SMART PROGRAMS CURB CRIME

Tough-On-Crime Rhetoric Misses the Mark

If you were to listen to the politicians at all three levels of
government affecting Calgary, you would reasonably assume that we are
under attack by a swarm of bloodthirsty criminals. This comes at a
time when the crime rate has dropped significantly in Alberta and
across the country, and a recent report from Statistics Canada says
our incarceration rate has risen for the first time in more than a
decade.

The federal Conservatives recently announced new tough-on-crime
measures for identity theft, drugs and youth crime. The provincial
government wants more police, to clamp down on repeat offenders and
address addiction, while in the city, council approved funding for
more bylaw and police officers and increased funding for a drug court.

There is no doubt that crime is an important issue, but it is used far
too often as an easy political weapon rather than a well-reasoned
policy tool. The federal Conservatives are simply using the issue to
appease their party's right wing and bully the opposition. There is no
logic behind introducing mandatory drug sentences of increased length
at a time when, according to Statistics Canada, our prisons are at or
beyond capacity. It also seems an odd time for a crackdown, given that
the national crime rate has fallen consistently and is at its lowest
level in 25 years.

Harper and his party also want to start dealing more aggressively with
youth crime, trying more young offenders as adults and denying them
bail more regularly. It's not clear why this crowd doesn't accept that
longer prison sentences for young offenders don't produce model youth,
nor the fact that overcrowding in remand centres is directly linked to
bail being granted less often.

The provincial government responded to yet another panel report
earlier this month entitled Keeping Communities Safe. Unlike many of
the other reports that have crossed Premier Ed Stelmach's desk, he
didn't dare mess around too much with this one. The government
accepted 29 of the 31 recommendations laid out by the panel.

There are some good recommendations, including more focus on crime
prevention through education and support. Most importantly, there is a
call for more treatment beds for substance abusers and the mentally
ill, with particular emphasis on youth and young adults.

What is the Alberta government actually going to do? In the next
budget it will fund a whopping total of 40 new addiction treatment
beds in the province, and 41 beds at hospitals and group homes to deal
with mental illness. The 50 detox beds dedicated to youth will have to
wait until 2010. The government has yet to announce a timetable or
funding structure for a desired increase in policing.

There are good things in all of this. New funding from the city is
focused on the rehabilitation of offenders and their connecting with
the community. The Calgary drug court, though still small, will allow
for treatment in lieu of jail time or a stint in the disastrously
overcrowded remand centre. Despite the creation of a pilot project
drug court in Edmonton funded by the province, Calgary's drug court is
a city initiative, championed by Mayor Dave Bronconnier.

New funding for bylaw officers will see a return of the popular
Community Support Officer (CSO) program for the downtown and Beltline.
This program was cancelled a few years ago after provincial funding
dried up. Institution of the CSO program means more bylaw officers
will deal with minor complaints and interact more closely with the
community, freeing up time for police. It is an example of a program
that shows smart thinking rather than brute force can help keep crime
at lower levels and reduce it further.

Now is the time to focus on treatment and on rehabilitation, on
poverty and homelessness - issues that lead to incarceration and
repeat offences - rather than on punishment. At a time when the crime
rate in Alberta has dropped by six per cent, one of the largest drops
in the country, we should be taking the initiative to focus on
rehabilitation in our prisons and beyond, not on longer sentences that
create overcrowded conditions.

The familiar complaints about Calgary's economy and those left behind
due to housing and increased cost of living all come into play in the
debate about crime and punishment, or at least they should. Whenever
politicians start to talk about crime, it's time to dig around and see
what's really going on. Affordable housing and counselling cost a lot
less than a new prison, and well-reasoned debate should always trump
scare tactic rhetoric.