The reviews are in

It's a shame it's taken until after the end of the sitting of Parliament for the Cons' dumb on crime legislation to receive the criticism it deserves. But at least we're seeing the right responses now. Here's Marilla Stephenson:

The truly frustrating aspect of the change in law is that it does nothing to speed already slow court dockets that are straining to accommodate cases in often inadequate and understaffed court facilities. The Conservatives, rather than doing something at the front end of the system that could have reduced the "time served before sentencing, have further back-end loaded an already groaning system by tying the hands of judges to prevent them from using their discretion.

And besides mirroring a heavy-handed American justice system, have the Conservatives done anything to demonstrate that eliminating "time served does anything to reduce crime in the first place?

The Leader-Post editorial board:

As he finished his term as Canada's first ombudsman for crime victims in April, Steve Sullivan said: "The tough-on-crime agenda will not meet the needs of victims of crime." Sullivan called for "balance" and questioned the 27-per- cent hike in prison spending at a time of falling crime rates.

Let's be clear: Those who are a menace to society must be removed from it -- and for long periods if necessary.

But one size -- jail -- does not fit all. Locking up thousands more people without offering any evidence that this will increase public safety is itself a miscarriage of justice.

And the Globe and Mail:

It is unfathomable that the Canadian government would be preparing to more than double annual spending on the country’s jails at a time when almost all other government departments are being held in check, or cut. Never mind deficit reduction. Never mind health care or education. Never mind the environment. Only one thing matters: to be seen as tough on crime.

If the Truth in Sentencing Act costs what Kevin Page, the Parliamentary Budget Officer, thinks it will, the act is reckless and ridiculous. Mr. Page’s estimate is that the costs to run the federal and provincial jails, now at $4.4-billion a year, will rise to $9.5-billion by 2015-16. Sixty per cent of the extra costs, or $3.1-billion a year, would be borne by the provinces. And that’s just one of many crime bills.

If the government didn’t know what the new law would cost, its managerial incompetence is inexcusable. If, as is more likely, it knew but didn’t say, its stealth is unjustifiable. Why would Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who has been promoting government-wide restraint in the name of deficit control, allow jail budgets to go wild? Why would the government not tell the truth about the Truth in Sentencing Act?