Woman Will Raise Child While In Federal Pen

Wednesday, February 06, 2008 11:01 AM

Prince George, B.C. - 35 year old Lisa Whitford has been sentenced to six years in jail on a charge of manslaughter in the July 2006 death of her common law husband, 49 year old Anthony Cartledge at their home on Penn Rd.

Cartledge was shot to death by Whitford who, at the time was in an early pregnancy.

Court was told that at the time of the shooting, Whitford had a concoction of drugs in her body which included cocaine, pain killers, prescription and other drugs.

Whitford who has a long history of previous convictions had her child while in custody. She will now be transferred to the New Fraser Valley Women’s prison , a federal institution where she will be able to raise the child while in custody according to manager of Communications for BC, Dave Lefebvre ,"This will be the first time that an inmate will be able to raise her child while in custody in a federal institution." The program has been available in provincial prisons. The child will remain with the mother in custody until the child reaches four years of age. Whitford has two children from a previous relationship.

Mr. Justice Glen Parrett gave Whitford a credit of two years for the time she has already served in jail, towards her sentence. He said in real time, she will serve four additional years.

He held out little hope of rehabilitation for Whitford citing her record which dates back 22 years. That record he says includes 6 breaches of parole. She was convicted of her first offence at the age of 14 and from there went onto a life of crime.

Whitford did not appear in court she was sentenced via closed circuit TV. Mr. Justice Parrett told the court that he has doubts about her changing her life style , in fact he said "This is I believe the last chance that you have to achieve the near impossible."

Court was told Whitford had attended the Prince George Regional Hospital 41 times. On five of those occasions it was to repair a broken jaw.

Whitford had earlier been convicted of an armed robbery of the Burger King in Prince George. She began taking drugs at the age of 11, at age 17 she was nearly killed after being strangled with a rope by a friend. She began her first live in relationship at the age of 14.

In his final comments for sentencing, Mr. Justice Parrett said, "I don’t hold out much hope for you, but I wish you the best".

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Posted on Wednesday, February 06, 2008 11:01 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: Anastasia on February 6 2008 2:06 PM

"mother of the year" award nominee

Posted by: travism on February 6 2008 2:18 PM

Get them used to prision young???????

Posted by: seamutt on February 6 2008 2:39 PM

What a joke!

Posted by: unitas77 on February 6 2008 2:45 PM

"I am obligated under section 718 of the criminal code to deal with an aboriginal person differently."

'GAG' Why are they treated differently, this is crap, they get everything for nothing (Natives that is) It is time we stop what we doing things for them and make them work for something - like us white people. Then we will truly be equal!!

White man is the true minority!!!

Posted by: Andyfreeze on February 6 2008 2:47 PM

Now I KNOW our justice system is totally out of control and run by idiots!
Brilliant!...raise your kid in jail...that really makes sense doesn't it??
I would love to see what kind of issues this kid has later on in life!!!

Posted by: Raparee on February 6 2008 2:51 PM

" "I am obligated under section 718 of the criminal code to deal with an aboriginal person differently. I am also governed by the same section when it comes to sentencing."

Special status based on ethnicity.... seems to me that there's a word for this.

Posted by: Andyfreeze on February 6 2008 2:58 PM

If that it what the criminal code actually says,and I am sure it does,it needs to be changed!
We are all the same,and we cannot,and should not, be making exceptions because a person is native,chinese,hindi,or whatever!
Doesn't our government and our justice system see that this is a problem?
This is nothing more than a form of racism in itself, and it is time it stopped!
Our government doesn't help native people,they teach them that they are different from everyone else, and that is so wrong!
Does the government do this on purpose, or are they really that stupid?

Posted by: flowerpower on February 6 2008 2:58 PM

the way i see it give the kid 20 years then he can sue the gov. for making him stay in jail for what he or she dident do

Posted by: lostfaith on February 6 2008 3:11 PM

They are going to let a crackhead raise her own kid. Go figure.
Government sanctioned racism.

