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.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Two more years for ex-colony member's sex crimes

A former member of a Manitoba Hutterite colony must spend another two years in prison for sex-related crimes a judge has called "humiliating and degrading."
The 20-year-old man -- who can't be named because some of his offences happened when he was a youth -- pleaded guilty earlier this spring to years of abuse against several younger boys living on the same colony.
He was seeking to be released from custody immediately with a sentence of nearly 12 months of time already served in custody. But provincial court Judge Robert Heinrichs said Monday more punishment is needed.
"This is the kind of serious and disturbing behaviour that calls out for denunciation and deterrence," he said.
Heinrichs also placed the man on three years of supervised probation with strict conditions, including having no contact with children under the age of 16. His name will also be placed on the national sex-offender registry for a 20-year period.
The man admitted to three counts of sexual interference and one count of forcible confinement. He was arrested last summer following a lengthy police investigation. Court documents alleged he abused 11 boys under the age of 14 during a seven-year span. Ultimately, he pleaded guilty to charges of abusing three boys between December 2006 and August 2009. They involve more than 50 separate incidents.
Court heard the Hutterite colony has told the man he's not welcome to return. Since the abuse came to light, his two brothers won't have anything to do with him.
"I've been kicked out of the colony," he said during sentencing submissions last month "Right now, I'm stuck (on) where to go... I have to start on my own."
Heinrichs said he took the colony's reaction into consideration when sentencing the man.
"In a way he has already felt the effect of his community's judgment against him," he said.
The man used rubbing alcohol to ply victims after putting a mask on them, an idea he reportedly picked up from a comic strip. He also would use plastic ties to restrain some of them to chairs inside the colony pig barn.

Man sentenced to two more years for sexual assaults
A 20-year-old man has been ordered to spend another two years in jail for repeated sexual assaults against several boys on a Manitoba Hutterite colony.
The accused – who can’t be named because some of his crimes happened when he was a youth – was seeking to be released from custody immediately with a sentence of nearly 12 months of time already served in custody. But provincial court Judge Robert Heinrichs said Monday more punishment is needed.
"This is the kind of serious and disturbing behaviour that calls out for denunciation and deterrence," he said.
Heinrichs also placed the man on three years of supervised probation with strict conditions, including having no contact with children under the age of 16. His name will also be placed on the national sex offender registry for a 20-year period.
The man pleaded guilty earlier this year to three counts of sexual interference and one count of forcible confinement. He was arrested last summer following a lengthy police investigation. Court documents alleged he abused 11 boys under the age of 14 during a seven-year span. Ultimately, he pleaded guilty to charges of abusing three boys between December 2006 and August 2009.
Court heard the Hutterite colony has told the man he's not welcome to return. Since the abuse came to light, his two brothers won't have anything to do with him.
"I've been kicked out of the colony," he said during sentencing submissions last month "Right now, I'm stuck (on) where to go... I have to start on my own."
The man used rubbing alcohol to ply victims after putting a mask on them, an idea he reportedly picked up from a comic strip. Prosecutor Jennifer Mann told court his actions showed the abuse wasn't a "spontaneous act."
However, defence lawyer Leonard Tailleur said he's contesting that because accusations the man performed and received oral sex during the abuse does not classify it as a major sexual assault. He also said his client was not in a position of trust or authority regarding the boys he targeted.
The lawyer said the strict religious setting of a Hutterite colony meant his client received corporal punishment and was put under house arrest when the abuse was discovered. The man has participated in programming in prison and is not considered a high risk to reoffend.

I completely disagree with two more years for this man. What purpose does prison serve? How does it help him? It doesn't. Prison should only be meant for those who pose a danger to society. This man does not. If he is committing sex crimes at such a young age, I suspect that he has been abused himself in childhood or because of his religion, has suppressed his sexual urges and emotions. This man could better benefit from counseling, and rehabilitation sex offender programs in the community through a conditional sentence. Prison should always be a last resort and needs to be relied upon less, to combat overcrowding. Deterrence is a myth, because most criminals are not rational, but impulsive and do not consider the consequences of their actions or the possibility of punishment.  

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