Dear Editor:

Your March 22 News Viewpoint,
Crime Casts, captured much of the
spirit of the Vancouver Crime
Prevention Society press release that
was based on some simple criminal
Justice costings done by me.

It is tue that crime prevention is a
much more cost effective way of
dealing with crime than responding
after crimes have been committed.
Crime prevention is better for poten-
tial victims and it is better for all of us
as taxpayers.

J must take exception, however, to
the gratuitous attack on lawyers con-
tained in that editorial comment.
Neither the data nor the ducument
issued by the Vancouver Crime
Prevention Society supports such an
attack,

Please note that of the costs for
robbery identified in that study, pros-

Be SHES a

» THE FOLLOWING people
sappeared in North and West
.. Mancouver courts recently to face
’ various charges:
| Before Judge J.K. Shaw in
‘West Vancouver. provincial court
-on Dec. 20: ;
Jason. Jesse Rosene, 23. of

: fadtom tony ofebitt

eeution and defence costs combined
accounted fora mere 1% of the pub-
lic costs of a typical robbery.
Adjudication costs — the costs for
judges, court rooms, court registries,
and court administrative staff —
accounted for only another 0.4%.
That is, all legal costs associated
with a typical robbery combined
accounted for less than 2% of the
total costs to victim and taxpayer,
This is a relatively small price for
us to pay to try to ensure that accused
persons are not wrongfully convicted
and sent to prison. (Incidentally
police costs in solving a typical rob-
bery accounted for only 1.6% of total
costs and the cconomic foss to the

victim accounted for only L.1% of

total costs.)

Put another way, 959% of the cost
of a robbery to taxpayers and victims
accrues from the expenses involved

iK Ate
Mae Dea? Nie

aR yee

Vancouver, was fined $300 after he
pleaded not guilty to possessing
cocaine for the purpose of traffick-

ke

ing, but instead pleaded guilty to the

lesser or included offence of narcot-
ic possession. The original charge
stemmed from a July 24, 1993, inci-
dent at Ambleside Park,

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in keeping the offender in prison fol-
lowing a conviction.

AL current rates, it costs Canadian
taxpayers about $43,000 a year, on
average, to keep someone ina federal
prison,

It costs British Columbia taxpay-
ers nearly as much to keep someone
in a provincial jail for a year, This
dovs not include the cupital costs of
building the prison or jail in the first
place.

While prisons and jails serve the
important functions of protecting us
from dangerous and persistent

offenders and of providing credibility
to the deterrent threat of the criminal
law, their overuse is a mistake.
California, which has adopted a
tough and politically fashionable
“three strikes” haw is now faced with
spending more on prison operations
than on post-secondary education,
This is a poor social investment.
Crime prevention is a good invest-
ment. Situational crime prevention in
particular represents good value in
our efforts to control crime.
Paul J. Hrantingham
Professor of Criminology, SFU

FARM PRICE OPEN TO PUBLIC

Monday - Friday: 9 am - 5 pm
Saturday - Sunday: 10: am - 4 pm
Fax: 272-3950 (Sam Cho)

Advertorial
Ted White, M.P.
#302 1200 Lynn Valley Rd.
North Vancouver
V7J 2A2

Telephone: 666-0585
_ Fax: 666-0509 —

MORE ON EMPLOYMENT EQUITY

Tomorrow, April 6, 1995, Motion
Number $72 will be debated in the
House of Commons. M-372 is not a
Government sponsored item. It is one
of my Private Member's Motions, simi-
lar to a Private Member's Bill, and ‘it
deals with employment equity.

Individual MPs can prepare their
own Bills and Motions for discussion in
Parliament but only those selected in a
random drawing of Private Members’
Business go forward for debate in the
House. Unfortunately, M-372 has been
ruled not votable, probably because it
clashes with Bill C-64, the employment
equity Bill sponsored by the Minister of
Human Resources Development, Hon.
Lloyd Axworthy. However, | will have
the opportunity to give a ten minute

speech about the problems associated .
with employment equity and there will
bea full hour of debate open to alt -

MPs. You can watch the proceedings
live, or tape the debate on Shaw Cable
58 at 2:309m Vancouver time.

