for mental health facilities and
addictions treatment, but there's a point where you have to say public
safety is paramount and once those people are incarcerated then we can
start focusing on the treatments and supports they need," he said.

John Nilson, NDP critic for justice, didn't criticize Morgan's
position.

"I think those are important factors," he said. "I think the important
part of all the youth criminal justice legislation is to make sure
young people get the appropriate psychiatric medical treatment that
they need -- and the education -- so that they don't have to return to
this kind of a life."

Bernard Schissel, a University of Saskatchewan sociology professor
specializing in youth crime and justice, said it's extremely important
to treat and educate violent, young, repeat offenders -- but longer
jail sentences are counterproductive.

"Why make sentences tougher? Because if you're really talking about
pure sentencing we know that sentencing doesn't deter, it doesn't
heal," he said. "So there's that contradiction that doesn't seem to
make sense. I wish they would speak to the issue of increased care and
increased programs without this same kind of rhetoric about getting
tough on young people who commit violent crimes."

Changes should also be made to the provisions related to the release
of chronic, violent offenders, Morgan said, adding plans should be in
place before sending youths at risk of re-offending back on to the
streets. Supports and schooling should be set, but if a family member
can't be found to take responsibility for the youth, they shouldn't be
released, he said.

The (Youth Criminal Justice) Act has been successful in dealing with
first-time offenders or youth caught shoplifting and writing graffiti,
Morgan said. He said he's satisfied with the programs currently in
place.

"The system works relatively well for somebody who's been in contact
with the law two or three or four times, but the long-term or the
chronic offenders who are the ones who have got a large number of
violations and -- it's difficult to put a number on it -- are the
people who are getting increasingly violent, using weapons in their
crimes, doing home invasions or acts of outright violence. Those are
the ones we're more troubled by."

According to the Saskatoon Police Service, 406 youth were involved in
crimes against a person -- which include assault and robbery -- last
year. In 1997 there were 293. When it came to property crimes, 1,070
youth were charged last year in contrast to 1,439 10 years earlier.

According to the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics' most recent
figures, Saskatchewan had the highest youth crime rate in the country
in 2006, followed by Manitoba and Nova Scotia.