- The "revolving doors" of Manitoba's justice system are spinning faster than ever, the provincial Conservatives say.
- Today, they released results of a recent Freedom of Information request showing that "a record" 75 per cent of adult prisoners are back in trouble with the law within two years of their release from the province's jail system.
- Conservative leader Hugh McFadyen called on the Selinger government to examine why the system is failing to rehabilitate prisoners and prevent them from reoffending after they are released.
- "Clearly the model of corrections that we have in Manitoba is not working," he said. "In fact it is horribly broken when 75 per cent of those who leave Manitoba jails are right back reoffending within a short period of time."
If the main objective of Manitoba’s Corrections branch is to rehabilitate criminals, they’re not doing a very good job.
At least according to their own numbers released by the Opposition Tories Tuesday, which show the rate of re-offending in some cases is as high as 100% for young criminals.
The most recent data from the last three months of 2007 shows 75% of adult inmates released from provincial jails were charged with another offence within two years of completing their sentence.
The numbers include charges for new offences and for breaching conditions of release.
It’s an astonishingly high number and it confirms what many of us have observed anecdotally for years — our courts/corrections system has evolved into a revolving door of justice where criminals re-offend over and over again.
The 75% recidivism rate for the last quarter of 2007 is the highest in at least five years, according to the data. Which means the problem is getting worse, not better.
The recidivism rates for young offenders during the same period are even more staggering.
In the three-month period from April to June 2006, 100% of young offenders released from youth custody were charged with another offence within two years.
That means every young offender in Manitoba who completed a youth jail sentence between April 1 and June 30 that year was charged with another offence within the following two years.
That’s an incredible statistic and a glaring example of what a massive failure our justice system is.
What’s equally startling is not once has the recidivism rate for young offenders in custody dropped below 75% since 2002.
Most quarters it ranged between 80%-95%. It’s a horrible record.
The stated objective of the Youth Criminal Justice Act is to rehabilitate young criminals and help them transform their lives.
It’s obviously not working. Even in deferred custody cases — where young offenders serve their sentences in the community with conditions — the recidivism rate is as high as 85%-90%.
There are obviously no easy solutions to bring down recidivism rates for adults and young offenders. But whatever our courts and jails are doing now is not working.
So government needs to at least accept it’s not working and start generating ideas on how to improve it.
To be fair, not all the solutions fall within provincial jurisdiction. Changes to both the federal Criminal Code and the Youth Criminal Justice Act are necessary to effect real change.
But we have to start looking at ideas like wilderness camps for youth, more indefinite sentences for repeat offenders and in some cases, simply imposing longer sentences.
We have a justice system now that releases high-risk offenders into the community who have rejected therapy and other programming and who refuse to seek addictions treatment. No wonder our recidivism rates are so high.
Offenders who fit that category should simply be held indefinitely until they demonstrate a willingness to change.
Naturally, that would require amendments to federal legislation.
But until we make some of those changes, the rate at which criminals re-offend will continue to be 75% to 100%.
And that’s unacceptable.
Up to three-quarters of the men and women released from Manitoba’s provincial jails are charged with another offence within two years, according to data released by the Opposition Tories Tuesday.
The Progressive Conservatives released figures Tuesday they obtained from Manitoba Justice through a freedom of information request. The figures reveal over the past five years, the recidivism rate among adult offenders released after serving a sentence in one of Manitoba’s provincial jails is anywhere from about 63% to 75%, depending on the month in question.
The recidivism — or re-offence — rate for adults serving conditional sentences or probation is much lower, below 40% in most cases. For young offenders coming out of custody in Manitoba, the re-offence rate is often above 80% and sometimes as high as 100%, the same figures show.
“We’ve got an unacceptably high number of people going into Manitoba’s prison system, then getting into trouble again right away,” said Tory Leader Hugh McFadyen. “It means there’s something fundamentally wrong with the system.”
It’s difficult to compare Manitoba’s rates with those in other jurisdictions, as they are not measured in a standard way. Some provinces include only those offenders convicted of new crimes, while others, like Manitoba, count charges instead of convictions.
Statistics Canada has no data comparing recidivism rates across the country.
However, Justice Minister Andrew Swan acknowledged regardless of what’s happening elsewhere, having between two-thirds and three-quarters of offenders getting re-arrested within two years is a problem.
“We know that people re-offending is a serious problem,” Swan said. “It’s a problem that exists across the country and in the United States as well.”
Swan said many offences that count toward the recidivism rate are breaches of release conditions like curfews, alcohol bans or other restrictions imposed on offenders given early release or probation. He said those numbers aren’t necessarily bad, though, because they mean police are “in the faces of offenders” due to programs like the Winnipeg Auto Theft Suppression Strategy.
“If they are breaching we will make sure they’re involved with the court system again. In the short-term that may create challenges but in the long-term, it’s the right thing to do,” he said.
McFadyen suggested wilderness boot camps and drug- treatment prisons could help offenders stay out of trouble once they’re out of jail.
Swan said the province already provides drug treatment in jail and in the community, adding his government has no plans to introduce boot camps, arguing historic evidence suggests they don’t reduce crime.
If the main objective of Manitoba’s Corrections branch is to rehabilitate criminals, they’re not doing a very good job.
