To the Editor:
Another newspaper received in the mail, and still another week of having the point driven home that our country’s legal system is completely broken, top to bottom. Talk about a true example of the term ‘systemic’ at its most obvious.
The notion of deterrence ‘has left the building’ (in keeping with the current local Elvis- themed stories) and we taxpayers are all victims of this legal and social decline.
Perhaps a simple Yes/No weekly question for our paper to ask should be ‘Is our current legal system acting as a deterrent to crime in our communities?’.
If the majority answer is ‘Yes, it is currently a deterrent’, then I and others are in the minority. If the poll results say ‘No, it is not a deterrent for criminals’, then who, specifically, is responsible for changing it? I and others should know their names and positions so they can be held accountable.
At least to me, the consequences of criminal behaviour should be so severe that criminals would never ever dream of repeating any of their criminal behaviours again. Cruel and unusual punishment, you say?… according to the criminals or the victims? The way it stands right now, do the ‘rights’ of the criminals supersede the rights of the victims? Y or N.
I’ve written before about the collective slaps in the face that our excellent law enforcement officers receive every time charges such as ‘physically resisting arrest‘ or ‘high-speed car chases’ are dropped, just to avoid a lengthy criminal trial and in order to get an early guilty plea. Please don’t get me started on ‘special considerations’ or ‘rights’. Aren’t we all supposed to be equal in the eyes of the law? Again, a simple Y or N question.
Democracy is supposed to represent the will of the majority of citizens, whether right or wrong in the eyes of the individual. How many people side with criminals and how many side with the victims? It should be that cut and dry. If the majority of voters choose deterrence over slaps on the wrist, it is up to our elected officials to make changes happen, and quickly. Isn’t that their job? Y or N.
As it currently stands, and to carry the point of frustration in the law-abiding community just a little bit further, should we expect a rise in vigilante justice if the current broken system remains the same and isn’t fixed? Again, Y or N. Personally, I prefer that the federal and provincial governments massively change the system rather than the victims forced into becoming the accused.
H. Saumer
Lac La Nonne
