
The Kamloops Thompson Cariboo representative in the House of Commons says his focus ahead of the next election is to develop a platform when it comes to the Criminal Justice System.
Associate Shadow Minister of Justice Frank Caputo’s comments comes after John Brittain, a BC man convicted of killing four people in Penticton in 2020, was relocated to a medium security facility three years into a 25-year sentence for “good behaviour.”
Caputo explains that a bill was put forward to change the system earlier this year, to change the system, after Paul Bernardo – one of Canada’s most notorious killers – was transferred to medium-security prison.
“My colleague Tony Bolton had a bill that he put forward and what it would have said is that nobody charged with two first-degree murders or anybody who was a dangerous offender – I can’t recall if it was both – but they charged the two first degree murders, could leave maximum security… The Liberals said no to that bill.”
Caputo says he wants to use his knowledge of working in the criminal justice system to put in better policies, as he says it is the role of the federal government to create “sound policy” for independent institutions.
“The Parole Board always has to be independent, and I’m not going to be somebody who says that our institutions should have government interference, but as a government, your intervention is creating policy and you have to create sound policy so groups like the Parole Board or Corrections Canada, can carry them out.”
“If that policy is somebody who has two counts of first-degree murder on their sentence can’t leave maximum security, well, that’s the policy you create.”
Caputo says the fault ultimately lies with the government in a lot of respects, which is why he says he wants to help implement changes in moving dangerous offenders out of maximum security prisons.
“Ultimately, we’re the ones who are voted in to make these changes, we were the ones who voted in to exercise good judgment and the buck ultimately has to stop with us.”