Photo: by catherzord http://www.flickr.com/photos/catherzord/
Imagine you are at a grocery store. Imagine standing in line. There is a couple before you with a cart filled with diaper and liquor. The couple realize that they are just not carrying enough money to purchase it all. You see the couple exchange a couple of statements. They decide to leave the diaper behind while proceeding with the liquor.
Well, I see our government’s attempt to drain our system of much needed social spending in order to advocate for its ideological crime agenda in a similar light as the anecdote above. First question that runs through people’s minds: “How do you choose liquor over diaper?”
The overwhelming evidence against the Conservative Crime Bill C-10 has not only demonstrated the shortcomings and ineffectiveness of the legislation, but also proves a disturbing pattern of social engineering.
Why is our government so intent on spending over $100,000 per year, per prisoner [and this is only incarceration, not prison building costs]? I am beginning to think that if those people were actually aided by half the amount the government is willing to spend on criminalizing them, they might not even be conditioned to act criminally, however crime is defined by this government.
Why are we investing in creating criminals? That is what it all comes down to: investment.
I think we got it all wrong. The crime is to push people into desperate conditions by strategically allocating public resources into creating social need and chaos while pouring money in unnecessary institutional structures already proven to have failed around the world.
We got it all wrong. We have become so deeply indoctrinated to suspect and fear one another rather than focusing on the systemic acts of terror and social engineering from the top. I have stated this before, and I will state it again: Poverty, hunger, homelessness are violent physical manifestations; poverty, hunger and cold are painful! To systematically impose poverty on people through austerity measures while investing on policies that violate the most basic human rights should be considered criminal.
Are human rights the essence of any given legal system? Are laws established and enforced to ensure the collective well being of all members of society? Are laws not the tools of empowerment through which members of society can claim protection against harm, oppression, and injustices? Are concepts of human rights and dignity no longer at the core of legislative processes?
Would it be correct to assume that fundamentally laws are the essential elaboration of equality among people, that they would apply equally to everyone. If laws begin to apply to some for the benefit of others, the system upon which these rules have been crafted is no longer relevant.
So what happens when laws become tools of oppression and the very justifications for inequality?
Through its crime agenda, our government is clearly engineering a necessity to establish a police state. By allocating public resources in such strategic manner as to strip the institutional structures that provide for individuals and communities and further marginalizing already vulnerable social groups who need most protection.
Here is the Conservative Government’s strategy: invest in creating the conditions for criminalization of individuals, the very conditions that would legitimize their ideological agenda. Create criminals. Create fear.
Are laws and governments contingent on their ability to maintain themselves relevant through the creation of the very conditions that legitimize their existence?
More Links
U.S. officials warn against mandatory minimum sentences
US Cops to Canada: Learn from our mandatory minimum sentencing mistake
Justice minister shoots down criticism that mandatory sentencing law won’t work
U.S. law panel urges Harper to avoid ‘costly failure’ of mandatory minimum pot punishments
The Politics of Punishment – Depoliticizing Justice Reform
Min Reyes is a life-long student of historical materialism and dialectics. She holds a B.A. in Communications from Simon Fraser University, B.C. Canada. Min’s personal passions include history of ideology and communication; social theories and political economy; social justice and activism; and visual arts, particularly street photography. You can find Min’s personal blog or contact her via twitter @Min_Reyes.
More articles... :
Share and Enjoy
Related posts: