Laura Szendrei’s killer sentenced as an adult

 

Laura Szendrei’s killer sentenced as an adult

http://www.news1130.com/2013/10/18/laura-szendreis-killer-sentenced-as-an-adult/

When the accused  committed second-degree murder in a sexually-motivated attack three years ago in Delta, he was 6days shy from his 18th However, he got sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for seven years, which is a sentence possible for an adult. The judge showed many reasons why he chose to make this decision, such as psychiatric reports and numerous experts and witnesses who were called in the case. Also, many community members in Delta said that they are still affected by this incident even after 3years.

I'm glad that the judge made such a decision. When I read the tweets that Andrea Mac made saying, "When young man finished murder he threw up, wiped off his pipe and played video games. Days after murder accused went to bday party and trip to Mexico." I could see how the psychiatric reports supported to give him a sentence as an adult. According to the judge, he had a really corrupted mind of hoping to become comfortable around girls and have sex properly. Even if he had those 6days to reconsider about his thoughts and decisions, his opinion wouldn't have changed as an action to commit such a crime like that takes a long consideration, and he probably had a long time to think and plan. His equipments, zap straps and pipe were prepared in his bag and in his hand, and an attempt to rape a woman before the killing of was proven, meaning he really had fixed his mind on to committing such a cruel action. Killer apparently hoped to give random victim amnesia so she wouldn't remember sex assault. Therefore, such a mens rea was right to be punished strongly, as it was very wrong, and the society would have risked being harm if he wasn't prisoned.

I would definitely check out the killer's name on Jan 24th when the application to lift the publication ban goes to court. Such ill guy's name should be allowed to publish as soon as he gets his sentencing done.

Adult sentencing in Juveniles (Laura Szendrei)

http://www.news1130.com/2013/10/18/laura-szendreis-killer-sentenced-as-an-adult/

In September 2010, 15 year old teenager Laura Szendrei was walking through Delta's Mackie Park when she was attacked in an unprovoked incident by a 17 year old individual. Telling police that he had intended to knock her unconscious before raping her, the perpetrator struck Szendrei in the head with a metal bar in the struggle, resulting in her death. At the time, he was 6 days short of his 18th birthday, hence legally a minor. After a 5 month investigation and an undercover sting, the perpetrator was arrested by the RCMP.

After an almost 3 year trial, Laura Szendrei's killer was sentenced to life imprisonment with no chance of parole for 7 years. Although technically 17 at the time, the perpetrator was sentenced according to adult guidelines. Reasons cited for this decision included the randomness and brutality of the crime, as well as his proximity to legal age. Canada's legal code includes provisions for sentencing accordingly for both youth and adults, with lesser sentences for youth. The decision in the Laura Szendrei case to charge the perpetrator with an adult sentence shows that these provisions are not absolute, and are instead guidelines due to assumptions about lessening of responsibility, culpability, and propensity for violence and reeducation. In this particular case, the perpetrator was shown to effectively have the mindset and decisions of an adult due to the facts of the crime and state of the individual.

Environmental Issues Are Getting Heated Up

Article: http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/2013/10/30/groups-argue-bc-not-protecting-old-growth-forest

       A conflict arose between environmentalist groups in British Columbia, and the government over the Douglas fir forest on the southeast Vancouver Island. Environmentalists argued that the provincial government is simply not doing enough work to protect the Douglas fir, which are identified to be a part of the endangered ecosystem. The article does not contain many details of the case, but an interesting point can be observed from the case itself.

      Imagine hearing this issue a few decades ago, perhaps 2-3, before the environmental issues became a point of concern. The case would not go to an extent where it would make an appearance in the provincial Supreme Court, as it would be deemed to be unimportant and trivial. Laws regarding environmental issues have been set according to the wishes of the now- outdated society. As the new millennium started, global warming, as well as other environmental issues started to slip into society. A decade and three years later, it has become the movement of the century, and has changed society's perspective of the environment entirely. It is no longer unimportant and trivial, but the exact opposite. It did not take society long to accept environmental problems to be one of their highest priorities, but the same cannot be said for the legislative branch of government.

