When I was a kid and I misbehaved, which was often, people would say, "You're going to end up in Reform School."It was an idea that terrified me. I wasn't a bad kid, I was a normal kid. But yes, I got into trouble occasionally. And usually, it was because I was hanging out with the wrong crowd on Wyandotte St., in Windsor.Our city had street gangs, of course, but they were mostly on the West side, which was the rough part of town. I was a relatively well-behaved lad that went to Ukrainian Orthodox church on Sundays, and endured the tortures of Catholic school during the week.But let's not talk about that.This piece is about young kids today, trouble-makers, repeat offenders. Kids from broken families perhaps, and kids who are just out of control.Worst case scenario, they kill people. And as usual, because they are young the court looks the other way, giving them a slap on the wrist. Worse, the rural catch and release game. Where the Mounties catch them, only to see them released by well-meaning judges, to cause havoc yet again.Frankly speaking, I don't care what race or culture you are. Whether you are white, black, brown or even if you came from Mars. If you are out there causing trouble and unable to learn from your mistakes, then it's time for society to get tough.One only has to look at Swan River, Man., where crime is now rampant and out of control. A city where I had friends and relatives, who now say, it's gotten scary.Same with kids who steal cars and go on joyrides or do smash and grabs, or cause other problems for the local constabulary.Reform School I say. Time to bring it back..And not just any Reform School, I'm talking something similar to a tough, military style tent school that was pioneered by Sheriff Joseph Michael Arpaio, of Maricopa County, Arizona.The seven-acre "Tent City Jail" in Phoenix, was criticized by some for alleged tough conditions, especially in summer. No air conditioning was provided, nor any heat in winter. Others, including Sheriff Joe, saw it as an expression of an uncompromising "get-tough" approach to crime.Jail is not supposed to be a nice place, it's not a country club. If you did time in Tent City, you would never forget it.Inmates were issued pink underwear to wear underneath their jumpsuits, pornographic magazines were banned, and food consisted of basic Nutraloaf, also called prison loaf. Edibles recovered from food rescue also fed the inmates, who were restricted to meals to twice daily. Coffee and salt were also banned, in an effort to save money.“It costs more to feed the dogs than it does the inmates,” Arpaio boasted to New Yorker writer William Finnegan in 2009.The rules were strict, arbitrary and brutally enforced.Left-wing types, like the ACLU, called it "degrading." Somebody even labelled it "America's concentration camp." But some also considered him a hero, "a living, breathing, John Wayne cowboy lawman."A US Army vet, Arpaio laughed off the criticism, billing himself as “America’s toughest sheriff,” focusing on illegals, the drug trade and criminal gangs.The truth is, the majority of people in Maricopa County liked him and supported him, as Arpaio easily won re-election time and again, despite lawsuits filed against his department for civil rights violations.Aside from his controversial "posse" and arrests of illegals, the sheriff also led the way in responding to animal cruelty and neglect. He started a kill-free shelter in an unused jail to house abused animals, which were then cared for by inmates. Arpaio would start an Animal Crimes Unit and made it a hallmark of his administration.His chain gangs, male and female, also saved cities from having to pay high-cost workers to do the jobs his inmates did.And his anti-drug team busted more meth labs than any other agency, and was at the forefront of finding and arresting those bringing illegal narcotics into the U.S. from the southern border.But after 24 years, tent city was finally closed by Arpaio's successor, Sheriff Paul Penzone, a Democrat — partly because it looked bad image-wise, he said, but also because a study determined $4.5 million could be saved, by shutting it.“This facility is not a crime deterrent, it’s not cost-efficient and it’s not tough on criminals,” Penzone claimed. Arpaio would be convicted of criminal contempt for illegal detentions of undocumented immigrants, but subsequently pardoned by President Donald Trump.I think it is fairly safe to say that a certain percentage of people in prisons and jails are truly bad, and will never be reformed. But a lot of people, a larger percentage, probably ended up there because of bad breaks in life or poor life choices.This is backed up by a prison guard I spoke to, who served on the West Coast. He was a survivor, as many of his peers committed suicide or ended up badly. (Prison can also be very tough on the "screws.")The bad dudes are truly bad he said, and need to be locked up to protect Canadians. They have little chance, if any, of being rehabbed. They are the lifers, who will keep coming back.An outdoor tent city probably wouldn't work with Alberta's brutal winters, but devising a new system for troubled teens should be explored. Along with new methods of rehabilitation and reform.And every single one of these kids should be on work detail, cleaning roadsides, tending gardens or other community work. No sitting around, watching TV or playing video games. Institution work assignments should mirror those in the US, including such areas like food service or the warehouse, inmate orderly, plumber, painter or groundskeeper.I would think an isolated facility in northern Alberta could be built, and house several thousand young offenders. It would also provide a lot of jobs for the local community.And if they want to try an escape attempt at -30C... fine, go for it. Nature itself, will provide additional security. Yet another savings.It's time we got tough, folks, and put the fear of God into these bad apples. Send them to "Alcatraz North" to cool off.And if the bleeding heart Liberals in Ottawa don't like it, too bad.Sheriff Joe's law and order mentality is featured in, “Sheriff Joe Arpaio: An American Legend,” Defiance Press, available on Amazon. The book’s foreword was penned by conservative rock star Ted Nugent.
