This letter was sent on behalf of the CCRA by CCRA President, Bob Baron.
January 10, 2002
The Honourable Anne McLellan P.C., M.P.
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
284 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H8
Subject: Legislation regarding Statutory Release
Dear Minister,
We are a community association representing more than 3,000 families. Our community is located in Toronto, in the Southeast corner of the former City of Scarborough (bounded by Lake Ontario on the south, Highland Creek on the west, Highway 2A on the north and Port Union Road on the east).
Recently, a convicted sex offender was released into our community after serving a portion of his sentence. His presence in our community was the cause for considerable concern and upset. The concern is for the safety of our children and the upset is from the feeling of helplessness that there appears to be nothing we can do to ensure their safety.
While we recognize the objective of the Statutory Release Legislation, we believe that there are cases when a "broad brush" policy does not adequately protect the community. Perpetrators of certain violent crimes are already dealt with on a special basis by your Ministry. You classify them as "dangerous offenders". We are asking you to also deal with pedophiles as special cases. From our research, pedophiles appear to continually escalate the severity or the level of violence in their successive crimes. They also do not appear to rehabilitate. Their victims are children who do not have the wherewithal to avoid or repel these attacks. The results of these crimes on the victims can be devastating both physically and emotionally, as can be evidenced by a number of recent trials. Therefore, on behalf of the community, I'm asking you to please tell us why you feel it is necessary to wait until more children are brutalized or murdered before you deem it appropriate to attach special status to these heinous offenders.
Currently, a convicted pedophile can be released into the community of his choice after serving no more than 2/3 of his sentence. While this usually means that the offender has to regularly report to a parole officer, there is still ample time and opportunity for an offender to seek out other victims. This happens routinely. The public at large has many misconceptions about the measures taken to control sex offenders released into the community but they are not monitored any more closely than some one convicted of shoplifting. This is not justice. This is not protecting the community.
On behalf of my community and all communities in Canada, I urge you to re-examine the legislation for Statutory Release and modify it to enable the following:
· Attribute special "dangerous" status to convicted pedophiles
· Invoke longer and escalating incarceration periods for convicted pedophiles
· Use special monitoring/tracking methods for convicted pedophiles after their release into the community.
I look forward to your reply.
Regards,
Robert W. Baron
President
c.c. - Mr. John McKay, MPP
- Mr. Steve Gilchrist, MP
- Mr. Ron Moeser, Councillor