Mr. Speaker, it has been mentioned several times that our justice system wantonly releases people who commit crime. I just want to come back to subsection 515(10) of the Criminal Code.
A person accused of murder is held in custody, naturally. The Criminal Code states that a person can continue to be detained “where the detention is necessary for the protection or safety of the public” and if there is any “substantial likelihood that the accused will, if released from custody, commit a criminal offence”. That is when the defendant has not yet been found guilty.
However, people have also criticized conditional sentences, namely house arrest, that are handed down after someone has been found guilty. Again, a conditional sentence is only possible when the court is convinced that the measure does not jeopardize community safety.
I would like my colleague's thoughts on these sections of the Criminal Code.