(It's a cut & paste extravaganza!)
Recommendations
• Sentences for chronic offenders should be of sufficient length to:
o Protect the public
o Encourage change on the part of the offender (create motivations to successfully
complete addiction treatment programs)
• Programs such as the COP should be used to monitor and track chronic offenders in
Vancouver in order to:
o Monitor compliance with court‐imposed orders and restrictions
o Advocate for remand to custody when charged and appropriate sentencing
when convicted
o Increase information on those offenders for the use of the courts
• Utilize strategies to support recommendations:
o Encourage complete information transfer between police and Crown on these
offenders in order to assist in building cases for bail hearings and trials
o Support requests for more prosecutors for bail hearings
o Support Crown in proceeding by way of indictment for hybrid offences
o Encourage use of the appeal process for sentences when appropriate
o Encourage the use of sentencing guidelines that emphasize protection of the
public; amending legislation to do so if need be
o Support increases in capacity to deliver mandatory programs and treatment for
offenders
Sentencing Chronic Offenders
Page vi
The main finding from this report suggests that while custodial sentences increase in length up to approximately the 30th conviction, they appear to decrease substantially after this point. The sentencing of chronic property offenders appars to be primarily assessed on the basis of the most recent charges before the courts. While this may satisfy the proportionality component of the sentencing guidelines set out in the Criminal Code, it offers little in the form of long term
protection to the public from a persistent and frequent offender. The high level of emotional and financial harm done by these offenders to the community in terms of property lost or damaged and the lost sense of security cannot be understated. Sentencing should be commensurate with not only the current offences but also with the overall level of harm done by the offender. Lengthier sentences for hardcore chronic offenders are essential to meet the demand of the public to be protected, and would likely increase their access to addiction treatment while in custody.
http://vancouver.ca/police/media/2008/C ... encing.pdf