Travis Vader arrested… again. Why are so many repeat offenders back on the streets?

By Laura Bohnert

On June 13, 2015, Travis Vader was, once again, arrested.

The 42-year-old man who has been accused of murdering Lyle and Marie McCann, a senior couple last seen in St. Albert on July 3, 2010, was arrested in Barrhead, Alberta, for a domestic assault allegation that involved his common-law partner. Vader was arrested, charged with assault, and was denied bail at a later court appearance.

Vader’s first-degree murder charges in connection with the McCanns were stayed on March 19, 2014; however, charges were re-laid on December 19, at which time Vader was again arrested and taken into custody. He was released and placed on house arrest following a court appearance on December 23, 2014.

Since being freed on bail in December, Vader has been arrested twice on charges of assault and dangerous driving. Vader, however, isn’t the only repeat offender who spends his time in and out of jail despite the fact that he is deemed “likely to reoffend” – so, why are so many criminals allowed to walk back out into the public?

According to Laurie Levenson, professor at Loyola Law School, “judges have [a] tough job deciding appropriate punishment and whether a person deserves a second chance.” Judges must weigh the severity of the crime against both public safety and the defendant’s efforts to reform; however, Levenson concedes, “a judge is always taking some risk when giving a repeat offender another chance.”

“I think judges are often concerned that the guy they let out will be the next one they read about in the newspaper,” states Levenson, “but… they cannot put everybody in custody.”

Yet, considering the extremes of violence that have been demonstrated by Vader and others alike, it doesn’t seem too unreasonable to ask — why can’t all offenders (or in the very least, all repeat offenders) be placed in custody?

Of course, the lack of government funds could likely top that list of excuses. Numerous prisons have been shut down, causing the larger remaining prisons to become overcrowded. To compensate for the costs of maintaining inmates, it’s easy enough just to let them back out onto the streets (not to mention how much extra money the government is making with each $25,000 bail payment Vader makes).

But, maybe that’s too cynical. We are talking about reform strategies, after all. How can we convince would-be criminals not to commit crimes without offering them the opportunity to be released early on in their sentences so they can be awarded the opportunity to resist the temptation to commit more crimes for which they probably won’t be punished? Forcing them to stay in prison for the full length of their sentence and re-evaluating their sentence lengths when they repeat-offend upon release? That’s just absurd — at least for the white guys like Vader, anyway.

I agree that the prison system needs to be reformed, but I’m not sure this actually falls into the category of reform — nor is it the option that even seems most likely to keep the vulnerable, everyday-tax-paying citizens safe.

Vader is set to stand trial in 2016 for the 2010 murder of the McCanns.