TREATMENT IS A MUST
On one hand, a Parole Board of Canada decision denying day parole to Paul Anthony Burke is reassuring.
The Saskatoon man is serving a federal sentence of two years, 11 months and three days for possession of child pornography after police found a large number of files on his computer, including a video that depicted very violent abuse of a young girl. The sentencing judge said the images were among the worst he had ever seen.
In turning down his parole request, board members cited concerns that Burke minimized his prior actions and told him he requires “significant interventions prior to release to ensure that you do not return to this deviant behaviour.”
This does not sound like a man ready for release, and based on what is in the report, the public should thank the board members for making the right decision.
A close read of the document, however, shows a troubling fact: Burke sought out sex offender programming, but was denied.
This raises this question: If a man convicted of downloading some of the worst and most violent child porn a judge has ever seen can’t get treatment, who can?
One arm of the federal government says Burke clearly needs treatment, yet the Correctional Service of Canada says he does not qualify. To say this is puzzling is an understatement.
The report also outlines an incident when Burke went to a psychologist in the community who refused to help him. It seems action that may have helped limit his crimes could have been taken, but nothing was done.
As distasteful as it seems, and as undeserving of time and resources many find child porn offenders, treatment must be available. The programming’s aim must be preventing more children from being exploited once the prisoner is released. It must be done for the sake of the kids.
According to Stats Canada, the number of criminal code offences related to child pornography increased 41 per cent in 2014 over those recorded in 2013. Of course, this may indicate improvement in catching offenders, but it also clearly shows this problem is not diminishing. The per-capita rate of 11 incidents per 100,000 is hard to fathom — and there are still many people out there accessing, possessing, making and distributing these materials who are not getting caught.
We need to discover more about what causes people to engage in this behaviour and intervene in a more proactive way.
It is important there are stern consequences for those who commit crimes involving child pornography. Along with this, treatment that helps limit the victimization of children must be available.