What's your opinion on Harper promising to allow 14 y/o's to be sentenced to life in Prison?

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Michael C...

I'm sorry but I agree with stiffer penalty's for so called "young offender's"...once called juvenile delinquents ! A lot of Canadians are getting fed up with " the few" that continually do crimes and the current slap on the hand is their punishment ! Canadian teens are a damn nice bunch and what I want this to target is the "gangs" and "car jackers" and the thugs and the ones that do the "swarming" and of course those that actually commit manslaughter and murder !

When I was 14 , I knew right from wrong......all teens do actually and don't think for one second that they don't ! If you do the crime then you have to pay the time !

Do I care if it's a deterrent to the individual who is incarcerated...."Nope"...not really as I care more that he is off the streets and civilized society is one "thug" safer !

Just my opinion ! *S*

*ajidamoon* the Eh team

Teens get away with far too much these days, hiding behind the protection of the Young Offenders Act. If you do something serious enough to warrant a lengthly prison term then you deserve what you get. I know many "young offenders" who just laugh at committing illegal acts, as they know the punishment will be minimal, and give them "street cred". I would guesstimate that 98% of 14 year olds have a good understanding of what is right, and what is wrong.

MasterPython

If you are killing people at 14 what are the chances you can ever become a productive member of society? Murder is almost never someones first and only crime.

old lady

Harper didn't say life in prison, he said longer sentences. I agree with him - fourteen-year olds aren't children. They certainly know right from wrong and for serious crimes, they should be aware that there are severe penalties. The 'slap on the wrist' approach that has pertained over the past few years is obviously not working.

snowpatrol321

I think it's awesome. With any luck, their overbearing/overprotective parents will get nailed with stuff, too.

Jim B

Now for the reality check..................

What Mr Harper is actually proposing is to give judges the ability to make a decision in their sentencing, to be able to treat SERIOUS youth offenders, as adults. Not every 14 year old commits murder or aggravated sexual assault, BUT for those that are convicted of such crimes, this amendment to the YCJA would give the kid the appropriate sentence, not the traditional "slap on the wrist "

Only a very small percentage of youths are convicted of these type of offences, so this would focus the punishment on those who truly deserve it. By removing them from Canadian society , two things happen. We are protected from them, and they are forced to live in prison, where they are possibly going to be reformed.

I like the first part the most.

Jim B.
Jim B. Toronto

K B

Wow! I see I am not the only one who saw that post about the ABC movement in the Maritimes.

I think it is too little, too late and not worth the pixels spent talking about it.

Karen C

The idea is good. I have my doubts if it is an original Tory one though. The Tories are too busy acting as pimps - that is how I see paying teenagers large child assistance cheques once they are pregnant. There are several in my neighbourhood who could not get on welfare, would not work but they brag that the government will pay them to have babies. So - you guessed it! They are pregnant. The Government is paying for their housing, their medical treatment; clothing and cribs etc are supplied. And gee whiz! If they turn out not to know how to be a parent, the children become wards of the state and they are free to go have another and replay this scenario.

Sorry - To me this is a bigger issue than the tough on crime thing - gee doesn't that have a distinctly American flavour to it! Actually a distinctly Republican Bushy sound.

That one will not change my vote. I am still voting ABC (Anything But Conservative)

Khryz

Tougher penalties don't work as deterrents. Many American States have the death penalty, but do they have lower crime/murders rates? No! I would much rather see the government attack the root cause of teenage crime: poverty, neglectful/abusive parents, broken homes, and so forth.

Cool Dude

Knowing right from wrong and having the emotional maturity to do the right thing and exercise impulse control are two different things. I think there are adults in adult prison who should be in juvie.

Allowing children to be tried and sentenced as adults has led to such travesties as 8 year olds being hanged for stealing a loaf of bread (17th century England) and a 12 year old who was sentenced to die in the electric chair in Illinois as an "accomplice" (he was out in the car, allegedly didn't know his buddies were going to hold up a liquor store, let alone shoot the clerk), in the early 20th century.

At the same time, there are those, young and old, with no conscience or sense of any consequences who should never be allowed on the streets, at any age.

The whole concept of "punishment" needs to be re-examined. Most often mandatory sentences and mininum sentences are moe a matter of feel-good, tough-on-crime legislation than justice or prevention.

davidugene

You know this is probably one of todays most difficult questions; definetely a good question. It's not an easy one. Our society has a tendency to create unwanted behaviour by making it difficult for people to live a life of true liberty. I am not supposing one might perform illegal acts, but sometimes our societal laws have created some rediculous laws. Drugs come to mind right off. Drugs can be difficult, but so can alcohol, so can greed ( greed in America is the biggest crime against society.) This I would think everyone should know; greed creates theft and breeds violence amongst other autrocities against society. Greed runs our world, it is probably the reason we have so many other unwanted behaviour in our world. Somethings are illegal because of fear. What about religion, has it not killed more innocent people than any other form of drug? (Remember the Crusades) and (southern Christians killing blacks) So, we have so many people in prisons today that really should not be there. Put the thieves and murderers there. What about the officials who steal large amounts of money from large corporations and government programs which the government must pay for (that's you and I). Anyone who kills must go to prison, but with youthful convicts we need to try innovative programs to attempt to reform. We do not know what an individual has experienced or what wrongs they were taught while growing up. We really cannot afford to allow anyone to fall between the cracks of society. Besides, prisons cost big, big money and employs many who are no better than those caught up into the system. This is not an easy question, but it can be worked out with wisdom, understanding, love and an earnst desire to make our world a better place for ALL Humans. I hope this might help you to at least think about the problem in a different way. Thinking out of the box is usually a more progessive method to the maddness of this world. Let's change it and make it a world where people care and share instead of hate and harm. Lennon said: All You Need Is Love! Jesus Christ said: "God Is Love!" What do we truly want, a closed world where only the rich have priveldge or a world where all men are created equally. If a man has not had opportunities, he may become bound for wrong doing. Not to say, that many priveledged people have not also fell to wrong doing. We bail out AIG and other Incorporations for what their CEOs have illegally done. We could help the under priveledged (not with a dollar or two, but with substantial help to put them in a much better place). Maybe we could make these criminal CEOs pay a great bit of money to help the poor as a means of punishment, instead of putting them in posh prisons with lots of ammenities.? Deterence seems to be a difficult problem to deal with in our perplexed society. Please just give it a thought. Thanks for reading. davidugene@yahoo.com

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