NCJ Number
122477
Date Published
1987
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Canada's Law Reform Commission has made various proposals designed to increase the law's effectiveness in dealing with violent crime.
Abstract
The commission was instrumental in the passage of a hostage taking amendment designed to comply with the terms of the United Nations Convention, which extends the jurisdiction of Canadian courts to try persons in Canadian territory who have allegedly committed offenses abroad. Another code amendment revises the crime of threatening to include threats made directly between the parties. The commission is currently considering the law of assaults and homicide. This work will be included in the draft criminal code anticipated in the fall. Regarding assault, the commission would change the emphasis of the law to focus on the type of assault. The law of homicide would base sanctions on the offender's state of mind and purpose. In its earlier work on sexual offenses, the commission influenced the passage of Bill C-127 in 1982, which creates a parallel, three-tiered structure of assault and sexual assault. In sexual assault, the emphasis is on the violent nature of the offense rather than its sexual aspect. Proposals regarding pornography are expected to reduce the level of sexually violent materials that are available. Another legislative proposal would allow correctional authorities to detain beyond their release dates those inmates who pose a high risk of recidivism.