Prince George Taking Part in New Program to Deal with Repeat Offenders

By 250 News

 Prince George is one of five communties that will part of a special pilot project aimed at  getting chronic repeat offenders  out of the cycle of crime.

The strategy is aimed at reducing high volume crimes like break and enters, car thefts, assaults, robberies and drug trafficking.

"One-half of crimes in B.C. are committed by just 10 per cent of offenders. These are the serious repeat offenders that we're targeting," says Soliciot General John Les.   "We need to try a more integrated multi-agency response because many of these chronic offenders are dealing with issues such as drug addiction, mental illness, unemployment or homelessness. Helping them deal with these issues is crucial to ending their cycle of crime."

Prolific offenders have long criminal histories.  Typically, they can have 24 convictions or more between the ages of 18 and 24 for property theft, drug offences and assault. Often they will have been to jail numerous times within a single year, breach probation and repeat the cycle of incarceration.

The Prolific Offender Management Project will be tested in,  Prince George, Surrey,Kamloops, Nanaimo, the Capital Regional District, and there are efforts to bring Williams Lake on line

These communities already have integrated initiatives to reduce crime and social disorder which the pilot projects will enhance.

New community project teams will involve representatives from corrections, police, Ministry of Attorney General, regional health authorities, housing services, Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance and others.  Based on selection criteria, the police and other criminal justice agencies will determine which of the offenders in their community will be part of the test pilot and get help with issues fuelling their crime. This can include referrals to drug treatment programs, seeing mental health professionals on a regular basis, work or housing programs. 

Offenders selected for the pilots who continue to commit crime should expect a strong response from the criminal justice system.  Courts will
be provided extensive information about prolific offenders at the time of any sentencing for a new conviction.

Particpants cannot be forced to  take part says Les,  "It will be voluntary but  I am certain the are a good number of  offenders who will  be willing to take advantage of these services."

Results of the pilots will be evaluated to determine how much crime declines in each community, and what approaches work well. Best practices in policing and intervention will be shared with interested B.C. communities.

"Since 2005, the RCMP has been targeting prolific offenders for arrest, which has resulted in impressive reductions in property crime, in some communities of between 20 and 30 per cent for certain types of crime," said RCMP deputy commissioner Gary Bass.  "The pilots being announced today take crime reduction to a new level by coordinating the approach to prolific offenders to prevent them from committing more crime."

The project is part of wide-ranging, comprehensive justice reform initiative, which will complement the upcoming community safety strategy announced in the speech from the throne. The pilot communities will have their project teams in place early in 2008, with status reports beginning in fall, 2008.

"We will be monitoring these pilot projects closely," said Les. "If the results mimic those already seen by the RCMP's crime reduction efforts we will look at expanding the project to other areas of the province." 

Les says this isn't saying the Corrections system isn't working, "Clearly there is a place for the Corrections system. but  for a certain group there needs to be another approach."

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