(This column was published in the North Shore News on April 23, 2003)
Addicts should be forced into treatment
By Leo Knight
Let's pick up where we left off last week.
We, as a society, are not forcing those who choose to inject heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine into their veins to take responsibility for their actions. Actions, which I might add, are costing me and thee very dearly.
For example, every time a vehicle is broken into, ICBC estimates it costs a minimum of $500. Personally I think it's higher given the cost of adjusters' wages and the operating costs it takes to employ them. But let's, for the sake of argument, go with that number.
In the City of Vancouver, there are on average, 50 vehicles broken into every day. Take in the surrounding municipalities in Greater Vancouver, and we could probably add at least another 50 per day. Those numbers indicate ICBC is dishing out $50,000 every day to cover off simple thefts from autos.
Now, add into that number all the incidents of theft from auto which are not reported to police, which I suspect, is probably equal to the number of reported incidents. That loss is being covered by the victims themselves.
I know the last time my car was broken into, at Christmas, my out of pocket costs were $1,000 over and above ICBC's window replacement cost of $750.
Personally, I'm getting pretty darn tired of reaching into my wallet every time one of these arguments for retroactive birth control decides my vehicle is going to help them get their next fix. Never mind the extra taxes we all pay to support them in welfare, medical, corrections, policing and court costs all because they choose to use addictive drugs.
This is not an alternate lifestyle as so many of the hand-wringers would have you believe. This is an alternate life form.
I'm not arguing against providing treatment for these people. Quite the contrary, I don't think we provide enough treatment facilities for drug addicts. But, they may choose to poison themselves and as long as they can afford to support their lengthy suicide, fair enough. I tend to draw the line when they want me to pay for it.
What I am suggesting is they should be forced into treatment when they cannot afford to support their chosen habit. And they should be contained for the protection of the rest of society until they have rid themselves of the monkey on their backs and frankly, ceased being the monkey on ours.
But, for whatever reason that's not the way things work. In this city, we make a pretence of justice in our courts and keep allowing these individuals to make war on society unscathed by consequences.
By way of example, let's look back at the individual mentioned in this space last week. Vancouver Police Inspector Bob Taylor stood up at a press conference and held up a three-metre long piece of paper which he described as the record of criminal convictions of one man arrested by police breaking into vehicles for the umpteenth time. There were 82 convictions on the paper and when asked by a reporter, Taylor declined to identify the proud owner of the record.
Now, you need to understand there is no legal reason why Taylor refused. In point of fact, at a subsequent press conference this past week, he was again asked to identify the owner of the long record. Taylor, demonstrating a complete lack of understanding of the news media, again declined.
You see, without an identity, it may well be nothing more than police propaganda, something the media is always leery of.
So, let's put a name to that person and show you exactly what passes for justice in our fair city. He is Kevin Wayne Morgan of Vancouver. He had, as Taylor showed the newser, 82 convictions for a variety of offences. As Inspector Taylor was clucking his tongue for the assembled, Morgan was dealing with his 83rd conviction. He pleaded guilty to yet another property crime and with his 82 convictions staring the judge in the face, got sentenced to four days in jail.
Now, since he had already been in jail overnight and so-called "dead time" counts for twice the sentence time, the reality of the sentence Morgan received was one night in jail at the Fraser Regional Correction Centre.
Really. His one night in custody pending court, counts as two days. He goes to court, pleads guilty and gets sentenced to four days. So less the two "already served," he has two to go. He gets bussed to jail, gets showered, fed and curls up for a good night's sleep (that's one) and he's released in the morning, (the next day or portion thereof is two). Sentence done, he's released, his debt to society fully paid.
Morgan is a junkie. He steals to feed his habit. Incessantly. Yet the court neither orders him into treatment nor contains him to protect society from him.
If it costs ICBC a minimum of $500 every time Morgan breaks into a vehicle, (much more when he gets caught and meanders through the system) and he likely does so every day. It only costs a little over $250 a day to keep him in prison. If for no other reason than pure economics, wouldn't it make sense to jail him when he pleads guilty and force him to take treatment? Never mind little things like protection of the public.
But then, that would force him to be responsible for his acts and we can't have that now can we?
Partly in response to requests and suggestions from many of you, I have started a Web site devoted to crime news. It can be found at www.primetimecrime.com.
The site has links to the Internet versions of my columns and is updated daily with crime news from around the country and around the world. There is also a discussion board for those who wish to vent.
Please feel free to join me online.
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