Smart programs curb crime

Tough-on-crime rhetoric misses the mark
Originally published in FFWD, November 29, 2007 by Drew Anderson in Viewpoint

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.