What do you think of Canada's justice system?

[HEyHEY]

I don't know the ins and outs of much of the system. But I do know today a guy who sexually assaulted a nine year-old girl and screwed a dog in a park in plain view, was only given a year and a half and 18 months probation.

I'm not a person who believes in hang em high justice. But it's obvious this guy has problems and 1 1/2 years won't fix em.

I see sentences all the time that make no sense. I see halfway houses being used as dumping grounds for hardened criminals instead of sincere people wanting to get their lives together.

Anyone have insight into this?

[Enquiringkitty]

1. It does seem a bit light. Were there any circumstances involved to make

the sentence so light?

[HEyHEY]

2. Don't know, all I heard was a radio report

[soothsayer]

3. I like that you can get your record expunged after you are clean

for x number of years. Even for murder! Gives you a real chance to start over with no stigma.

[dlaw]

4. "What do you think of Canada's justice system?"

Come on I'm here in Gatineau Quebec and am an avid news fan and haven't even heard a whisper of something like this. I think a link would be nice.

[HEyHEY]

6. That's all I got, it's from BN

Just happened a few hours ago.

[HEyHEY]

8. here

BEASTIALITY/SENTENCE 5P/GREGORY/CHNL FEB282005

A MAN FROM CHERRY CREEK, NEAR KAMLOOPS, CONSIDERED A "HIGH RISK
RE-OFFENDER", IS HEADED TO JAIL FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT AND BEASTIALITY.

A KAMLOOPS JUDGE HAS HANDED 31-YEAR OLD CHRISTOPHER PYE THE MAXIMUM SENTENCE FOR WHAT HE TERMED 2 "DISTURBING" SEXUAL OFFENCES.
ONE INVOLVING A 9 YEAR OLD GIRL, AND THE OTEHER RELATED TO AN INCIDENT WITH A DOG IN A CITY PARK.
PYE WILL SPEND THE NEXT YEAR AND A HALF BEHIND BARS, FOLLOWED BY 18 MONTHS PROBATION.
HE WAS CONVICTED AT TRIAL OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING THE GIRL WHILE WORKING AS A RANCH HAND AT A CATTLE FARM WEST OF KAMLOOPS.
WHILE AWAITING SENTENCING ON THAT CONVICTION, HE PLEADED GUILTY TO BEASTIALITY.
THE SENTENCING JUDGE DENIED THE DEFENCE'S REQUEST FOR A COMMUNITY TERM, NOTING PYE IS AT A HIGH RISK TO RE-OFFEND.
WHEN HE IS RELEASED FROM JAIL, PYE IS PROHIBITED FROM HAVING CONTACT WITH ANYONE UNDER 14 AND MUST COMPLETE A SEX OFFENDER TREATMENT PROGRAM.

[achtung_circus]

16. Not enough info

but if 18 months is the maximum sentence the case probably involves 1 count of sexual assault or 3 other sexual assault-related counts and they proceeded "summarily". See below for some examples.

Maximum Sentences
Criminal Code of Canada
160.(1)
Every person who commits bestiality is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years or is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction.

For Example
Sexual Interference
151.1
Every person, who for a sexual purpose, touches, directly or indirectly, with a part of the body or an object, any part of the body of a person under the age of fourteen years is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years or is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction.

OR
271.(1)
Every one who commits a sexual assault is guilty of
(a) an indictable offence and is liable to a term of imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years; or
(b) an offence punishable on summary conviction and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding eighteen months.


So,
without knowing what the specific charges are we can't be sure. If he was sentenced for sexual assault the maximum is 18 months if the Crown elected to proceed by way of summary conviction. If a basket of charges is involved the 18 months might be several 6 month sentences.

There are a number of reasons the Crown might elect to proceed summarily. These might include plea bargains, they might include a lot of factors.

As noted, we simply don't have enough information yet.

On the Canadian justice system as a whole, I work in it and generally believe it works most of the time. I find that it tends to work more slowly in Ontario than it does out west. The bulk of my experience is in Alberta, things moved quite rapidly. The Ontario Court of Justice appears to move glacially in comparison.

[tuvor]

5. In BC I presume?

I heard nothing on the Vancouver news-only station.

