Injection sites lead to 'harm addition:' Clement

what a tool..

I thought we'd sorted this topic out weeks ago and all agreed to disagree with the hypothesis.

Yes we did...pretty sure of it myself

(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

Typical tory rhetoric... you don't believe addicts are ill? they don't need help.. they should be allowed to use in the streets, parks and other public places and dispose of unclean needles so others have a risk of disease and infection.. these people are ill and need to be helped not put in a prison or sentenced to hang.. much like the millions of addicts who smoke cigarettes and are treated for their cancer at the cost of billions.. who leave traces of their addiction on sidewalks, outside malls and parking lots.. and their rancid smell on other peoples clothes... do cigarette smokers qualify for you conservative solution ridenrain..? how about jailing a few smokers

Most idiotic statement ever. Clearly he is no idea what he is talking about and wants to inflict an epidemic (including HIV/AIDS) upon the population at large. Thinking like this is just as asinine as the thinking behind the gun registry in that it will do away with crime because all guns will be tracked. The thinking that a medical condition (addiction) will clear up if there is no place for it to happen under the law is head in the sand thinking.

Oh come now, of course they are ill. They have addiction issues, mental health issues, emotional issues, and everything else under the sun. What as often as not prevents them from getting better is the inability of society to intervene. Legally, unless these people commit some significant crime, the Charter gives them the ability to slowly destroy themselves until they become a significant burden on society. We cannot force them off drugs or force them into therapy, even though they have reached a stage where they can no longer make rational and logical decisions. We're a nanny state with no real ability to nurture those who most desperately need it. All we can do now is reduce the harm - which to me is inexplicable.

I think it is the biggest cop out to ignore the core of the problem and hide behind the charter. I honestly wonder how someone is forced to clean up, recieve treatment, therapy and medications would feel about the tough love approach a year after they're off the streets and rebuilding their life.

As usual, the opponents of safe injection sites are not armed with facts, only opinions, and have their heads entirely up their ass about the issue of drug addiction.

Who are you directing this at?

Give the druggie a clean needle....now there's a temporary solution!

Now he can live another day to rape murder and steal.

Never mind that they still must steal from society to buy those drugs. Somehow, just maybe if we pour enough money into it, we can make it safer for addicts to shoot illegal drugs into themselves for just a few more days.

Is Insight in this for the addicts, or for the dealers, because their the only ones who profit from this.

I'm not sure how many times you've wandered downtown Vancouver, but a lot of those derelicts can hardly move, let alone rape and steal. A lot of them simply panhandle or turn tricks if they're female.

I agree - give them a clean needle, and wean them off in an institution until they're clean and sober - then back into the society.