     Laws cannot and should not undergo change as quickly as society. If it was to change so frequently, coinciding with society's impulses at every moment, laws would lose their meaning, and create chaos. Unfortunately, this nature of law is what creates conflicts like the one stated in the source article. The justice system, as well as the legislative branch are not as ready to tackle these environmental problems as society would like them to be. The final outcome of this case, as well as the others that resemble, will tell us exactly what level of preparedness the government is at about environmental issues at our current time.

Langley School Districts to Install Cameras on Buses

How would you feel, if your every little movement was recorded, and you were constantly being watched by someone you didn't know? I personally, value my privacy. The world of 1984 by George Orwell is horrifying enough; I would like that type of society to stay fiction, not become increasingly realistic.

Recently, the Langley School District has proposed a novel idea -- to install surveillance cameras in its whole fleet of buses. Among the reasons the district is considering to install cameras is to monitor the conduct of the bus drivers. However, with an already safe record of school bus drivers, it is hard to detect the motivation behind such a plan. If there were incidents where the bus drivers have engaged in inappropriate action, then it may serve as sufficient evidence for the plan of installing cameras.

Others may say that issues such as bullying may arise on school buses, and it is important that there are cameras to record that. However, there is no point of the cameras when the bus driver can monitor the children. Say if there were cameras on the bus, it would not better help the driver aid the situation. As well, the bus driver has the responsibility of driving the students safely to school, so they should be focusing on the road rather than on driving and surveillance concurrently.


An even more pressing issue is the violation of privacy rights. By constantly monitoring the students, the school district is stripping away the students' inherent right to privacy. Regardless of the school district’s that the surveillance cameras are important to protecting the safety of the students, we should not sacrifice the privacy of all students for a very small minority.

The school district has not been able to provide ample arguments to substantiate the need for surveillance cameras in buses. Not only is it not justified, it also violates a fundamental right -- that of privacy. If cameras were to be installed, it will no doubt lead to much controversy from parents and public alike. Like what Josh Paterson of the BC Civil Liberties Associations has said, “We don’t think that it’s proper for kids to just have videos trained on them at all times, regardless of what they are doing, regardless of what the risks are.”

Current Events Responses - Langley School District considers cameras on full bus fleet

            The Langley School District wanted to install surveillance cameras inside school buses, in an effort to raise security and safety.  Though the district and the school board refuse to inform the public about adding this new gadget, they “insist it’s not yet a done deal.” Most schools districts in Metro Vancouver do not have cameras installed in the buses, but the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows School District recognizes the fact that they have surveillance cameras on their school buses.

The concept of having cameras equipped on school buses to monitor the students is very interesting, however, it is a concept that I find it difficult to agree with.  I would like to analyze the purpose of these add-ons.  The article states that these “equipment[s] would enhance safety, deter bad behaviour, and help address driver problems.” The reasons are justified and are completely valid, yet, I want to question the effectiveness of these cameras.  For instance, how can the driver monitor during student behaviors when he/she is focused on transporting the passengers safely to their destination.  It is simply too dangerous and stressful for the bus driver to pay attention to two things at once for a period of time. Even though these cameras could be a good way to watch if the bus driver is driving safely and being nice to the students, I feel these cameras are overkilling the situation, since these cameras will be monitoring every action of the students on the bus, leaving the students with little to no privacy.

 It is evident that all the students know there are cameras around the school to watch our behaviours, thus, I thoroughly believe that it is unnecessary for the school to know our every move when we are in school buses.  I would like to direct your attention to video (1), which is a video made by a company that produces bus cameras.  This video focuses on the quality of the camera and the scene of the bus from the camera’s perspective.  I would like to point out that the video clearly shows every single movement of the children near the camera, while the movements of the students at the back of the bus were hindered by seats.  This brings back my previous question on the effectiveness of the video camera.  Evidently, the range it can spot things precisely is still lacking.  On an even more serious note, the viewers can easily see the faces of the students near the camera.  In a sense, their identity is being exposed because anyone who can view these videos is able to clearly see their faces.  Josh Paterson of the BC Civil Liberties Association expressed a similar opinion as mine, as he stated “(…) [w]e think it’s a violation of students’ privacy rights.”  Clearly, the idea of having surveillance on school buses concerns organizations such as BC Civil Liberties Association.  He also added that it is improper for kids to have “have videos trained on them at all times.”  I believe that students will not be able to act freely anymore because they are scared that any of their actions would be caught on tape, thus, resulting him or her being in trouble.  Despite the fact that these cameras keep the school a safer place by allowing officials to spot suspicious behaviors, it also strips away the student’s privacy at the same time.  Additionally, the implementation of these cameras would cost a lot of money, which could be used in enhancing an educational program or other purposes. 

