[Dion]

Originally Posted by ken0042

I hope everybody who is outraged by the short sentances our courts have to hand down takes this opportunity to send a letter to you MP; requesting the laws be changed.

Did that a year ago.

Liberal senators blasted by Tories, NDP for blocking crime bill

OTTAWA — Federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson blasted Liberal senators on Wednesday, accusing them of watering down legislation designed to remove credit for time served by offenders awaiting sentencing.


The legislation, supported by provincial governments across the country, would eliminate a common practice among judges, when sentencing offenders, to credit them on a two-for-one basis for each day spent in detention.


But the Senate legal and constitutional affairs committee voted to change the proposed legislation so that offenders would receive a credit of 1.5 days for each day served in pre-sentence custody — but that judges would retain their discretion to sentence up to two days or as they see fit.


"I believe the bill has been gutted," Nicholson told Canwest News Service. "Judges will have the discretion to give up to two-to-one, which is exactly what we had taken aim at."

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Li...007/story.html