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by Daniela Syrovy
Convicted killer Ashley Brent Crawford was serving a life sentence in a minimum security facility in Ontario...until he was allowed to leave prison, unattended, on "day pass" privileges.
A convicted killer who set fire to his girlfriend's house and killed a woman inside is now a fugitive. Ashley Brent Crawford, a 30-year-old serving a life sentence after being convicted in 2001 is considered dangerous and police are asking the public for help in finding him.
Crawford was on a three-day, unescorted day pass from Beaver Creek Institution, a minimum security prison near Gravenhust, Ont. and failed to report back on Friday evening.
My first thought: What the hell is a "day pass?"
And my second thought: Why are we giving them to convicted murderers?
The day pass (i.e. a temporary get-out-of-jail-free card) and murderer should under no circumstances go together. It's not exactly clear where the root of this massive malfunction lies within our system but it seems to be an epidemic and the government needs to rein it in.
In 2008, convicted mass murderer David Shearing was allowed out on a day pass in Red Deer, Alberta. Shearing was sentenced to life for shooting six people while they sat around a campfire in B.C. While he did not escape and his day pass was ‘escorted' his one day release caused controversy and upset as people considered it ‘a slap in the face' to surviving victims and family of the victims.
As recently as November of 2010, Vancouver police issued a Canada wide warrant for Mohammed Shaleem Gafoor after he failed to return from a day pass in a Vancouver prison. Gafoor was serving a sentence for forcible confinement and sexual assault.
There are many such examples and it's obvious that by allowing a day pass, we're asking for trouble. I'm not usually one to rally for stricter legislation or more robust rules, but in this case I don't see the logic in handing out freedom to convicted murderers or sex offenders, even for an hour. The leniency of the pass is mind-boggling.
What's worse is that the decision on who gets a day pass and who doesn't seems to lie solely at the discretion of our prison wardens, who are clearly making some grave mistakes. It's not the prison warden's job to play social worker. Giving a convicted criminal an opportunity to escape prison unescorted or unattended undermines the entire system. It's almost laughable if it weren't so asinine and emotionally enraging.
If we insist on allowing prison day passes, perhaps the National Parole Board should play a larger role in deciding who gets them and who doesn't.
I cannot be the only person that thinks that this clip goes -perfectly- with this story:
It's much harder to find someone when there's nearly 10 Million Square Kilometres for them to hide in, and it's easy to cross a border that isn't that strongly patrolled or dependent upon getting onto a plane or boat undetected.
metallifan wrote:Yea, but the main difference there is:
CA: 9 984 670 Sq Km
to
UK: 243 610 Sq Km
It's much harder to find someone when there's nearly 10 Million Square Kilometres for them to hide in, and it's easy to cross a border that isn't that strongly patrolled or dependent upon getting onto a plane or boat undetected.
The vast majority of which would kill them from exposure year round..?
----------------
Do you remember that time that thing happened?
This is a bad thread and you should all feel bad
2011/02/22 22:24:20
Subject: Re:And this year's Darwin Award goes to...
metallifan wrote:Yea, but the main difference there is:
CA: 9 984 670 Sq Km
to
UK: 243 610 Sq Km
It's much harder to find someone when there's nearly 10 Million Square Kilometres for them to hide in, and it's easy to cross a border that isn't that strongly patrolled or dependent upon getting onto a plane or boat undetected.
You ever try finding someone who doesn't want to be found in a large crowd? You'd be surprised how hard it is to find someone in the UK, where the population density is pretty high.
Of course, the border bit is true as anything; it's probably a bit harder to leave UK borders given we're an island.
Melissia wrote:Stopping power IS a deterrent. The bigger a hole you put in them the more deterred they are.
Waaagh! Gorskar = 2050pts
Iron Warriors VII Company = 1850pts
Fjälnir Ironfist's Great Company = 1800pts
Guflag's Mercenary Ogres = 2000pts
2011/02/22 22:26:24
Subject: Re:And this year's Darwin Award goes to...
metallifan wrote:Yea, but the main difference there is:
CA: 9 984 670 Sq Km
to
UK: 243 610 Sq Km
It's much harder to find someone when there's nearly 10 Million Square Kilometres for them to hide in, and it's easy to cross a border that isn't that strongly patrolled or dependent upon getting onto a plane or boat undetected.
The vast majority of which would kill them from exposure year round..?
When you're a Canadian, you tend to get used to it. -30 is so blase.