I can see the security level increase with the new cameras being installed on the school buses; however, I do not believe this is more important than the privacy of the students and the effectiveness of these cameras may not meet expectations.  

The news article 

http://www.news1130.com/2013/10/30/langley-school-district-considers-cameras-on-full-bus-fleet/

Video(1): School Bus camera 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=UUAKH34V3kimfze8uHuKsqMg&v=LNYWeod8_nA#t=854

Police misconduct

I believe in stiffer penalties because police should use no force at all unless it is to defend themselves from the accused getting violent to escape or to get the accused in control- for example, in handcuffs. It is easy and likely for them to abuse their power so disciplinary action should be installed. 

Lethal force: Recent shootings raise questions over effectiveness of police use-of-force training

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/08/02/lethal-force-recent-shootings-raise-questions-over-effectiveness-of-police-use-of-force-training/

This articles discusses, and provides a general brief overview of many use of force situations, mostly lethal, that Canadian police officers have faced in the past, and will likely continue to face.The author uses many examples of said events, including the well publicized recent deaths of Sammy Yatim, the 18 year old shot to death on a Toronto streetcar in September 2013, and the 2007 shooting death of Paul Boyd, a bipolar man shot 8 times on a downtown Vancouver street. Exploring all the angles of police tactics, such as verbal deescalation vs use of force, it becomes evident that there is no clear cut answer to solving the issue of individuals dying at the hands of the police officers often forced to shoot them.

In recent years, evidence such as eyewitness testimony and especially video or other graphical recordings have come to paint a disturbing picture of lethal force in Canada, often apparently unjustified. From a taser death at Vancouver International to the shooting of a schizophrenic on a Toronto bus in 1997, one could come to the conclusion that rampant and abusive use of firearms, physical force, and compliance devices appears to be on the rise in Canada. Some striking facts mentioned include the moderate sized city of Hamilton having had 4 fatal police shootings in the past 7 years, with Canada on average dealing with a dozen uses of lethal force by law enforcement per year. At first glance, many people could easily decry the firing of 8 shots into a single individual as excessive, just as any amount of shooting at an unarmed or lesser armed individual as brutality. Robert Dziekanski, a Polish immigrant to Canada was tasered 5 times by different officers while unarmed, in a secure area. But unless law enforcement agencies across Canada happen to host large amounts of psychopathic or sadistic individuals, far more than the average per given population, the cause and subsequent fix to police use of force may not be as simple as finger-pointing at deliberate malicious acts by rogue officers.

More likely than malice, factors that play roles in unnecessarily high usage of force often turn out to be things such as inexperience, poor judgement, stress, and poor training. Fight-or-flight reflexes, time dilation, and high levels of adrenaline all impair rational and cool-headed judgement  even in the most highly trained police officers Although police forces may make mistakes that can cost lives, criminal law in Canada distinguishes between acts caused by ill-intent and mistake. While borderline negligent at times, the majority of police officers act in good faith, with the intention of saving lives. In a 2007 article written by criminology expert Professer Rick Parent, he states that it is absolutely conceivable that a police officer be forced to take the time to explore and evaluate every possible option available at any given situation. Instead, an officer is often forced to act with limited knowledge and good faith that acting quickly may help protect individuals.

While independent civilian watchdogs are necessary to objectively evaluate use of force situations and invoke some accountability, no outside evaluation of past events is ever perfect. It's due to these impossibilities in judging every police shooting perfectly, that society (and police investigative forces) often awards a great leeway to police officers involved in lethal action, sometimes to the point of public outrage when a perceived injustice such as excessive use force is not prosecuted. Even if in many cases disciplinary actions may be in order, as Clifton Purvis of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team stated in regards to the average police officer, "I am almost certain the last thing they planned to do when they went of to work that day was engage in lethal violence." At the end of the day, topics to do with police use of lethal force comprises a wide spectrum of events, policies, training procedures, and deaths. While taking steps towards police transparency and objective investigating of incidents may serve to bring a greater sense of justice and accountability, the issue of police use of lethal force is a complicated one that will likely require much inquiry in the future.