Paul Berton (Edmonton Sun) – Despite constant criticism, Canada’s justice system is an extremely good one. It rarely fails us; we sometimes fail it.
Various legal experts and family members have expressed outrage over a mere second-degree murder conviction for Robert Pickton on Sunday, but wasn’t it his sentencing yesterday that mattered most?
We all need to hear the victim impact statements, and share in the pain of the grieving families.
But beyond that, most Canadians simply want assurances Pickton will never again see the light of day.
True, Canada correctly abolished capital punishment in 1976. True, our system has no ability to jail people and throw away the key, as it should for people such as Pickton, Paul Bernardo and Clifford Olsen. True, Pickton might have been eligible for parole in as little as 10 years. Practically, however, any kind of parole — ever — for Pickton is inconceivable.
Why is a life sentence not necessarily a life sentence? Why can a person convicted of a violent crime using a firearm theoretically be released into the public before a person convicted of a “white collar crime?” Why must Robert Latimer remain in jail, even though he is obviously no danger to anybody and clearly cannot benefit from whatever “counselling” more prison time might offer?
The answer, as always in a democracy, is because that’s the way the majority of Canadians want it. People get the justice system they deserve.
Latimer’s fate continues to be in the hands of pressure groups. The public will never allow Pickton to go free.
In the U.S., Conrad Black is facing time in prison because of public outrage over white collar crime in general — and a general animosity toward corporate greed. Michael Vick, the football player who organized dog fights, may spend more time in jail than people who violently assault people, but a dog is, well, a pet.
Charges and convictions can be complex. Sentences don’t always appear to match the crimes, and sometimes judges simply screw up. We may need to do a better job of choosing judges, but the system is working as it should.
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