POLLS released last
week indicated that
four in five Canadians
believe the justice sys-
tem is failing.

One wonders what is
Wrong with the 20 per cent
who chink our system works,
It's probably the same 20 per
cent who unhiiing!y vote
NDP, the very people respon:
sible for the mess the system
isin here in British Columbia.

it should be noted that the
vast majority of those sur-
veyed said they felt the police
were doing their job, but it
was the judicial and correc-
tions part of the justice system
that was failing.

; How bad the system is can
~ be demonstrated by the frus-,
tration experienced by one
North Vancouver mother.

Her son is 20 years old
and has been a herein junkie
since he was 14. As a side
© note, one wonders how all the

“give “em drugs” talk by
Dosanjh and friends would
address this type of thing.

“After all, we don’t allow

. , teenagers to buy cigarettes so

-are we really going to give
- them heroin? Because that’s
-when most addicts get the
‘habit. But I digress.

During the past six years

' the son, Sho 1 will call “Jay”

for the purposes of this col-
~~ umn, has been in and out of

crime and
punishment

tice so many times it is proba-

- bly still spinning.

Jay does B & Es to sup-
port his $200-a-day habit.
According to police, he aver-
ages two to three every day.
He has also been convicted of
an armed robbery in his
checkered pase.

A couple of months ago,

North Vancouver and
Burnaby Mounties were
watching Jav and caught him
doing a B & E. Jay went
back inzo the system and the
court ordered him into yet
another treatment program.

Yet again, he walked away
and yet again got arrested by
the RCMP. You see, Jay only
says he wants treatment to get
out of jail. Once out, he
immediately goes back to his
stealing /injecting ways.

So far, Jay’s story is not
unique. There are thousands
like him in B.C.

But Jay does not come
from a bad home life. He has
none of the excuses the social
workers love to hide behind
to explain the behaviour of

ie free to sieai

the incorrigible.

His mom works her butt
off to provide a good living.
He was raised in the
Pembeston Heights area of
North Vancouver, hardiy a
neighborhood under siege.

Last week, Jay was ina
Burnab: courtroom after his
latest arrest. He appeared
before His Honour, Judge
Gove. You remember him,
the great protector of young
people in B.C., from the
Matthew Vaudreil i inguizy.

On Nov. 27, Jay’s mom
wrote a gut-wrenching letter
to Judge Gove, imploring him
to keep her son in custody for
his own good and to maybe,
just maybe, get him into some
forced treatment which might
have an effect.

In the letter, mom
described her son’s addiction
and behavioural problems.

“Jay abides by no law or
rules,” she said. “This has
been proven time and time
again although Jay wants to

fame me once again for
interfering in his life.

“fam not prepared to
bury him at such a young
age,” she wrote.

She continued, “I’ve spent
countless days, weeks, months
and years on trying to save his
life, placing him in every
treatment center available.”

After describing some
details of life with Jay, mom
said, “I am requesting at this

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time Jay be remanded into
custody as he is a risk to his
own life as well as others in
society, He has absolutely no
respect for the trauma he
causes by invading other peo-
ple’s personal property.”

She continued her plea
with the following, “I some-
times tell myself Pm ready,
but how do you prepare your:
self for the death of a child.
Gad knows I've dor. every-
thing for him. I hurt every
day for him.

“T don’t know what the
answers are, perhaps 2 work
camp so Jay can be prepared
to deal with the rea! world as
we all do, get up and go to
work, not yet up and steal
and get high. Also, something
that offers some kind of treat-
ment.”

And then, to show how
the police have done every-
thing possible, she said this to
Judge Gove, “I would person-
ally like to thank Constable
Mike Lidstone for once again
helping in every way possi-
ble.”

ef ="
draperies

Wednesday, December 13, 2000 — Merth Shore News ~ 7

Mom finished the letter by
thanking Judge Gove and say-
ing, “I know your decision
will help Jay live a healthier
and happier life.”

Well, not exactly. fay was
before the bench for breach-
ing a Conditional Sentence
Order. Conditional sentences
are supposed to be only for
first time, non-violent offend-
ers according to Ujjal Dosanjh
when he was attomey general
and responsible for this mess.

What did the learned
judge do, given all of this? He
released Jay from custody
with essentially no conditions.
That's right, despite the long
criminal record; despite the
history of breaching condi-
tions imposed by a variety of
courts; despite the heartfelt
plea from a deeply concerned
mother, and, despite the fact
he was in fact in front of Gove
for breaching a conditional!
sentence, he got released with
the only proviso that he
return to court on another
day.

As I write this, Jay is due

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before Gove in just a few
hours on more criminal
charges. [L hope, but | har-
bour no illusions, that the sys-
tem will finally do its job. I
also wish I had some words of
encouragement for mom.

But I don’t.
— lknigin@dircet.ca

441 West 3rd Street. North Vancouver

988-9215

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