THE MESSAGE:

CRIMINAL RIGHTS?

Do convicted criminals deserve human rights? Criminals always leave victims in their wake when they willingly deprive them of their loved ones, their property or their comfort and safety. The victim of a crime is suddenly left with the burden of coming to terms with the crime. In the cases of murder, rape, kidnapping or child pornography victims require counselling or other medical costs for which they are held accountable. Must the victim also be exposed to the reality that the criminal, responsible for his misery, has the same voting rights as he does?

THE BLURB:

ADVOCATES

Hans Hyttel, an Associate Professor at Aalborg University in Copenhagen wrote the following on 23 Mar 201. Human rights are not rights that certain people "deserve" because they are good; human rights are rights, not privileges. All human beings have rights precisely because they are human. Of course there are times when a convicted criminal cannot enjoy his/her right to, say, freedom of movement.

Catherine Latimer, executive director of The John Howard Society of Canada, told CBC News. "They are part of the polity and they want to be part of the democratic process," Latimer was responsible for the development and implementation of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, a progressive legislation that was responsible for a 40% decline in the rate of incarceration of young people in Canada. Catherine has developed a deep understanding of correctional and justice issues having been central to many of the most important developments in the responsible government departments over the last twenty years. These areas include: legal aid, corrections, drug policy, sentencing, victims issues, firearms, anti-hate measures, anti-terrorism, research and evaluation, grant and contribution management, and many others.

Prisoners are informed voters, one advocate says Because prisoners have time to read and watch television news, they are just as informed - if not even more so - than Canadian voters on the outside, she said. Kits will also be distributed to help them with the voting process.

Richard Sauvé, a former member of the Satan's Choice biker gang, was serving a life sentence for first-degree murder when he challenged the law that prevented him from casting a ballot while doing time. As a result, a 2002 Supreme Court of Canada ruling gave federal prisoners the right to vote on constitutional grounds. They voted 5-4 that voting is a fundamental right in a democracy. Now on prisoners' voting day, Elections Canada will dispatch representatives to each prison to administer the voting process.

When Canadians vote in federal elections, thousands will cast their ballot from behind bars. Inmates in federal prisons and provincial jails are eligible to vote for a candidate in the riding where they lived before they were incarcerated.

There are currently 14,044 Canadians incarcerated in federal prisons — including 35 with dual citizenship — and 8,101 under CSC's community supervision. All are eligible to vote, even if they are held in segregation. Thousands of inmates in provincial jails are also eligible to vote. Political candidates are allowed to campaign in prisons, but are subjected to the same rules and policies as any visitor to a prison, including security screening.

WHEN PRISON RIGHTS ARE WRONG

The Fraser Valley Institution for Women is one of five federal institutions that allow infants and children up to the age of seven to reside with their inmate-mothers. Kelly Ellard, who is serving a life sentence for the 1997 beating and drowning death of teenager Reena Virk, is one of 10 federal inmates across the country currently enrolled in the program, which is available to mothers classified as minimum or medium security.

75 women have gone through the program since it launched two decades ago. Proponents of the plan say nurturing the mother-child bond in those early stages will benefit the child in the long-run and can help with the mother’s rehabilitation.

I say shake your head, we already have enough situations where babies are raised without a father.

Having children should be a privilege, not a right particularly in the case of a murderous mother in jail for life!

SHOULD WE CONSIDER THE TYPE OF CRIME OR THE BACKGROUNDS OF THE OFFENDERS?

FEMALE DRUG ADDICTION

Rather than treat addicts, society incarcerates them. When they reoffend, they incarcerate them again — and again and again and again.

When talking about female drug addicts, more often than not, we’re talking about women who were molested or beaten in childhood. As a result they resorted to self-medication.

60 per cent of federal women inmates in Canada are reportedly on at least one psychotropic drug. This is a huge concern, especially when you consider how many women enter prisons with all kinds of trauma. Putting them into zombie-like states, is not an appropriate solution. The path for them to get clean and stay out of prison is to address the traumas that drive their addictions.

ABANDONED CHILDREN

Consider the child who grows up without love or nurture. A sad story is that of Lawrence Phillips, "the sad end of the man they couldn't save." Lawrence was a difficult child. A documentary illustrates the probable outcome of such individuals. Lawrence had no love put into him growing up and was incapable of giving out any love. He was a brilliant college football player who could easily have starred in the NFL. Lawrence was incarcerated for the felony assault of several females whom he regarded as having deserted him. On April 12, 2015, Phillips' cellmate, Damion Soward, was found dead in the cell the two men shared. Soward. had been choked to death, and Phillips was charged with his murder. He ended up committing suicide in prison.