Victims, and children in particular, need much stronger advocacy in our legal system. However, the police are explicitly the wrong people to provide that
What the police did this week is come out and say “This person is guilty of doing these crimes and deserves X punishment”. No trial. No public evidence. Just the police declaring someone guilty and deciding the punishment
There’s very important reasons we don’t do that. Can’t do that, and remain a free society. People are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, and both the victims and the investigators are intentionally separated from the act of weighing the evidence and deciding guilt.
It’s unacceptable and inexcusable for the police to breach that separation, for any reason. Honestly, it wouldn’t be out of line for the prosecutor’s office to either require the justice minister to remove the head of EPS, or resign on the basis that there’s no ability for them to do their jobs on a professional standard
If we want better advocacy and oversight, let’s start actually funding the prosecutor’s office above minimum viable levels so they can process cases on a basis other than efficiency. Let’s fund the courts, so that cases are not backlogged by years. Let’s fund all the existing victim services and advocacy organizations that already exist.
Excellent piece, Deirdre! Thank you for speaking up for those - including minors and adults - who CANNOT, for any number of complicated/convoluted realities, speak up/out for themselves.
That is exactly it -- we used to have middle school kids reading about Dick, Jane, and Spot. Now we know we can give those to toddlers. I was in uni when my eldest two were in kindergarten and elementary. I told them more than once that they were learning things I was. Protecting them means having open and honest conversations. It also means letting them win an argument once in a while; if they can't learn it's worth advocating for or standing up for themselves at home, who do we think will teach them?
Victims, and children in particular, need much stronger advocacy in our legal system. However, the police are explicitly the wrong people to provide that
What the police did this week is come out and say “This person is guilty of doing these crimes and deserves X punishment”. No trial. No public evidence. Just the police declaring someone guilty and deciding the punishment
There’s very important reasons we don’t do that. Can’t do that, and remain a free society. People are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, and both the victims and the investigators are intentionally separated from the act of weighing the evidence and deciding guilt.
It’s unacceptable and inexcusable for the police to breach that separation, for any reason. Honestly, it wouldn’t be out of line for the prosecutor’s office to either require the justice minister to remove the head of EPS, or resign on the basis that there’s no ability for them to do their jobs on a professional standard
If we want better advocacy and oversight, let’s start actually funding the prosecutor’s office above minimum viable levels so they can process cases on a basis other than efficiency. Let’s fund the courts, so that cases are not backlogged by years. Let’s fund all the existing victim services and advocacy organizations that already exist.
Oh for sure -- I didn't mean advocating in the way they were, I meant being advocates in general.
Excellent piece, Deirdre! Thank you for speaking up for those - including minors and adults - who CANNOT, for any number of complicated/convoluted realities, speak up/out for themselves.
I can't imagine, simply can't. The damage, the courage. We are entrusted with one sacred duty to look out for one another.
That is exactly it -- we used to have middle school kids reading about Dick, Jane, and Spot. Now we know we can give those to toddlers. I was in uni when my eldest two were in kindergarten and elementary. I told them more than once that they were learning things I was. Protecting them means having open and honest conversations. It also means letting them win an argument once in a while; if they can't learn it's worth advocating for or standing up for themselves at home, who do we think will teach them?
I love the teenage years. They challenge you, and make you think, and sometimes you change your mind for the better.