At least according to their own numbers released by the Opposition Tories Tuesday, which show the rate of re-offending in some cases is as high as 100% for young criminals.
The most recent data from the last three months of 2007 shows 75% of adult inmates released from provincial jails were charged with another offence within two years of completing their sentence.
The numbers include charges for new offences and for breaching conditions of release.
It’s an astonishingly high number and it confirms what many of us have observed anecdotally for years — our courts/corrections system has evolved into a revolving door of justice where criminals re-offend over and over again.
The 75% recidivism rate for the last quarter of 2007 is the highest in at least five years, according to the data. Which means the problem is getting worse, not better.
The recidivism rates for young offenders during the same period are even more staggering.
In the three-month period from April to June 2006, 100% of young offenders released from youth custody were charged with another offence within two years.
That means every young offender in Manitoba who completed a youth jail sentence between April 1 and June 30 that year was charged with another offence within the following two years.
That’s an incredible statistic and a glaring example of what a massive failure our justice system is.
What’s equally startling is not once has the recidivism rate for young offenders in custody dropped below 75% since 2002.
Most quarters it ranged between 80%-95%. It’s a horrible record.
The stated objective of the Youth Criminal Justice Act is to rehabilitate young criminals and help them transform their lives.
It’s obviously not working. Even in deferred custody cases — where young offenders serve their sentences in the community with conditions — the recidivism rate is as high as 85%-90%.
There are obviously no easy solutions to bring down recidivism rates for adults and young offenders. But whatever our courts and jails are doing now is not working.
So government needs to at least accept it’s not working and start generating ideas on how to improve it.
To be fair, not all the solutions fall within provincial jurisdiction. Changes to both the federal Criminal Code and the Youth Criminal Justice Act are necessary to effect real change.
But we have to start looking at ideas like wilderness camps for youth, more indefinite sentences for repeat offenders and in some cases, simply imposing longer sentences.
We have a justice system now that releases high-risk offenders into the community who have rejected therapy and other programming and who refuse to seek addictions treatment. No wonder our recidivism rates are so high.
Offenders who fit that category should simply be held indefinitely until they demonstrate a willingness to change.
Naturally, that would require amendments to federal legislation.
But until we make some of those changes, the rate at which criminals re-offend will continue to be 75% to 100%.
And that’s unacceptable.
Up to three-quarters of the men and women released from Manitoba’s provincial jails are charged with another offence within two years, according to data released by the Opposition Tories Tuesday.
The Progressive Conservatives released figures Tuesday they obtained from Manitoba Justice through a freedom of information request. The figures reveal over the past five years, the recidivism rate among adult offenders released after serving a sentence in one of Manitoba’s provincial jails is anywhere from about 63% to 75%, depending on the month in question.
The recidivism — or re-offence — rate for adults serving conditional sentences or probation is much lower, below 40% in most cases. For young offenders coming out of custody in Manitoba, the re-offence rate is often above 80% and sometimes as high as 100%, the same figures show.
“We’ve got an unacceptably high number of people going into Manitoba’s prison system, then getting into trouble again right away,” said Tory Leader Hugh McFadyen. “It means there’s something fundamentally wrong with the system.”
It’s difficult to compare Manitoba’s rates with those in other jurisdictions, as they are not measured in a standard way. Some provinces include only those offenders convicted of new crimes, while others, like Manitoba, count charges instead of convictions.
Statistics Canada has no data comparing recidivism rates across the country.
However, Justice Minister Andrew Swan acknowledged regardless of what’s happening elsewhere, having between two-thirds and three-quarters of offenders getting re-arrested within two years is a problem.
“We know that people re-offending is a serious problem,” Swan said. “It’s a problem that exists across the country and in the United States as well.”
Swan said many offences that count toward the recidivism rate are breaches of release conditions like curfews, alcohol bans or other restrictions imposed on offenders given early release or probation. He said those numbers aren’t necessarily bad, though, because they mean police are “in the faces of offenders” due to programs like the Winnipeg Auto Theft Suppression Strategy.
“If they are breaching we will make sure they’re involved with the court system again. In the short-term that may create challenges but in the long-term, it’s the right thing to do,” he said.
McFadyen suggested wilderness boot camps and drug- treatment prisons could help offenders stay out of trouble once they’re out of jail.
Swan said the province already provides drug treatment in jail and in the community, adding his government has no plans to introduce boot camps, arguing historic evidence suggests they don’t reduce crime.
This is definitely a shocking statistic! What I think we need to do, is stop sending so many people to prison, because it has damaging effects and does not deter crime from others or does not decrease the crime rate. By being in prison, inmates only get more angry and aggressive. Prison is also criminogenic, and causes crime, because of the pro-criminal attitudes, values and behaviours of other inmates. I feel that inmates also need to be equipped with better skills for once they are released. They should be given guidance on finding a job, working with money, etc.
Would it surprise you to know that most sex offenses are committed by first-time offenders? Did you know that treatment for former offenders has proven effective and that most sex offenders, once treated, never commit another
ReplyDeletecrime? Did you also know that making it more difficult for former offender to reintegrate into society increases the potential for recidivism? Would you like more information? If so, look at this website:
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