Plus when you're fortified by Tim Horton's you can survive anything.
-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
When this thread is directly over the one about the Columbia students, it makes one of the best sentences on Dakka at the moment.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2011/02/22 22:30:49
You know you're really doing something when you can make strangers hate you over the Internet. - Mauleed
Just remember folks. Panic. Panic all the time. It's the only way to survive, other than just being mindful, of course-but geez, that's so friggin' boring. - Aegis Grimm
Hallowed is the All Pie The Before Times: A Place That Celebrates The World That Was
2011/02/22 22:36:07
Subject: Re:And this year's Darwin Award goes to...
I think if this convict finds the judge and decides to do us all a favour, technically it should count as a suicide seeing as said judge was the one that gave the ok on his temp release.
It sounds perfectly fair to me.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2011/02/23 00:23:58
KamikazeCanuck wrote:I guess. What about accountability?
By which I mean how do we hold Judges accountable for their rulings.
We don't. That's the entire point of an independant judiciary - they are to make their decisions on the basis of the law, and not be swayed by possible rewards or punishments.
“We may observe that the government in a civilized country is much more expensive than in a barbarous one; and when we say that one government is more expensive than another, it is the same as if we said that that one country is farther advanced in improvement than another. To say that the government is expensive and the people not oppressed is to say that the people are rich.”
Adam Smith, who must have been some kind of leftie or something.
KamikazeCanuck wrote:I guess. What about accountability?
By which I mean how do we hold Judges accountable for their rulings.
We don't. That's the entire point of an independant judiciary - they are to make their decisions on the basis of the law, and not be swayed by possible rewards or punishments.
I know but when things go off the rails how do we fix it? They've recently determined that repeat offenders get less and less time for each offense in Canada basically becasue judges don't give a anymore.
Sorry that story in now way qualifies for a Darwin Award.
Darwin Award winners must eliminate themselves (or sterilize themselves) in an extraordinarily idiotic manner, thereby improving our species' chances of long-term survival without killing anybody else that might contribute something productive to the gene pool.
Chaos isn’t a pit. Chaos is a ladder. Many who try to climb it fail, and never get to try again. The fall breaks them. And some are given a chance to climb, but refuse. They cling to the realm, or love, or the gods…illusions. Only the ladder is real. The climb is all there is, but they’ll never know this. Not until it’s too late.
schadenfreude wrote:Sorry that story in now way qualifies for a Darwin Award.
Darwin Award winners must eliminate themselves (or sterilize themselves) in an extraordinarily idiotic manner, thereby improving our species' chances of long-term survival without killing anybody else that might contribute something productive to the gene pool.
Sounds a bit like Lebensraum.
2011/02/25 01:04:56
Subject: Re:And this year's Darwin Award goes to...
KamikazeCanuck wrote:I guess. What about accountability?
By which I mean how do we hold Judges accountable for their rulings.
We don't. That's the entire point of an independant judiciary - they are to make their decisions on the basis of the law, and not be swayed by possible rewards or punishments.
I know but when things go off the rails how do we fix it? They've recently determined that repeat offenders get less and less time for each offense in Canada basically becasue judges don't give a anymore.
By having legislators write laws to the contrary?
The people in the past who convinced themselves to do unspeakable things were no less human than you or I. They made their decisions; the only thing that prevents history from repeating itself is making different ones.
-- Adam Serwer
My blog
2011/02/25 04:14:43
Subject: Re:And this year's Darwin Award goes to...
KamikazeCanuck wrote:I know but when things go off the rails how do we fix it? They've recently determined that repeat offenders get less and less time for each offense in Canada basically becasue judges don't give a anymore.
Why did they suddenly stop caring? What changed? Why would a judge who didn't care give less time, instead of more?
One of the big problems in trying to fix a judiciary that's gone off the rails comes from actually having to determine if a judiciary has gone off the rails, or if it's just perceived as such. While I do believe that we need the input of ordinary folk in the legal system, I believe there's a great danger in society or politicians second guessing the sentencing of criminals when they weren't present at the trial.
“We may observe that the government in a civilized country is much more expensive than in a barbarous one; and when we say that one government is more expensive than another, it is the same as if we said that that one country is farther advanced in improvement than another. To say that the government is expensive and the people not oppressed is to say that the people are rich.”
Adam Smith, who must have been some kind of leftie or something.
schadenfreude wrote:Sorry that story in now way qualifies for a Darwin Award.
