More on truth in sentencing ...

It seems as though the Globe and Mail has taken a real interest in the Truth and Sentencing Act. On June 29th, respected Globe columnist Jeffery Simpson wrote an interesting opinion in which he said, “There’s a difference between being “tough on crime,” as the federal Conservatives profess to be, and being stupid about crime, which is what they are.”

These are strong words from Simpson who thinks the act will not impact crime rates, but will increase the costs of running prisons. And he takes specific note of Manitoba’s justice system. Manitoba’s prison system is seriously overcrowded.

There is a lot of argument and debate about how much more government will have to spend to increase prison cells. To an outsider, it sounds like arguing whether the Titanic will sink in 2 hours, 4 hours or, as the stern plunges into the water that the ship is still unsinkable.

Suppose the government, rather then putting money into the prison system to make it bigger, invested the same amount of money into solving some of the problems in inner city Winnipeg? That seems like a much better investment than prison cells.

MRJN