By Pepper Parr
January 16th, 2023
BURLINGTON, on
In a number of recent news reports on people who were arrested for drug or human trafficking offences Gazette readers expressed alarm and concern over some of the people whowere released on bail.
There is a gap between what people think bail should be and what it actually is. The John Howard Society produced a short video on how the bail system, referred to as “conditional release” works.
The view the John Howard Society has and the views of the criminal community are some distance apart.
Bail conditions vary. They are reviewed regularly.
Many of the criminals have no intention of showing up – they keep failing to appear until a Judge decides to not agree to bail.
One of the problems is that the provincial government doesn’t want to cover the cost of keeping people who have been arrested in a jail – it is very expensive.
View the video and then think about what you would like to do. Should the process be changed – if that’s what you think – tell your MP and press the government to make sure you are safe on the streets of you community.
About the John Howard Society
Provides for the effective integration into the community of those in conflict with the law and provides, or encourages others to provide, services to those in contact with, or affected by the criminal justice system;
Promotes changes in the law and the administration of justice which will lead to the more humane and effective treatment of individuals;
Promotes citizen awareness of the problems of crime and its causes, acceptance of responsibility to respond to these problems and involvement in the delivery and management of justice related programs;
Promotes the fair and humane treatment of all incarcerated persons and seeks to ensure that all forms of detention and imprisonment comply with relevant legal and human rights standard
