Youth justice system in shambles

A recent photo of the youth responsible for the death of a Halifax mother and teacher illustrated a cavalier attitude that has become all too familiar within Nova Scotia courtrooms.

When the accused walked into court in 2005 wearing a ballcap perched on the side of his head and a broad smile on his face, his body language indicated utter disregard for the actions that claimed the life of Theresa McEvoy.

This offender is a classic case of a justice system that’s inherently flawed. Despite a long rap sheet, he walked free from custody in 2004 from Windsor Court after a series of errors in the legal paper trail. He proved how powerless the courts are, too, stealing a car to make his way from Windsor to Halifax. It was the same vehicle that, two days later, slammed into McEvoy's, causing her death.

The provincial legal hierarchy listed many reasons why this perpetrator was released from custody in Windsor in the first place, including that a broken fax machine left prosecutors ignorant of his history of criminal activity.

The Oct. 14, 2004 collision that killed McEvoy resulted in the man receiving a 54-month jail sentence. Ordered to participate in a number of counselling programs, including substance abuse, as part of his sentence, the convicted killer illustrated his disdain for the justice system when, after months in jail, he was granted day parole in January, 2007. The parole privileges he was given were revoked recently because he didn’t abide by the conditions spelled out by the courts.

RCMP suggest many youth who get into trouble with the law have a fan club of sorts as they become ‘celebrities’ for their actions. Bragging rights in the “Big House” are nothing new, but such status was reserved at one time for those who robbed banks or outsmarted financial institutions.

In the jails today, however, killing someone automatically results in ‘street cred’ and guarantees the perpetrator 'respect' and notoriety from fellow inmates and angry youth on the other side of the chain link fence.

In the end, the accused pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death and criminal negligence causing death and was sentenced as an adult in January 2006. Given his status as a 'celebrity’, small wonder he has shown no remorse for his crimes.

The judiciary strives to prohibit such behaviour, but it appears teens and young adults have been left with a virtual 'licence to kill' by the current penal system.

This particular offender should stay in jail for the maximum sentence and should be under keen watch once he’s released. And perhaps a face-to-face meeting under the Restorative Justice Program with the McEvoy family might wipe the smirk from the face of the young man who took Theresa McEvoy’s life.