Welcome to my Crime and Justice blog! I am a 19 year old criminal justice student at the University of Winnipeg. I advocate for prisoners' rights, human rights, equality and criminal justice/prison system reforms.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Arrest warrant issued for "laughing girl"


AN arrest warrant has been issued for the Winnipeg teen known as "Laughing Girl" who had publicly vowed she had changed her troubled ways.
Police are currently searching for the 18-year-old -- who can't be named because of her prior youth history -- after she allegedly breached conditions of several court orders on March 13.
"They haven't found her yet to formalize these latest charges against her," said a justice source.
The Free Press published excerpts Thursday of a two-page letter the girl wrote while still in custody at Portage Correctional Institute last month. In it, she expressed regret and apologies for her callous reaction to a March 2008 stolen-car crash that killed an innocent cab driver. She also claimed to be working hard to turn her life around.
"I've changed and even though I keep getting incarcerated there's still a lot of things that I do differently," she said. The teen blamed media coverage of her case for making it difficult to prosper.
Court records obtained Thursday show the girl was released from Portage on Feb. 26 after pleading guilty to breaching her court-ordered probation and curfew on Dec. 30. She was sentenced to time in custody and further probation.
Her freedom was short-lived. She was rearrested March 4 after allegedly assaulting a police officer who was trying to arrest her for being drunk in public. The teen spent one night in custody before being released on bail.
Now she is on the run from the law again.
The teen made headlines across Canada in June 2008 after pleading guilty to being a passenger in the stolen SUV that struck and killed Antonio Lanzellotti. She was given time in custody and two years of probation. The court heard of chilling statements she made to police following her arrest, including a claim she "didn't care" about Lanzellotti and that he "had to die sometime anyway." She was also seen smiling, laughing and twirling her hair as stunned police officers looked on.

So this girl sent a letter to the Free Press, saying she has changed and has been attempting to turn her life around? ..... How so? Obviously she is not trying to change her ways, when the minute she gets released from prison, she gets drunk and assaults a police officer and then further breaches her court ordered conditions! This teen has been in trouble with the law many times throughout her 18 years. This teen needs help. I don't know if prison is the answer, as it has been shown to cause further re-offending in teens once released, but something different needs to be done here. Whatever her issues are, need to be addressed. 


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