Darwin Award winners must eliminate themselves (or sterilize themselves) in an extraordinarily idiotic manner, thereby improving our species' chances of long-term survival without killing anybody else that might contribute something productive to the gene pool.
Sounds a bit like Lebensraum.
uh no. The Darwin award has to do with stupid people eliminating themselves from the gene pool. Nothing to do with nazis. Fail.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
sebster wrote:
KamikazeCanuck wrote:I know but when things go off the rails how do we fix it? They've recently determined that repeat offenders get less and less time for each offense in Canada basically becasue judges don't give a anymore.
Why did they suddenly stop caring? What changed? Why would a judge who didn't care give less time, instead of more?
One of the big problems in trying to fix a judiciary that's gone off the rails comes from actually having to determine if a judiciary has gone off the rails, or if it's just perceived as such. While I do believe that we need the input of ordinary folk in the legal system, I believe there's a great danger in society or politicians second guessing the sentencing of criminals when they weren't present at the trial.
Yes, I just said they did a study in my local area. They took a sample of criminals that have over 100 convictions - that's right OVER 100 convictions and determined that were serving less and less jail time with each conviction.
Why don't the judges care? Because they judge for a living and have lost touch with the people. They've become desensitized to crime. I'm enraged about the crack dealer living next door to me but for Judge Bob its like "oh, there's Fred the pusher again. Haven't seen you in weeks, what did you do this time you rascally scamp". And them gives him 2 days in jail.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Melissia wrote:
KamikazeCanuck wrote:
sebster wrote:
KamikazeCanuck wrote:I guess. What about accountability?
By which I mean how do we hold Judges accountable for their rulings.
We don't. That's the entire point of an independant judiciary - they are to make their decisions on the basis of the law, and not be swayed by possible rewards or punishments.
I know but when things go off the rails how do we fix it? They've recently determined that repeat offenders get less and less time for each offense in Canada basically becasue judges don't give a anymore.
By having legislators write laws to the contrary?
The law isn't the problem but the sentencing part that is only in one man's hands. If you're proposing mandatory minimum sentances there's a whole other debate.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2011/02/25 18:27:43
2011/02/26 05:26:05
Subject: Re:And this year's Darwin Award goes to...
The Darwin award has to do with stupid people eliminating themselves from the gene pool.
This. Perhaps change the thread title?
MikZor wrote:
We can't help that american D&D is pretty much daily life for us (Aussies)
Walking to shops, "i'll take a short cut through this bush", random encounter! Lizard with no legs.....
I kid Since i avoid bushlands that is But we're not that bad... are we?
2011/03/13 17:52:10
Subject: Re:And this year's Darwin Award goes to...
I see this has been necro'd, but I must have missed responding to KamikazeCanuck's post way back when...
KamikazeCanuck wrote:Yes, I just said they did a study in my local area. They took a sample of criminals that have over 100 convictions - that's right OVER 100 convictions and determined that were serving less and less jail time with each conviction.
Why don't the judges care? Because they judge for a living and have lost touch with the people. They've become desensitized to crime. I'm enraged about the crack dealer living next door to me but for Judge Bob its like "oh, there's Fred the pusher again. Haven't seen you in weeks, what did you do this time you rascally scamp". And them gives him 2 days in jail.
You're making this huge assumption that decliing sentences are the result of a judge not caring. As if sentence lengths were in anyway due to the amount of 'care' of the judge. It's nonsense.
The law isn't the problem but the sentencing part that is only in one man's hands. If you're proposing mandatory minimum sentances there's a whole other debate.
Sentencing is not only in one man's hands. Laws are written with minimum and maximum sentencing, and there is also precedent in similar cases that judges are supposed to follow in their sentencing.
Within those bounds we actually grant judges discretion to impose higher and lower sentences, because we believe that an independant person actually present at the trial of the criminal is the person who is most likely to give a fair sentence.
“We may observe that the government in a civilized country is much more expensive than in a barbarous one; and when we say that one government is more expensive than another, it is the same as if we said that that one country is farther advanced in improvement than another. To say that the government is expensive and the people not oppressed is to say that the people are rich.”
Adam Smith, who must have been some kind of leftie or something.
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Waaagh! Gorskar = 2050pts
Iron Warriors VII Company = 1850pts
Fjälnir Ironfist's Great Company = 1800pts
Guflag's Mercenary Ogres = 2000pts
anymore.
