The Stephen Harper government wants to spend more on prisons.
Great. The country has money to jail pot smokers and sex trade workers and Occupy protesters and yes, some hard core criminals, but no more money for health or social services, which actually might help to reduce and prevent crime.
I am all for strong prison sentences for those who commit serious crimes. I will go one step further and say the federal government needs to introduce a Prisoner Lifetime Restitution and Responsibility Act. This would essentially be a victim assistance fund that the victims of crime can turn to for support and assistance with their lifetime injuries. It would essentially work by deducting 10 to 20 per cent of the gross income of all charged and convicted criminals for life.
I feel if criminals damage the life of an innocent person for life, then they should also have to take responsibility for life. It’s time to redistribute the money from criminal activity a little more aggressively and target it to the victims.
Alex Sangha, Delta