[chemgear]

https://vancouversun.com/news/crime/...ific-offenders

B.C. calling in experts to help deal with 'catch-and-release' criminals

Some of those individuals are unlikely “to take up voluntary supports,” Eby said, which is why the experts will look into ways to make addiction or mental health treatment a compulsory part of sentencing.

The government could have taken immediate measures, Stone said, such as requiring provincial courts to order stricter bail conditions or appointed a prosecutor whose sole focus is on prolific offenders.

Eby said provincial prosecutors are hamstrung by federal law, including provisions that require police and courts to ensure that an individual be released at the earliest opportunity instead of being held in jail.

One of the examples cited in the B.C. Urban Mayors’ Caucus letter is the case of a Kelowna man who has been the subject of 346 police files since 2016 and has 29 convictions for property crime and assault offences. The mayors say the offender is routinely released with conditions, only to reoffend.

“The catch-and-release system has had an impact on our residents sense of safety,” Basran said.

Vancouver residents are “frustrated by the outsized impacts a small number of repeat offenders have had” on communities, he said in a statement.

For example, 40 people in Vancouver are responsible for over 6,300 incidents, Stewart said.