Alex Reid

James Turner of The Winnipeg Free Press writes about a sentencing hearing earlier this week featuring a teenager who is a repeat auto theft offender.

Several alarming things are apparent from Turner’s article: the Manitoba Youth Centre is overcrowded with nearly half (44%) of the teenage prisoners are there because of auto theft convictions or related charges.

Most urgently highlighted however is that sending people to jail to hang out with others who have committed similar crimes only encourage them to “trade war stories” and gain criminal experience while in jail, since no rehabilitation programming exists at the MYA and the correctional officers aren’t even involved with the Winnipeg Police’s Winnipeg Auto Theft Suppression Strategy (WATSS).

The sixteen year old stated in a pre-sentencing report that he doesn’t steal the car for the rush of stealing or to make money off the sale of stolen property, but “because of the adrenaline rush he gets from the potential to engage in high-speed chases and confrontations with police.” His defense lawyer, Randy Janis argued that the youth was not a high risk thief and that his client should “receive a sentence in the community in an effort to rehabilitate him outside the negative influence of the youth centre.”

Judge Rocky Pollack agreed, placing him on two years’ probation with strict conditions, and noted the 57 days spent in custody before sentencing on his record.

“Pollack asked if the teen and other stolen-auto offenders were able to receive any related programming while in custody or if correctional officers were involved in the WATSS strategy. The answer was no.
….
Do we put him here with the other 44 per cent that will continue to swap war stories?” he asked Pollack.

“The best hope for him not to reoffend is to rehabilitate him — if he’s continually immersed in the culture, he’ll be more affected by it,” Janis added.