A Retreat in the CJS 1

A Retreat in the Criminal Justice System

Stephanie Karam
ENG1100BB
Karenza Sutton-Bennett
November 25, 2014
A Retreat in the CJS 2
Abstract
In contemporary culture, an emphasis on a “tough on crime” criminal justice system has been a topic of debate amongst all citizens. In this paper, a comparison of statistical evidence and treatment rates will be discussed. The purpose is to stipulate evidence of declining crime rates, and alternative sanctions to the crime bill c-10. In addition, a consultation of rehabilitation methods and apprehension of why there is a disproportionality of Aboriginal people in the Criminal Justice System will be explored. The data discovered suggests that the legislation was enacted for political reasoning, without the consideration of underlying causes of criminal activity. Furthermore, rehabilitation treatments have shown to lower recidivism, and are used to stress the importance on investigating the root cause of criminal behaviour. Finally, the restorative justice model is adopted to promote the sense of moral wrong in the individual’s crime.

A Retreat in the CJS 3
In recent years, the Canadian government has been working on implementing a stricter justice system. The omnibus crime bill C-10, was enacted in order to achieve this measure. The act consists of a concept in which includes harsher sentencing, mandatory minimums and a zero tolerance policy. This legislation attempts to put victims first, instead of defending the rights of offenders. What the government has failed to distinguish is that crime rates in Canada have been decreasing gradually over the past decade. In addition, the new legislation does not seem to address the rehabilitation and reintegration matters of offenders into society. In fact there is no evidence in which suggests that the bill was enacted according to any underlying causes of