This Friday I spent some time in prison. I was in good company though.  I attended an announcement at the Saskatoon Correctional Centre last Friday with Minister of Agriculture Gerry Ritz (the Federal Cabinet Minister for Saskatchewan) and provincial Justice Minister Don Morgan.

Currently, many criminals receive “bonus time” off of their sentences after they have been convicted and sentenced. Why?  Because of the time they have already spent in prison.  This can mean that for every day spent in remand before sentencing, up to three days can be taken off one’s sentence.  For example, a three year sentence can be reduced to one year if the time was all served before the trial.

This practice creates an incentive for a sharp defense lawyer to drag out the pre-trial period if he suspects his client is likely to be convicted.  As a result, actual prison sentences can be much shorter than the punishment judges are handing out.

Your Conservative government thinks this is wrong.  We believe a sentence should be the length of time that is actually stated by the judge in court when a criminal is convicted.  By changing the current policy, we will also encourage cases to get to trial faster. Hopefully, the judicial system will also save time and money.  The “three for one, get out of jail early policy” is ending, and not a day too soon.

I’m Brad Trost, your Member of Parliament in Saskatoon-Humboldt.  You can call my office in Saskatoon at 975-6133 or drop by our two offices to visit: Saskatoon Monday-Friday or Humboldt Tuesday and Wednesday. I always appreciate your feedback.