[HEyHEY]

7. You should hear it, it happened just a couple hours ago.

[dlaw]

10. Not saying

I'm not saying I don't believe you, Canadian court systems have almost always been overly lenient on sexual abuse cases. This has always confused me.

When I worked way up North in the late 80/90's a guy was finally convicted of molesting numerous young native boys in the sixties. I was pretty sure the guy was going down for a long time but his sentence was suprisingly small.

When I brought it up with a few people who were of his age group the general concensus was that "it was along time ago etc..."

Pretty darn confusing.

[ConcernedCanuk]

9. Link(s) to the story would help one make their own decision

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My comments have nothing to do with the "Story" you gave us - -

But generally speaking:

Having been here (Canada) since 1950 (dats when I was born) and not being a total angel, I think our Justice system, although far from perfect works pretty good.

There will always be the few cases that are not handled ideally, but that is because we are human.

Looking to the system south of our border, - I sure prefer our Canuk system.

We have more access to appeals, and general information than do our unfortunate neighbors to the south.

Gotta remember HH - can't judge the whole system on one, or just a few well publicized boo-boos.

The smooth flowing part of our Justice system would never make the news

We, like many others, want to hear the "bad" stuff - and the news ain't gonna report all the "ho-hum" good stuff.

In all HH - I think it's rather a silly question - no offense - :shrug:

:silly:

[HEyHEY]

11. A silly question to ask people what they think of our justice system?

I disagree.

Sorry I have no more than the link above, it's a radio report.

TOmorrow look online in some BC paper.s

[ConcernedCanuk]

12. Well gee whiz HH - as if the example you gave is NORMAL ??

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.
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That's an exceptional case you are using to describe our system

and we don't, never will have all the details surrounding that particulaar ruling

What do I think of our Justice System?

I think it's one of the best in the World . .

Is that simple enough? :shrug:

[HEyHEY]

14. Yeah, but I thin kit happens more than we know.

[pretzel4gore]

13. i've been in canadian jail,

and it can be very nasty (i spent 25 years as merchant sailor, so jail was a piece of cake; it helped that i thought violence and bloodshed were... kinda fun)...your point about xxx offenders though needs clarification: i believe the xxx offenses happen quite often to the moneyed class. in ontario, we have a place called 'ontario correctional institute' (OCI) and it's a fact that it is very difficult to get into...it is a 'treatment' centre meaning there are lots of 'programs' and so on - it is like a hospital. compare THAT to Guelph Correctional (or millbrook, which is 23 hr lockup!) which are your 'Oz' type jails, with brutality a constant presence.....yet xxx offenders seem to be able to avoid such places! Classic case was francis Roy, in Toronto...this goof raped/murdered a little girl many years ago; the cops later got him on dna. anyway, the trial was big news, and all the righteous hate radio hosts had field day (the jury was out for a week, even though roy was obviously guilty; the media blamed the fact the jury had most of the evidence hidden from them)
so this is the situ: the nazipoos get to scream/shout, and feel righteously angry calling for more cops (and tax cuts to pay for em)
the media gets to call for fixing the system (and also tax cuts to pay for it)...
the xxx offenders get to go to a easy comfy gated commuunity place where there's 'zero ' tolerance for threatening behavior etc ..
and ordinary citizens who somehow end up in jail, and your common (honest) petty crooks etc? What happens to them? They get to serve time with the hardened professional criminals who call themselves 'cons' (regular guys are 'inmates', which is a contemptuous term)....and their families on the outside are the people who are paying for all the 'tax cuts' that the system demand!
yes, there are liberals in the justice system, but true liberals don't fall for tricks all the fukking time, in the interest of real justice...
note: a few years ago, a group of bikers from one of the most ruthless gangs in the country (the quebec chapter of hells angels) were stopped enroute to north ontario...one of them was thrown in jail cuz he had a KNIFE! Can you imagine this? these guys were at war with another gang, yet 20 of them are spontaneously searched, in the middle of nowhere and only one had a weapon...not even a gun, a fukking knife!

[Mother Jones]

15. My lawyer-father maintains

Canada is a haven for criminals, BECAUSE of our justice system.

Me? Well, I'll think alot more highly of it after they decriminalize marijuana.
:smoke: