Tyshan Herman Campbell is loose – what if?

There are days that I am sure that you wished you wouldn’t have got out of bed. There are other days when you look back and are absolutely thrilled that you got out of bed that day. It was and is the best day of your life. For Tyshan Herman Campbell it was that way a few weeks ago.

Read this article by Brian Gray(Sun Media – Toronto Sun) – I am reprinting the whole article as I refer to it in my words below..

Inmate Mistakenly Let Loose
By Brian Gray
A Mississauga man considered dangerous by police was mistakenly released from jail in Milton yesterday.

Tyshan Herman Campbell, 25, was let out of the Maplehurst Correctional Complex around 11:30 a.m., Halton Regional Police said. He was being held while several drug and weapons charges were being dealt with, police said.

"This individual shouldn't have been released but he was," said Stuart McGetrick, a spokesman for the province's community safety and correctional services ministry.

Campbell and Gabrielle Myles were arrested last May in an early-morning raid on a Jane St. and Lawrence Ave. W. home, where police seized a 9-mm firearm.

Campbell's previous run-ins with the law include a December 2002 arrest, along with two other men, for a home-invasion shooting near Carlaw and Gerrard Aves. A 25-year-old victim took a shotgun blast to the back after the trio demanded cash.

Toronto Police recovered a sawed-off shotgun and a handgun when the three men were arrested a day later.

Halton Police, who were contacted within about 15 minutes of the mistaken release, said Campbell has ties to both Mississauga and Toronto, and is believed to still be in the GTA.

Campbell is described as a black male, 5-foot-10, 148 pounds with brown eyes and black hair. He was last seen wearing a black waist-length parka with red, yellow and green striping on the collar and cuffs. He had a green New York Jets jersey, black track pants, black Nike shoes and a black toque.

About 70,000 individuals are released per year from Ontario correctional facilities, McGetrick said. "And last year 23 people were improperly released.

"Even one is troubling but this is quite a rare occurrence," he said. "We are looking into what happened so that we can ensure it doesn't happen again."

In Chris Doucette’s (CNews) article a quote is offered from the police “following an improper release”

As Brian Gray points out there are 70,000 releases from jail each year in Ontario. Wow – that is a lot! Our two larger, Provincial jails/institutions house roughly 1000 people in each facility… then there are smaller ‘Buckets’ around the province where people are held for shorter periods of time… so 70,000 is possible. But we need to see that there are 70,000 coming out and that many more going in!

What if – we had another way of doing this stuff and dealing with Tyshan Herman Campbell’s kind? What if?

On average 23 a year are released on “Ooops Releases” where someone gets away by system error… they simply walk out the doors to a fresh & free world… but they are not suppose to be out there… and inevitably they disappear into the communities they come from and likely into the action/money making schemes that they need to survive.

For one thing – there are 23 victims (a minimum) that are worried – or 23 communities that should be worried. That is serious if you have been victimized by the crime and criminal.

But there is way more here than the public knows about. Heads should role but they don’t. In Tyshan Herman Campbell’s case they might because it was publicized and got to the newspaper… but from what I have followed 22 stories did not.

These stories are the real stories… in that a system has failed. Papers will have to be shuffled and throats cleared to make it go away.

The police count on the fact that most of the offenders have repeat patterns and will show up again shortly.

The jail guard union in the provincial system is powerful and will cover their butts and the butts of each other.

Now it must be someone’s fault – wouldn’t you think? It must be a leader – or someone working for them. Let’s railroad a politician and do a good job of asking WHY!?!

Wherever Tyshan Herman Campbell is today… his Thursday January 22, 2009 was a lucky day. (It was reported on January 29 – referred to a Thursday “escape/release” at 11:45 AM).

Now what if…
What if Tyshan Herman Campbell cleaned up his act, got it right, left guns alone… cleaned up period, changed his style and his life… entered College or University – what if? Would we accept him? Would there be a place for him near us?

Unfortunately that is not likely going to happen. We all know it. We expect him to fail again. The police do and so do we.

But what if… there are some “what if-s” allowed and Tyshan Herman Campbell started a new life? I for one would be elated and the first to hire him. He would likely be real good with security issues.

I am thankful Tyshan Herman Campbell is loose. It has pointed again to our community and what we need to do to help.

It is all about Restorative Justice - isn't it?

~ Murray Lincoln ~

Source:
Brian Gray
http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2009/01/30/8200091-sun.html
Chris Doucette
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/2009/01/29/8196571.html