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Larry Comeau, Ottawa
A misstep by Carleton
Re: Shantz: Let’s commend the courage of Carleton to end police internships, Aug. 18
In his opinion article, Prof. Jeff Shantz defends the decision by Carleton University’s Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice (ICCJ) to end student placements with the Ottawa police, RCMP, Correctional Services Canada, and the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre.
It is difficult to understand how this decision by the ICCJ will advance the cause of fighting systemic racism in the named agencies, or anywhere else. In the statement posted on its website, the ICCJ acknowledges the argument that students and new employees can make valuable contributions to changing workplace cultures in police organizations, but dismisses it on the grounds that “people join the police much more because they want to belong to it than because they want to change it.” This confession of impotence by the ICCJ is telling. If it is unable to convince its own students of the need for change, how can it expect them to make a difference? Won’t these police agencies just hire more people who believe that everything is fine and no change is required?
The police is only one component of the justice system. They do not sentence people to jail. Only courts do that, in accordance with laws passed by legislatures elected democratically. If students are to be denied the opportunity to obtain experience with police forces, the same logic suggests that they should not accept internships with judges or politicians.
