How do you feel about Ryan Dickinson’s sentence? That was the opening question I was just asked in an interview with CBC TV news.
Ryan, 20 years old, is the first person sentenced in Vancouver’s Stanley Cup riot. He pled guilty and was just given 17 months prison and 2 years probation.
I feel some relief that finally the cases are being dealt with. It’s been 8 months since the riots and that’s a long time to wait for closure. The criminal justice system is a very slow, cumbersome and expensive bureaucracy. Shortcomings are obvious; BC Premier Clark just announced a review of the justice system with a focus on reform.
I also feel sad and frustrated. Authorities in BC have chosen a strictly criminal justice approach – police, courts and prison. What a tremendous loss of an opportunity for healing and building community.
I raise a fundamental question: what is the purpose of our response to an offender?
Do we simply want punishment and retribution? That’s what this first sentence was about. Authorities wanted to send a clear message. If we continue to solely choose this get tough, eye for an eye approach, we really need to acknowledge what kind of a society that ultimately creates. And what about victims’ needs?
Crime hurts. Doesn’t it make more sense that justice should be about healing?
I think the purpose of our response to rioters, or any offender, should be to meet the needs of all parties through accountability, healing and resolution.
The rioters attacked our community and many people were hurt and traumatized. Victims should be offered support and to have a say in what is required for resolution. Offenders need to be held accountable by taking responsibility, directly facing those they hurt, and helping to determine how they can make amends. And it’s our community, so we need to also be participants in a justice process.
The evidence is very clear: deterrence does not work; we have extremely high recidivism rates. Restorative justice does work. Recidivism is very low; victims report high satisfaction and reduced post traumatic stress symptoms as well as less fear, anger, hurt and vengefulness. Interestingly, research shows restorative justice makes the biggest difference with serious and violent crime.
So there are practical, evidence-based, and philosophical reasons for choosing restorative justice.
Ryan is now going to spend the next year in prison. What have we truly achieved? Are the victim’s needs met and are they now healed? Is Ryan going to be better off when he returns to our community? Are we a safer, stronger, healthier society?
And we’re about to continue to rack up our enormous bill spending millions of dollars responding to the next 125 accused.
Imagine what we could accomplish if we re-directed even a small fraction of the costs, say a million dollars, toward incorporating a restorative response?
The many questions that were asked in your blog was great and i think we have the answers to these questions. However does the government care about its citizen? Canadians have voted for the same two political party and none of them have ever taken the citizen’s needs and make it their mandate.
The Canadian people needs to know that voters are the biggest voice and the power that we have collectively could go a long way if we use it right.
We are asking the government not to go down the path of putting more people in prison and having people incarcerated,given the crime rate is at 22 year low. However we are asking them to invest in crime prevention and help people become productive law abiding citizen.
We will ask these questions for the next 100 years and if Canadians don’t get up and act courageous and stop be cowards, this will continue to go on.
Mothers, daughters,son,dads,uncle,aunts, nephews, nieces, cousins,family friends will all head to jail and we will still be asking these questions.
Lastly how could people go home and have a good night sleep knowing the injustices that they have committed.
I thank you for this blog, but it makes me cry to see people being treated this way, victims and accused.
Thanks so much Leonard for your passionate and thoughtful response!
You remind me of the importance of the Senate hearings taking place all this week on crime bill C10. I agree that the government must do its best to meet its citizen’s needs. I truly hope that common sense, reason and clear evidence will prevail and that this crime bill will not get passed.
Yes, the last thing Canada needs is mandatory minimums and more prisons…
Thanks for this post, Evelyn. Leonard you make a very good point about the justice system and how it is our responsibility as Canadians to step up and take control of our political voice.
What strikes me about our approach to the rioters is how the justice system can so easily take them out of context. As they say, “it takes a village to raise a child”. While it is clear certain persons caused more damage/were more violent than others, I believe everyone present facilitated such behaviour, even encouraged it. I was not there but it seems the bystander affect was rampant, which is why this blog is so important. Isn’t it better for our city to heal whatever anger we are fostering than to simply condemn its spokespersons? Putting the face of violence in jail only palliates the situation, in my opinion.
Thanks Blaine for your contribution.
Yes the bystander effect was huge! Wouldn’t it be great to address that for future situations and prevention? So much we could learn from. And offenders could potentially play a role as part of a restorative response.
And yes our city and those who were particularly traumatized (such as being stuck inside buildings that were being broken into and looted) certainly need healing, something the criminal justice system cannot offer …
Don’t know this particular case nor what he admitted to. As a principle, RJ seems a much better way to go for all the reasons you mention. But there is a snag. That snag is with the superficial optics of RJ vs 17 months in prison. And when it comes to politics, there are always political optics. As those of us who have spent time in court know all too well, a courtroom can be as much a political arena as a part of the criminal justice system.
The superficial optics are this: 17 months tells the public “we got you bastard, and you’re getting our wrath”.
17 months is the vengeful retribution ethic of just deserts. It’s an eye for an eye…remember the ancient Babylonian ethic that left the whole world blind. He did bad. Now we do bad to him. That’ll deter him, and everyone else, next time. Look how well deterrence works to stop other riots! (not)
When it comes to an uninformed public (the real 99%ers) who know nothing about the mechanics of the real criminal justice system and what it achieves…just deserts feels real yummy in our tummy! None of that namby-pampy witchy woo woo soft on crime rhetoric. Hang em high!
RJ, by comparison, has no public optics. It does not show up on the front page of the press. People do not get the yummy in our tummy feelings from RJ philosophy about which they know nothing.
I think before the courts will bend to political and public pressure for retribution they will need to know MUCH more about the pros and cons of RJ. They will need to see successful RJ cases that are CELEBRATED across the province. Especially on the front pages! Only then will they tell our politicians to instruct the BC courtroom judges to enact RJ more frequently.
Yes, I know we’re supposed to think the judges are independent…but let’s assume for a moment that we’re talking about actual empirical outcomes, lessening harm – those things that emerge from RJ – and NOT political optics like just deserts from long prison sentences.
Fabulous contribution Greg! Yes this was and still is extremely political! No doubt about it.
You’ve nailed one of our challenges in getting further support for restorative justice. We do need for more education and awareness. I am constantly dispelling myths, such as RJ is soft on crime.
Yes, it’s easy to call for retribution and punishment. I wonder what people will feel after more offenders are jailed and yet no healing has occurred, nothing was learned, millions of taxpayers dollars are spent…
Thank you, Evelyn. I’ve posted this article on my FB page. Forthright, succint, and punctuated with a good challenge. Yes!!
Kelly
Thanks so much Kelly for your compliments and for passing it on to others! Much appreciated.
Your response, Evelyn, is both compassionate and eminently practical. If a restorative approach were to be taken in responding to the rioters’ actions, we would be better off and our communities more peaceful at all levels, personal and public. Thank you; your words are an inspiration to us all.
I greatly appreciate your comments Laura, thank you! It is uplifting to hear that others such as yourself also find restorative justice a worthy approach.