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4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, March 3, 1987 Editorial . Capital Punishment Some time in the next four to six weeks, the Parliament of Canada will begin debate on a resolution for «<apital punishment. The resolution will be worded in the form of a general statement of principle, asking MP's if they agree or disagree with capital punish- ment in Canada. If that resolution is passed by a majority of the na- tions' Parliamentarians, it will be turned over to an all-party commit- tee of back benchers which will try to put the details of this issue into legislation form for yet another vote by the full House. 1t is fair to say that over the next few months, the issue of capital punishment in Canada is going to be aired and argued by Canadians from coast to coast. It is an issue that evokes strong emotions in most people, and ) already there are individuals, groups and organizations gearing up for battle on both sides of the argument. Members of Parliament can expect some fierece lobbying before the general resolution comes up for a vote, and if it is passed, the lobbying no doubt will intensify as the Pariamervary committee prepares detailed legislation. In 1976 by a narrow margin of six votes and alter intense debate, the Parliament of the day decided to officially strike capital punish- "ment from the books in this country. The last executions in Canada were in 1962 at Toronto's Don Jail. Times have changed in the last 11 years. The mood of the country seems to have hardened, not just over the capital punishment issue, but towards crime in general. There is a feeling in Canada that our system, of justice has somehow failed to provide adequate protec- tion fof the vast majority of Canadians who are decent, law abiding people. Opinion polis over the last few years would appear to strongly suggest that a majority of Canadians want capital punishment in some form returned for certain crimes. Pre-meditated murder, serial murders like those committed by Clifford Olsen, the killing of police officers and prison guards while on duty, murder committed by terrorists, are the kinds of crimes most often cited as justifying a return to the death penalty. If the law makers of this country seg fit to return the supreme penalty, it-should be a law with teeth in it, and one that can be car- ried out. There's no point passing a 'paper tiger' law that sits up on the shelf collecting dust, of even one that is subject to final ap- peal at the Cabinet 1evel. A law that won't be used is better left unpassed. Going hand in hand with the capital punishment issue is the feel- "ing among a growing number of Canadians that far too often those who commit serious and/or violent crimes are punished with little more .than a sharp rap on the wrists. Many feel that the regulations for "parole, early release from jail on 'good behaviour" mandatory super- visions, even bail requirements need desperately to be tightened up. Still others are appalled at the length of time a court case may drag on before justice is dispensed. Others wonder why more of their tax dollars are not spent to build more prisons and jails to lock up those who insist on breaking the laws of the land and causing untold grief to the victims of crime. Canadians, on average, are not, we Wore, an overly spiteful group clamouring for blood and vengeance at the drop of a hat. On the con- trary, they have been very patient and tolerant. 'But we have to suspect that an increasing majority feel the law and order -pendulum has swung too far in the favour of the law breakers at all levels, including the so-called "white collar' crimes hatched over oak desks. Capital punishment should be returned to the books in Canada, ) along with a general toughening in the way we deal with all law breakers. Decent, law abiding titizens are saying that "enough is enough." They want protection. They want streets that are safe. They want to know that those who flaunt the laws of the land will feel the full weight of the law, and that includes paying the supreme penalty Comments NUCLEAR BOMB TO THIS BUNCH ? for committing a capital murder. Port Perry | (QQ CNA f= 235 QUEEN STREET - PORT PERRY, ONTARIO h i Phone 985-7383 PO Box90 LOB INO J. PETER HVIDSTEN Member of the Publisher Canadian Community Newspaper Association Ww and Ontario Community Newspaper Association Advertising Manager Published every Tuesday by the Port Perry Star Co Ltd Port Perry Ontaro J.B. McCLELLAND . Editor Authorized as second class mad by the Post Ottice Department Ottawa, and for cash CATHY OLLIFFE payment of postage =n cash News & Features Second Class Mail Registration Number 0265 a pLAN € Oma, * > 4 », Qe >" Subscription Rate: In Canada $15.00 per year Elsewhere $45 00 per year Single Copy 35° \ » », APiuy ath LL STAR a Chatterbox