Prison Utterly Un-useful

Christopher Pauchay who suffered a truly horrible catastrophe in losing his two little girls as a direct result of his negligence of their basic needs, brought about by his profound need to drown himself in a sea of unconscious addiction, attests on his own behalf that he does not feel that a prison sentence would be useful.

Neither as penance for his misdeeds, nor as society's measure of condemnation for his having perpetrated a dread deed; a father being the instrument of his children's death. However 'accidental' the event was, it occurred as a direct result of his misuse of alcohol, his choice to drink himself insensible rather than to look after the needs of his children.

Causing him to haul them out of their home on a freezing winter night clad in diapers and light shirts, and abandoning them to freeze to death, while he made his way, inebriated and suffering himself from frostbite to the home of a neighbour, unaware of what he was doing, and what he had lost.

Since the death of those children, his wife has borne another child to him. Since the death of their first two children, he has abused and beaten his wife. Since the death of the two little girls who depended on their father to cherish, protect and guide them toward life, not death, he has returned to the comfort and familiarity of his alcoholic addiction.

A traditional sentencing circle went through the motions of his appearing before appointed community elders and family members so they could, on his behalf and that of the community, make peace with the reality of their loss. And that community, for whom rampant alcoholism, child neglect and spousal abuse is a fact of life, extended their compassion toward one of their own.

Affirming their support for him, and asking for the criminal justice system of Canada to regard him as a chastened, unhappy and 'new' man, one who is prepared to turn his values and priorities inside out and begin a different, responsible way of life.

They would ideally like to have a conditional sentence granted Mr. Pauchay. As would Mr. Pauchay himself, feeling and stating that prison as far as he is concerned is not a good option for him, personally. The Crown prosecutor begs to differ.

"Mr. Pauchay's actions that night constitute child abuse ... because he caused their deaths. They relied on him to protect them ... and he didn't because of his self-induced intoxication." For every action, deliberate or unplanned, there are consequences.

People must be aware of their actions, of how their actions have the potential to impact deleteriously on themselves as well as others. Mr. Pauchay's sorrow and regret at the loss of his children has not been sufficiently acute, it would seem, to assist him in turning himself around.

In pleading guilty to negligence, he should be aware that he must pay the consequences of his atrocious decision-making.