POLITICALLY
INCORRECT?

| am expecting a fairly heated
debate because 'some Liberal members
get very upset at any suggestion that
amployment equity should be eliminat-
ed. The wording of the motion is as fol-
lows: ;

That, in the opinion of this House,
the government should immediately
end employment equity programs and

the inclusion of employment equity |

requirements on employment or training
forms because such: requirements

encourage candidate selection to be’

made on the basis of sex or ethnic ori-
gin rather than merit, and, as a result,
foster a sense of. resentment among
applicants. ;

Obviously, this motion will be viewed
by some as. ‘politically incorrect”
because past governinents, whether
Liberal, PC or NDP, have all supported
employment equity programs and seem
to be oblivious to the negative effects. - -

Politically correct or not, you can
expect fo hear. me ask whether an

“ment...

atmosphere of excellence and achieve-
ment is created in the workplace when
the gender or ethnic origin of workers is
more important during hiring than their
ability to do the job. | will ask whether |
believers in employment equity for hir-
ing also believe in employment equity
for firing during the downsizing of public ~
service,-! may even .ask, tongue ;in
cheek, whether in the interests of fair-
ness, we should add hundreds of new

~ employment equity categories to. gov-
 @rament employment forms. How about

“vertically challenged”, “blue eyed”,
‘large footed”, “bisexual”, “obese” or
“feline ailergic’? When does the  silfi-
Ness stop so that we can select employ-
@es on the basis of merit and ability to
do the job, irrespective of thelr ethnic
origin, gender or any other specific
characteristic.

BIG FINES

Mr. Axworthy’s Bill C-64 proposes
fines of up to $50,000 per day for com-
panies which fail to implement compul-
sory employment equity provisions. The
debate on my motion M-372. will give
one additional opportunity for the oppo-
sition to ba heard, but unless there is a
major public outcry, the Liberal majority .
in Parliament will ensure that Bill C-64
passes, Please send your comments to
Hon. . Lloyd = Axworthy, House of
Commons, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A6,

APOLOGY "

Thank you to a North Vancouver
resident for pointing out ertors in two
quotes from Chief Joe Mathias in my
report of February 15, 1995. | was in
Ottawa when | wrote.the report and

“had used a transcript from the video-

tape which was supposed to be accu-
rate. However, when | personally
reviewed the tape, | realized that low
sound levels on the tape had caused
errors in the transcript. | apologize to
Chiet Joe Mathias. The quotations
should have read: “You're assurning
that you've already got our agree-
” and “... third parties don't
have any legal capacity to sign an

_ agreement.”

Doorstep

Warch for our Extension
Calendar on your doorstep
this weekend and start
something new this
spring! Inside, you'll find
details of our most popular
courses in film and
television studies, art,
communications and
languages, computer
training, business, firse aid,
career development and
music. The calendar will
be delivered to all North
Shore residences on April

9 and 10.

é Involve Your Child
in Something —
Special This
Summer

Give your child athletics
training and a delightful
summer experience as

well. The Capilano
College Sportsplex is
offering youth
development camps in |
volleyball, basketball,
badminton, soccer and
rhythmic gymnastiés. The
cainps, for grade 5 through:
high school, begin July 10.
For more information, call.
984-4901.

Be April Concert

a Community.
Highlight .
Capilano College
Community Choir and

. Capilano College Singers
perform April: i9 at the
Centennial Theatre, 2300
Lonsdale, North ~
Vancouver, at 3 pm.
Haydn’s “Te Deum” and |
Bach’s “Magnificat” will.
be featured. Tickets are |
available from the Music
department, choir
members, or the .
Centennial Theatre at
984-4484,

& Need to Update
Your Technglogy .
Skilis?

The Office Technology _
Program at Capilano
College is holding two
information meetings at °
the North Vancouver
campus on Wednesday,
“April 5 and $2. Both .
sessions begin at 1:45 p.m.
in the Fir building, room
502.

CAPILANO |
COLLEGE

. 2055 Purcell Way
_«: North Vancouver...
’ British Columbia ~

986-1911,