Posted by: northman on February 6 2008 3:23 PM

There is no end to the insanity of our justice system! With the track record of this mother she should not even be allowed to look at children yet alone raise them IN PRISON!!! Then it goes on to say that she was sentenced differently by race! I bet with that mothers skill set passed on to the kid it will end up down the same road as her! Good job Justice Glen! its people like you who continue to F&%k our country with the decisions you make! Not even worthy of the title "Mr".Justice Glen!

Posted by: flowerpower on February 6 2008 3:26 PM

Right lostfaith the only racism in canada is against white people

Posted by: giterdun on February 6 2008 3:47 PM

GREAT!...SHE SHOULD GET MARRIED, THEN HE COULD MOVE INTO THE PEN WITH HER AND LIVE HAPPY EVERAFTER. BETTER THAN WELFARE.

Posted by: Harbinger on February 6 2008 4:09 PM

Maybe while in jail she could read the Criminal Code of Canada book to her kid at his bedtime. That might keep the kid from going wrong.

Posted by: Harbinger on February 6 2008 4:19 PM

And all this time I thought there were only two laws. One for the rich and one for the poor. Gee whiz! Now we have three laws. Kinda like tiers in our medical system. Cool, eh?

Posted by: travism on February 6 2008 4:42 PM

Thumbs up to the Government of Canada. Good job ensuring the future of racisim in our country. Noone can screw things up like you.

Posted by: Druidia on February 6 2008 5:38 PM

Parrett went on to say "I am obligated under section 718 of the criminal code to deal with an aboriginal person differently. I am also governed by the same section when it comes to sentencing. Parliament has told us that they want fewer people incarcerated and I am governed by the act."

I am curious as to what, in her sentence conditions, would be different if she had been a white woman.

The only sentence in section 718 of the Criminal Code where I found the word "aboriginal" was this:
718.2 A court that imposes a sentence shall also take into consideration the following principles: (e) all available sanctions other than imprisonment that are reasonable in the circumstances should be considered for all offenders, with particular attention to the circumstances of aboriginal offenders. http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/showdoc/cs/C-46/bo-ga:l_XXIII//en#anchorbo-ga:l_XXIII.
So, if the woman is going to be imprisoned, this provision wasn't even applied to her then, right? Or, are you people saying that her sentence would have been a lot longer if she had been a white woman?

There's a news article in PGCitizen of the same event but with a different slant http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=116766&Itemid=596. One of the things it mentioned was that the woman will serve her sentence in the Fraser Valley Institution mother-child program. I gather from this, then, that having a child raised by her mom while in jail is nothing new or not something that's only done for aboriginals. That's not to say though that I agree that the woman should be raising her child in prison. I certainly would not know if the child is better off living with a mom in jail or (immediately) with foster or adoptive parents.

I simply found it interesting that the same event could be reported in two different ways, one that elicits almost no emotional reaction and the other eliciting a surge of criticism on the inadequacy of the Canadian legal system, racism, and how the child will turn out.

Posted by: Druidia on February 6 2008 5:39 PM

I do agree though that the Criminal Code of Canada needs overhauling, and not just in the case of aboriginal offenders.

Posted by: redneck on February 6 2008 5:50 PM

With all of the problems the mother has in life why would you want to leave the child with her.IF SHE CANT LOOK AFTER HERSELF HOW DO YOU EXPECT HER TO LOOK AFTER A LITTLE ONE.
Of course it was society that mixed her up and we should all feel sorry for her.Actually I feel sorry for Mr injustice Glen Parret.He will have to pay for this decision and pay he will.

Posted by: youwho on February 6 2008 5:53 PM

I come to this site everyday for a refreshing look and view; but I must say the comments are often ignorant and seem to be written without more than a passing thought. What are the purposes of these comments?

Perhaps a closer look into the realities that "they" (Aboriginal People) face and have faced, especially this woman is needed.

