For Immediate Release, June 4, 2002

Vancouver, BC - At a meeting in Harrison Hot Springs on May 2nd and 3rd, senior level bureaucrats from the Criminal Justice Branch of the Attorney General’s Office advised a gathering of approximately 400 Crown Prosecutors of two upcoming policy changes. These changes will have a devastating effect on women.

Attorney General Geoff Plant has indicated that he no longer expects Crown Prosecutors to pro-actively charge in all cases of wife assault. This is a serious change in both policy and philosophy regarding the crime of wife assault.

Crown Prosecutors were also told that the Attorney General will be extending the scope of the diversion program to include offenses that fall into Category 3 offenses. Crown Counsels are encouraged to consider diversion instead of prosecution. Category 3 offenses currently include assault. The Criminal Justice Branch of attorney General’s Ministry is currently revising the lists of offenses that comprise the four categories, it is possible that sexual assault and assault causing bodily harm will be moved into category three in this process.

Each of the proposed changes is dangerous to women. The combination is devastating. Too often women see the serious charges brought by police including assault causing bodily harm, or assault with a weapon reduced to common assault. Far too often, assault charges are reduced to an application for a Peace Bond. Some Crown Counsels have already relaxed their prosecution of wife assault cases despite the fact that this policy change is not yet official. Without the explicit direction of the Attorney General to Crown Counsels to prosecute in all cases, wife assault cases will only be heard in rare cases and we fear they will be heard only after serious injury or death.

A Statistics Canada survey found that close to 60% of women have suffered an attack of a criminal nature by their male partner. By not prosecuting and/or by diverting such cases from prosecution, the Attorney General is denying access to justice to a huge number of women. This change in direction will have an effect on the safety and rights of all women in the province.

These changes in policy may reduce crime statistics, but has the effect of decriminalizing wife assault and allowing husbands and boyfriends to commit more violent attacks before a Crown Counsel is willing to prosecute. The Attorney General may also save money with these policy change, but this savings will be literally at the expense of women’s safety and everyone’s right to a fair trial.

Proactive arrest, charge and prosecution under the direction of a judge who is charged with the protection of the rights of witnesses, accused and the general public are the most effective measures offered to women by the justice system so far. The Attorney General’s dismantling of these mechanisms must be stopped and reversed. We demand a higher level of commitment to the safety and rights of women from Attorney General Geoff Plant.

For more information contact:
Suzanne Jay, Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter,
Phone: (604) 872-8212
Phone: (604) 876-0872