We are calling on all federal political parties to adopt made-in-Canada, evidence-based approaches to reducing crime and improving community safety.
For too long, Canada has relied on U.S.-style tough-on-crime policies that are expensive and ineffective. It’s time for federal political parties to get smart on crime.
We are asking federal political parties to:
- Ensure that criminal justice policy is effective and evidence based.
U.S.-style tough-on-crime policies have been proven to be ineffective, yet many of them still exist in Canada. It is time for us to adopt a smart-on-crime approach that prioritizes policies and solutions that are proven effective.
Specifically, we are asking political parties to:
- Create a panel of criminal justice experts to advise the government on effective, efficient, evidence-based criminal justice system solutions to reduce crime and improve public safety – particularly in the areas of bail reform, sentencing and corrections reforms.
- Prevent crime before it happens by supporting people at risk.
The majority of people in the criminal justice system were grappling with issues like mental illness, addiction and homelessness before going to prison. Those who get out often receive little support to prevent these issues from reemerging.
Specifically, we are asking political parties to:
- Increase preventative supports for people living with mental illness, addiction and homelessness so their situation does not deteriorate to the point that they become involved in the criminal justice system, which would be even more costly for society.
- Ensure that people are rehabilitated while they are in prison.
A lack of adequate supports and programming means that many individuals leave prison with mental health or addiction issues that are worse than when they went in and with few skills to help them find a job after release, increasing their likelihood to reoffend.
Specifically, we are asking political parties to:
- Provide more in-prison education, vocational training and work opportunities that will help individuals find stable employment upon release.
- Allow controlled internet access to specific websites so that prisoners can take online courses from approved educational institutions.
- Reduce the use of solitary confinement and structured intervention units that negatively impact prisoners’ mental health.
- Improve in-prison health care to better treat prisoners with mental illness and addiction issues.
- Help prisoners successfully reintegrate into the community.
Over 18,000 are released into homelessness every year in Canada, which severely increases their likelihood of reoffending. Even if they can find housing, problems finding employment and managing mental health or addiction issues can lead people to reoffend. Reintegration support can greatly help people overcome these challenges and lead law-abiding lives while saving the government money in the long term.
Specifically, we are asking political parties to:
- Provide earlier access to community-based reintegration programs that help people nearing release successfully transition to living in the community and not reoffend.
- Amend the Canada Health Act so that prisoners are eligible for provincial health care coverage immediately upon release, allowing them to continue receiving medical care and their medications without interruption.
- Eliminate inefficiencies from the criminal justice system.
The federal government could significantly reduce costs and save resources by making the criminal justice system more efficient and eliminating practices that are burdensome and do not contribute to public safety.
Specifically, we are asking political parties to:
- Stop incarcerating people on bail or on community-based sentences for non-criminal breach offences, which place an unnecessary burden on the court and prison systems without improving public safety.
- Automatically close criminal records for people who qualify (similar to what is done for youth offenders), removing barriers for them to access housing and employment, rather than forcing them to go through a resource-intensive application process.
- Respect the rule of law and avoid costly litigation.
By disregarding the law and ignoring judges’ decisions, the federal government is not only breaking the law, but also exposing itself to litigation that results in millions of taxpayer dollars being spent on legal fees and payouts to plaintiffs.
Specifically, we are asking political parties to:
- Respect judicial decisions related to bail, sentencing and corrections (including orders to produce Gladue reports).
- Conduct the legally required parliamentary review of Bill C-83 on solitary confinement.
- Pledge to not invoke the notwithstanding clause to pass crime laws that have been declared unconstitutional by the courts.
- Provide better support to victims of crime.
Victims of crime can feel marginalized in a court system where their role is limited to providing victim impact statements. The length of an offender’s sentence should not be the way for victims to find healing and closure.
We are asking political parties to:
- Explore victim support programs, including restorative justice, as alternative settings for victims to be heard and supported in their healing.
Ensure that criminal justice policy is effective and evidence based.