"She began taking drugs at the age of 11, at age 17 she was nearly killed after being strangled with a rope by a friend. She began her first live in relationship at the age of 14"

What sort of life did she have? Was this all her fault? What about colonization, residential schools, the Indian Act, an on it goes????

What sort of life do you have?
A long hard look at history and yourselves is needed.

And yes, I am "White"

Posted by: heidi1555 on February 6 2008 5:55 PM

The child should have more rights than that! A chance at a healthy life. Why sentence this child? I'm sure while being in the womb of it's mother who killed it's father is enough of a sentencing for this child. Sick, crazy, shameful world. Poor kids.

Posted by: acrider54 on February 6 2008 5:58 PM

Too stupid even to comment on. DOH!

Posted by: The_grandinquisitor on February 6 2008 6:34 PM

Take the child away...then sterilize the mother.

Posted by: travism on February 6 2008 6:37 PM

Dru... in the citizen article there was no quotations on what the Judge said. If he said what was reported, than, all ethnicities should be outraged based on racisim in our judicial system. The law is supposed to be blind of race or religion don't you agree? A
Also if the Judge did in fact say what he is reported to have said than the media has the duty to report outrage to the general public so this can be corrected.

Lastly, youwho, if you kill someone you should go to jail regardless of your background history etc etc. They decided to pull the trigger, they are responsible. Allowing people to pass responsiblity like that is rotting our communities and setting an example that is destroying our youth.

Posted by: Andyfreeze on February 6 2008 6:57 PM

I really don't care if you are white,black,or pink with spots,...right is right,and regardless of our backgrounds,we ALL know right from wrong!
No excuses for a lousy upbringing.
We know right from wrong even when we are kids, but if we are never made to accept responsibility for our actions,we will continue to break the laws throughout our lives.
And if our parliment has actually said that it wants fewer people incarcerated,then we obviously have the wrong government in power.
We already know they are not listening to the people who elected them,so perhaps it really IS time for an election?

Posted by: youwho on February 6 2008 7:06 PM

I'm not condoning murder or ingnorance.

Posted by: redneck on February 6 2008 7:39 PM

But you are making up excuses why she did this and there is no excuse.Ask the family of the man she murdered see if they feel sorry for her

Posted by: unitas77 on February 6 2008 8:01 PM

hey youwho,

you should call us all ignorant, we all have experience in this, and some, education to back it. The fact is Canada is not on the ball. First we give the Natives everything they want because we took their land, I agree with the decisions that were made but we have more than given them enough. They are aloud to have "ALL NATIVE" hockey tournament. I would be crucified if I wanted an "ALL WHITE" sports event. They have to be accountable for the choices they make, and they are not, excuses are made for them because of things that happened 100's of years ago - GET OVER IT ALREADY!!! Here is a question, I am a white male, I wanted to join the RCMP, the only problem - I wasnt native. If a white man, a white women, a native man and an immigrant applied for the RCMP, based on the government - The white man doesnt stand a chance, how is that fair. I worked hard through school, applied for government grants & scholarships, had an A average, worked long hours to pay for everything. I had to drop out because i could not afford it anymore. A native has all their post secondary school paid, as well as living expenses. A native person i went to school with who had a C average got the best education, took advantage of it all, spent all of the taxpayers money for 5 years and now sells drugs. How is this fair -

TELL ME!!!

Posted by: YamaDooPolCat on February 6 2008 8:08 PM

I spent many hours with Tony and I always had time to talk with him. He was always trying to help people and make things better. Tony also had a past that had been a little dangerous and had tried drugs. And that's how Tony got tangled up with Lisa. I met her a couple times, and the first time she had her jaw wired shut. It wasn't Tony that was did it, but she was a crazy one and would fight.
I think Tony was getting dragged down by Lisa, but Tony wasn't going to give up.
I could not tell that Lisa was an aboriginal person, she looked as white as my Polish wife.

Posted by: Raparee on February 6 2008 8:15 PM

"What sort of life did she have? Was this all her fault? What about colonization, residential schools, the Indian Act, an on it goes????"

