Alberta has a family and Child services issue, One in which kids are put in foster homes or hotels with supervision.
In one such case, while in the system a fourteen year old kid was sought out by a gang that he joined.
It was really that hard to persuade him.
No parents, no supervision. Nothing for him to do, so who can blame him for going to people that offered him security of self.
So recently he was arrested for stealing a car and heading out to BC, where he was arrested and had to serve some time here before being sent back to Alberta to serve more time.
He’s sixteen.
In prison.
For something that happened because the system failed to look after him properly.
His family is fighting the government right now to have laws changed so this doesn’t happen again, they’re also fighting to keep him from being released.
Why?
Because if he’s released back into the social programs he’s going to be back where he’s not supervised and hanging out with the gangs again.
Which is a sad position to be in... fighting to keep your kid locked up because you aren’t allowed to have him back, so he ends up in gangs.
The system is messed up... because they’re saying his family is bad for him, while the system turned him into a criminal.
That has to be changed.