I suspect a higher percentage of the people charged are teenagers since the criminal gangs behind auto thefts outsource to young people. They also provide up to $10,000 in bail if they are caught. So they are in and out in 24 hours. The courts seem reluctant to put them behind bars. Public Safety Canada has some useful background information on its site. The Insurance Bureau of Canada has lots of background information and it has an off shoot Equite Association which seems to have some of the best statistics on auto theft and the trends. Auto Theft seems to be a highly de-centralized criminal activity. Kids do the stealing. Other groups put them in trucks or containers. Someone else ships them and then when the reach a foreign port, foreign criminal groups reship them to the Middle East or Africa.
As always, Sir, terrifically interesting (and depressing!).
I will shortly hitting the upgrade button.
Oh, and as for your question as to whether the courts are "overburdened by too much law?" I have a couple of answers.
Yes, too much law and insufficient, inconsistent and stupid application of it.
Too much law brings about ever so word parsing legal eagles (or is that beagles? some other breed? skunks?). [My slam at my former friends of the bar - I am a retired CPA.] The more laws, the greater the detailed this, that and the other, all of which allow one - or one's representative - to claim that the law doesn't cover this, that or the other.
I refer you to Lord Conrad Black who claims a) innocence; b) "insider knowledge" of the US penal system; and c) that anyone, anywhere, can be convicted of SOMETHING, the laws being so complex and incomprehensible. I can not speak to items a) and b) but I absolutely think that c) is accurate and that Canada is going (has gone?) the same way.
So, my prescription is simpler law but somewhat broader law and (very dangerous ground here!) allowing judges some leeway and also setting particular sentences in the law so that .... ah! what's the use? The various weasels will twist any attempt to reform the system!
I suspect a higher percentage of the people charged are teenagers since the criminal gangs behind auto thefts outsource to young people. They also provide up to $10,000 in bail if they are caught. So they are in and out in 24 hours. The courts seem reluctant to put them behind bars. Public Safety Canada has some useful background information on its site. The Insurance Bureau of Canada has lots of background information and it has an off shoot Equite Association which seems to have some of the best statistics on auto theft and the trends. Auto Theft seems to be a highly de-centralized criminal activity. Kids do the stealing. Other groups put them in trucks or containers. Someone else ships them and then when the reach a foreign port, foreign criminal groups reship them to the Middle East or Africa.
The legal system has become so complex and bureaucratic that too rarely justice is done.
The legal system seems designed to serve those employed in the legal system and not those accused of crimes and not the law-abiding citizen.
As always, Sir, terrifically interesting (and depressing!).
I will shortly hitting the upgrade button.
Oh, and as for your question as to whether the courts are "overburdened by too much law?" I have a couple of answers.
Yes, too much law and insufficient, inconsistent and stupid application of it.
Too much law brings about ever so word parsing legal eagles (or is that beagles? some other breed? skunks?). [My slam at my former friends of the bar - I am a retired CPA.] The more laws, the greater the detailed this, that and the other, all of which allow one - or one's representative - to claim that the law doesn't cover this, that or the other.
I refer you to Lord Conrad Black who claims a) innocence; b) "insider knowledge" of the US penal system; and c) that anyone, anywhere, can be convicted of SOMETHING, the laws being so complex and incomprehensible. I can not speak to items a) and b) but I absolutely think that c) is accurate and that Canada is going (has gone?) the same way.
So, my prescription is simpler law but somewhat broader law and (very dangerous ground here!) allowing judges some leeway and also setting particular sentences in the law so that .... ah! what's the use? The various weasels will twist any attempt to reform the system!