How would this matter to the person she killed? Is his death any less tragic because of her background?

Posted by: Chester on February 6 2008 9:11 PM

Andyfreeze, the current government in power did not create this judicial mess we are trying to change. Do a little research before you decide to dump the only party trying to change this mess. Chester

Posted by: Junco on February 7 2008 12:31 AM

How many strikes and you are out? 5? 20?
125?

Why would you let this woman raise her child in prison? To what end?

How can a woman that has been on drugs since she was 11 and living a life of drug abuse and crime which included armed robbery and murder raise a healthy child?
This woman is undoubtedly brain damaged
from all the years of drug abuse, never
mind that she may not have had a chance to begin with as she probably was born with FAS and the bleeding hearts are handing a child to screw over. 20 years from now we'll being hearing baby X's screwed up life story.

Disgusting! It makes me sick. I believe that mothers that have stepped on the wrong side of the law should be given a chance to raise their children even if it is in prison, but within reason. This is
WRONG, plain and simple.

Posted by: ChrisAnnB on February 7 2008 6:31 AM

"The child will remain with the mother in custody until the child reaches four years of age."

Why? Because she's such a good role model?

And what happens when the child turns four? Will he/she be placed in a home with total strangers? Why punish the child by waiting until he/she is old enough to know what's going on? Seems to me that the sooner that child gets into a good home, (hopefully a safe, healthy and loving environment) the better.

Posted by: Andyfreeze on February 7 2008 9:01 AM

I don't give a damn which government is in power Chester, or who did what,because none of them have ever stepped up and actually done anything for these people.
The present governments,federal AND provincial,are as much to blame as any past government.
Always a bandaid and nothing more, or whatever gets the most votes.
Now we have a monster on our hands and it is too late to do anything for them,except throw more money at it that changes nothing.
What a sad state of affairs!
And if you think that is wrong, then perhaps you could explain just what the government is actually doing to improve things??
Putting children in jail with their useless mothers sure as hell isn't going to do it!

Posted by: metalman on February 7 2008 10:13 AM

Whoa, a hot topic, to be sure.
There are a lot of injustices in this country, past and present. It seems that today the majority are having to pay the minority for mistakes made many years ago, a concept that seems faintly ridiculous to me. Hear me, I do not consider myself a racist, I am a native born Canadian, it's just that my tribe is back in the old country. Does that qualify me for any special treatment? NO. The time has come for this inequality to be done with. May I repeat myself, again?
One country, one people, one law.
Further, I would ask; If an ancestor of mine did something utterly reprehensible to an ancestor of yours, say murdered their family and took over their village or some such scenario, does that make me responsible today, to pay you money and make sure you have all sorts of priveleges that are not availble to me or a lot of other fellow citizens? I do not understand how we let it go this far, it is out of control, and there is no end in sight, at least not while LAWYERS can earn a damn good living in the Indian business.
Sorry for any feelings hurt.
metalman.

Posted by: northman on February 7 2008 3:13 PM

No feelings hurt metalman good post!

Posted by: youwho on February 7 2008 3:53 PM

unitas77,

Yes, we are all ignorant. Some people acknowledge it when they realize it and some people blame others.

"I am a white male, I wanted to join the RCMP, the only problem - I wasnt native."

Interesting; did they tell you that? Or is this the conclusion that you have come to? It sure takes responsibility far from you.

"I worked hard through school, applied for government grants & scholarships, had an A average, worked long hours to pay for everything. I had to drop out because i could not afford it anymore."

Too bad. Would it have made a difference to you if others didn't have their education paid for? or would you have dropped out anyways? If their education wasn't paid for who would you be blaming now? I have gone to school and still have managed to work, play several sports (even with natives), raise a family, and get a Masters degree...loads and loads of student loans, but I didn't quit or blame anyone else for the hard times.

"A native has all their post secondary school paid, as well as living expenses. A native person i went to school with who had a C average got the best education, took advantage of it all, spent all of the taxpayers money for 5 years and now sells drugs."