by Cathy Olliffe RAPISTS ---- CAN THEY BE STOPPED? One out of every five women in the United States has been or will be raped i in her lifetime. The statistics are lower in Canada but during a one-hour CBC presentation last Wednesday night, two women, anywhere in our country, suf- fered the mental and physical anguish of sexual _ abuse. That's two rapes per hour, 48 rapes a day, and 17,520 rapes in Canada per year. Absolutely stag- gering figures. What's more staggering is "Rapists ---- Can They Be Stopped," the commercial-free documen- tary that premiered on the CBC February 26th. "The film,. created by the same man who brought us the award-winning *'Without a Trace" and the "Tears Are Not Enough' documentary, centered on the Oregon State Hospital where con- victed sex offenders voluntarily submit themselves to an intensive four year treatment course, designed to eliminate their need to rape. The; program boasts a 95 per cent success rate, amazing because rapists without treatment are destined to commit their crimes again and again. Like a dog that kills for the first time and acquires a taste for blood, the rapist can't slake his thirst for rape. One of the men featured on the show commit- ted 25 rapes of women and children before being caught molesting a 7 year old blind girl. Another man, a certified genius attempted to rape his own "mother, and failing that, he murdered her by repeated stabbings. After serving time, the murderous son was ~ paroled. Soon after release he married, and just before his wife delivered their first child, he went out into the community and raped again. A former policeman, going through. some hard times in his personal and work life, commit- ted rape, was caught and charged, and then dismissed the incident as "temporary insanity." As his life got better, he convinced himself he'd never rape again. And he didn't -- until his new job and his second marriage began falling apart, and he picked up a hitch-hiker and raped her. All of the men featured on the program were t offenders, and all of them admitted it was hic for them to rape again. The treatment centre was their last hope, the last ditch effort to erase their desire for violent sex. Through conditioning (shock treatment with ammonia), confrontation with rape victims (who took out their own anger and fear on thd rapists) and a host of other treatments, counsellors try to put an end to the rape cycle. The treatment centre itself was fascinating (1 understand similar methods are used in Canada), but what was most interesting was the film itself. Never before have Iseenon TV a face-to-face interview with a convicted rapist, never mind several. Usually the offender's identity is kept secret, but in this film, everyone bared their faces to the program. } I watched i in horror, the impassive face of a "normal man,' not the face of a monster, as he told of strangling a young woman, then raping her corpse. "I didn't know she was dead until after I was finished when I checked her pulse," ke said matter-of-factly. The same way one might talk about finishing the dishes. ~ Ilistened in horror, to the recording of an ac- tual telephone conversation of a rape victim as she described to a police dispatcher how a stranger was in the progress of entering her house, then her bedroom. The phone was disconnected in mid- scream and eight minutes later police arrived to arrest the man in the middle of rape. I couldn't believe what 1 was hearing, what I was seeing. Never before in a film-form has the reality and horror of sexual abuse been brought home so forcefully. : Never before have I seen such an powerful documentary on this subject. Of course, I shouldn't have been surprised. It was broadcast on CBC, and the network is known throughout the world for its intelligent programming. The more I watch CBC, the more I'm impress- ed. And the more I see, the more it bothers me that the Canadian government continues to make financial cut-backs. ; Every time I turn around, it seems the CBC is laying off, cancelling programs and reducing airtime. Not too long ago, I watched CBC's morning show day after day. Now, nothing appears on Channel 5 until 9 a.m. Why is the CBC in such financial straits? A lot of different reasons, but the reason that stands out the most is the lack of public support. Do you watch the CBC on a regular basis? Do you bother to watch special movie presentations like "Island Love Song," new series like "Street Legal," or news specials. like '"'Rapists -- Can They Be Stopped?" If you don't, you're part of the majority. Especially in southern Ontario where most folks oad rather tune into Moonlighting or The Cosby W I used to be one of those people who cut up Canadian programming, but I don't anymore. Maybe there was a time when the CBC offered nothing more interesting than Don Messers _ (Turn to page 6) 3 z E i