Controversy
Conditional sentences are controversial among some Canadians as being too lenient. For example, Mothers Against Drunk Driving have argued that they should not be available to persons convicted of impaired driving.
Former justice minster Vic Toews, then justice critic for the Conservative Party of Canada, has also criticized them, saying that Canada needs to "get the drug men and the gunmen off the streets and get rid of conditional sentences." In 2008, Stephen Harper noted that in Saskatchewan 39 per cent of criminals sentenced to house arrest were sent back to jail for breaching their conditions. In addition, thousands convicted of crimes of violence, including homicides and sexual assaults have been given conditional sentences.
Proponents of conditional sentences, however, have noted that the courts must not give a conditional sentence if it believes the offender will endanger the community. Furthermore, only a minority of offenders breech their conditions or reoffend, and that conditional sentencing saves taxpayers over $50,000 per inmate each year.
Read more about this topic: Conditional Sentence (Canada)
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