SOCIETY PAYS PRICE FOR CRIME FIXATION

The Conservatives' fixation on crime despite a decline in crime rates
would be beyond comprehension were it not for the fact that
tough-on-crime measures do well in opinion polls.

Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page's report shows how much money
the government will spend to fight this mythical crime wave. I have no
axe to grind about paying taxes, but I do expect some basic openness
about how public funds are spent. So why is the government withholding
information about the costs of these bills from Page, the media and
the public?

We need to talk about more than just dollars and cents. What are the
societal costs of throwing more people in jail and keeping them there
longer? Do we agree with putting 14-year-olds into adult prisons? We
should talk about the dismal lack of focus on prevention.

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews talks about "hardened criminals," but
many others will get caught in the net. Does the term "hardened
criminal" apply to the person who gets a mandatory six months when
found to have five or more marijuana plants? What happens to his
family when he goes to jail? Can he get a job once he has a criminal
record? Does the punishment fit the crime? What is the price to the
larger society?

Thanks to the crime agenda, Correctional Services Canada's budget is
set to rise by 27 per cent, while all other departments face a budget
freeze. I am appalled that the government appears more concerned about
crime than about climate change, the debt, Haiti, Afghanistan,
homelessness or any of the other burning issues we face.

Is this the kind of Canada we want? What's next, public hangings?
Where are the opposition parties? Apparently too cowed to speak out
for fear of being painted as soft on crime. For shame.

Judith Holman,

Ottawa