The quality of mercy is already strained.

The Toronto Star is reporting that Attorney General Michael Bryant is set to call for tougher minimum sentences for anyone convicted of a gun offence but the truth is the law already allows for longer sentences but the Justices of our criminal court system do not uniformly impose the stiffer penalties that are already on the books. This is not a case of the penalties for the crime being inadequate. We don’t necessarily need more law on the books for gun crimes but we do need are Justices whose first and prime concern is the safety of the general public and not the alleged potential for rehabilitation of the offender.

The Star goes on to report that the Attorney General will also be introducing community impact statements as part of the sentencing process for those convicted of gun crimes. Well, well, it won’t do a thing to stop the tide of violence but it does takes up space on the sound bite.

Update: Christie Blatchford of the Globe and Mail has her own “impact” statement on a scenario that is far too typical from my experience in the criminal justice system in Toronto. (Registration and subscription required or you can just do the google thingy.)