Read on Twitter
"Reforms aim to reduce over-representation of Black, Indigenous people in jail" https://www.cp24.com/news/reforms-aim-to-reduce-over-representation-of-black-indigenous-people-in-jail-1.5313815
A few initial thoughts...
A few initial thoughts...
1A - There will be provisions to "make drug treatment courts [DTCs] the default option for first-time non-violent offenders charged exclusively with simple possession to help drug users get quick access to treatment and to prevent more serious crimes."
1B - Why is anyone getting charged for simple possession in 2021? #DrugProhibitionKills. #HarmReductionSavesLives. #EndTheDrugWar rather than expanding DTCs as a pipeline to criminalization and incarceration for non-compliance. Ask @theantidawn who wrote a book about DTC pitfalls
2A- There will be provisions to "address systemic inequities in the criminal justice system, including (measures) to promote enhanced use of pre- and post-charge diversion and to better enable courts to impose sentences appropriate to the circumstances of individual cases."
2B- #Diversion has the potential to reduce number of people subject to a costly, ineffective, unjust & inhumane approach to many of the social harms we presently criminalize, but should be accompanied by a commitment to #BuildCommunitiesNotCages. Net-widening is a real risk.
2C- As long as we have structures in place built on colonial & racist foundations such as policing & prisons, systemic racism will persist along w/ the mass criminalization & incarceration of Indigenous & Black people in this country. We need real safety. https://www.choosingrealsafety.com
3A- This bill needs to repeal all mandatory minimum sentences. Transformative justice and accountability processes that meet the needs of people impacted by social harm and dismantle oppressive structures that give rise to violence need more room to grow.
3B- Restorative justice is insufficient. With the exception of community-run initiatives, RJ has been co-opted by carceral logics. Why restore (implies a return to a previous state, one that gave rise to harm) when we can transform social structures & how we relate to 1 another?