Pretty big statements. Too bad the RCMP rejected you, you could really make a big difference putting away the person selling drugs.

"They have to be accountable for the choices they make, and they are not, excuses are made for them "

We, too, have to be accountable for the choices that we make, including quiting school.

So, I don't know what you want me to "TELL YOU" about fair other than you've already figured out that life isn't fair....

I still maintain that there are a lot of ignorant posts on this website. Too bad. I'll only take responsibility for me and not just ignoring the ignorance....because change doen't happen by remaining silent.

Posted by: Harbinger on February 7 2008 4:22 PM

I didn't take anyone's land. I got mine from Re Max.

Posted by: unitas77 on February 8 2008 9:22 AM

Right Back At You Youwho

Yes the recruiter from the RCMP told me they were looking for MINORITy REPRESENTATION!!!

I am glad that you were able to accomplish a masters degree, good for you. Circumstances were obviously different and I am not blaming anyone for my decisions, I stand by them, but how can someone try to do things right, good work ethic, follows the law sit by and watch things handed over to someone who does not deserve it. I am saying we should be rewarding those who are worthy of a reward! Those who earn it. I may not have a masters degree to show off to all, but i am proud of what i have accomplished in my life, I am accountable for ALL my choices, dont talk to me like you know me - you can sit there and sip from your silver spoon, cleaning your masters degree waiting for all your sports buddies (including natives) and look down on the rest of us all you want - seems your masters didnt solve your narrow views

Posted by: Howrd_B_Stern on February 8 2008 11:00 AM

Unitas,

As a white male in this society you are among the most privileged to walk the streets. You are privileged on two levels: White and Male.

I suggest you read Peggy McIntosh's article (Google it) "Unpacking the Napsack", and see how as a white male, you are entitled to certain unearned privileges that are not afforded to women or minorities.

It will give you a whole new sense about what is "fair".

Also, nothing about YouWho's post suggests to me that they have a silver spoon in their mouth. They just called you on the BS coming out of yours.

Posted by: Harbinger on February 8 2008 5:21 PM

It takes a village to raise a child. If so, isn't a prison a village full of idiots? Jest wunderin'.

Posted by: unitas77 on February 8 2008 6:54 PM

Mr. Stern,

Can you call me a liar? You call BS do you?Telling me i am privilaged to be white and male. I am priviledged to be a human being. I just wish we were all treated the same. Call BS on me, but make sure your research is done first, check the news, what the CCRA has for laws regarding minorities. According to their laws, you cant portray a minority in a negative way. If they committed mass murder on a Charles Manson level, we would not be able to say they are monsters, because that would be negative. How about the issue with the RCMP, we adopt the practises of alien customs and changes our traditions to make them feel better, point in case, the RCMP uniform was altered to adopt alien customs.

Dont call BS on me, stop making excuses for them all and deal with the issues, quit sugar coating everything to protect yourself from possibly offending someone. I was born and raised in Canada, but my ancestors did nothing wrong to these people, so why am i to pay for that and watch undeserving PEOPLE suck the system. I call BS on both of you, take your blinders off, Canada is falling apart because of all of this. No wonder the french want to leave.

Posted by: youwho on February 8 2008 7:51 PM

A great impression of a hampster on a wheel. None of it makes sense, especially when you look from the outside. I suppose hampsters usually don't know that the wheel they are turning goes nowhere.

Time to get off the wheel.

Posted by: youwho on February 8 2008 7:54 PM

hamster

go to town with that one (Masters degree and all!)

Posted by: Howrd_B_Stern on February 8 2008 11:12 PM

Unitas, my challenge to you is to actually read the article I told you about earlier.

I wish we were all treated the same, but the reality is we aren't, and we better do our best to throw down all differences and just live with each other.

Now having said that, next time you see a minority who is successful, will you think of them as your equal who got there because of hard work, or will you think of them as a result of tokenism and government handouts?

The ball is in your court.