http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/canadian-crime-and-american-punishment/article1380901/
The above article makes the point that the unprecedented spate of amendments to the Criminal Code enacted and proposed by the Harper government are dimly viewed by the very people who have the most expertise in the field and no political axe to grind. The glib names of proposed legislation such as “The Truth In Sentencing Act” or “The Serious Time For Serious Crime Act” reflect the political nature of the initiative. One wonders who was consulted in preparing these important changes to the law, other than public opinion pollsters who inform the government how many votes can be garnered by adopting half-baked measures designed primarily to show the uninformed that this government is TOUGH ON CRIME. Before making our criminal justice system more like the Americans’ we should perhaps reflect on the fact that their incarceration rate and violent crime rate are both the highest in the developed world. Legislation pandering to the knee-jerk reaction of the voting public does not advance the goals of our society because long after the votes are won the criminal justice system will have to deal with the fallout from misguided policies.