R Vs Evalik
R Vs Evalik
R Vs Evalik
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[1] I sentenced Jay Victor Evalik on March 30, 2021 in Cambridge Bay.
At that time, I read part of this decision, which has been edited for
clarity.
I. INTRODUCTION
[3] Mr. Evalik and A.A. are related. Prior to the sexual assault, Mr. Evalik
encouraged A.A to drink with him. A.A. became intoxicated and was
then sexually assaulted in her bedroom. The assault included full
intercourse. While Mr. Evalik was on top of her, A.A was not able to
get him off her. The charge was laid fourteen years later, in February
2018.
[4] At the time of the guilty plea, the Crown advised that it intended to
bring an application to have Mr. Evalik found to be a dangerous
offender. The nature of the predicate offence, combined with Mr.
Evalik’s serious criminal record, which will be reviewed below,
motivated this application.
[7] The assessment report of Dr. Philip Klassen was filed on September
16, 2019. Dr. Klassen had requested, and been granted, an extension
of time to complete the report.
[11] Mr. Evalik has been in custody since February 3, 2018. After
considering the 18-month sentence given on January 8, 2019, for the
offences of exposure in 2013 and sexual assault in 2018, noted
above, his remand time for the predicate offence starts about
February 1, 2019.
753. (1) The court may, on application made under this Part following the filing
of an assessment report under subsection 752.1(2), find the offender to be a
dangerous offender if it is satisfied
(a) that the offence for which the offender has been convicted is a serious
personal injury offence described in paragraph (a) of the definition of that
expression in section 752 and the offender constitutes a threat to the life, safety or
physical or mental well-being of other persons on the basis of evidence
establishing
(iii) any behaviour by the offender, associated with the offence for which
he or she has been convicted, that is of such a brutal nature as to compel
the conclusion that the offender’s behaviour in the future is unlikely to be
inhibited by normal standards of behavioural restraint
[26] In Lyons, Justice La Forest read the objective element of the designation -
the requirement that the predicate offence be a “serious personal injury offence” -
together with the subjective element - the “threat” assessment - and concluded
that four criteria were “explicit” from the language of s. 753(1): (1) the offender
has been convicted of, and has to be sentenced for, a “serious personal injury
offence”; (2) this predicate offence is part of a broader pattern of violence; (3)
there is a high likelihood of harmful recidivism; and (4) the violent conduct is
intractable (p. 338). The last three criteria are part of the assessment of the
“threat” posed by the offender. The last two of these are future-oriented, and
Justice La Forest explained them as follows:
[15] Under s. 753.1 as it was in 2004, even if the test is met for a
dangerous offender designation to be given, the Court may instead
find Mr. Evalik to be a long-term offender. This is a less onerous
designation and the reason why the 2004 provision is available to Mr.
Evalik. Parliament revoked this option in 2012.
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[17] The Crown argues that Mr. Evalik satisfies the definition of a
dangerous offender. The offence Mr. Evalik pleaded guilty to is sexual
assault, by definition a serious personal injury offence. Mr. Evalik’s
past behaviour could lead to a finding that he is a dangerous offender:
he is likely to reoffend in a way that will cause injury to other persons.
[18] The Crown argues further that it is clear from Mr. Evalik’s record that
his violent behaviour is intractable. The Crown submitted Mr. Evalik
did not benefit from any treatment he received in the past. During his
most recent penitentiary sentence, he refused treatment which is why
he was held to warrant expiry in 2018. This intractability means his
risk to the community cannot be controlled and I should designate him
as a dangerous offender.
[19] The Defence advises that Mr. Evalik is willing to comply with a release
order requiring him to take sex-drive reducing medication, as well as
alcohol-deterrent medication. Defence Counsel argues that I should
find Mr. Evalik to be a long-term offender, rather than a dangerous
offender. Counsel submits the 2004 provisions do not require a
dangerous offender designation even if Mr. Evalik does meet the test.
Counsel argued that I should consider the Criminal Code sentencing
provisions, particularly the principle of restraint, because Mr. Evalik is
an Indigenous offender, in deciding he should be found to be a long-
term offender.
[20] In this case, defence agrees that the only issue is found in
s. 753.1(1)(c): whether “there is a reasonable possibility of eventual
control of the risk in the community." This is where the report and
evidence of Dr. Klassen are relevant and important.
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V. PSYCHIATRIC EVIDENCE
[22] Dr. Klassen’s report, dated September 16, 2019, was filed as Exhibit
4 in this hearing, and gives the opinion that Mr. Evalik meets the
criteria for conduct disorder and antisocial personality disorder, likely
alcohol use disorder, and possibly cannabis use disorder as
well. Based on his sexual offending, Dr. Klassen stated that the
possibility that Mr. Evalik has an underlying sexual behaviour disorder
should be evaluated.
[23] Regarding risk assessment, Dr. Klassen used a tool called the Static-
99R to assess Mr. Evalik’s risk of sex offender recidivism as an
extremely high level 9. Essentially, he is a one-in-a-thousand sexual
offender in terms of likelihood to reoffend. However, he will soon be
over 40 and drop one point, to 8, which will put him in a category
where, “[s]imilar-scoring individuals recidivated violently or sexually at
rates of 62% to 67% over 10 years opportunity in the community.”
Obviously, this is still a significant risk to the community.
[24] In his testimony, Dr. Klassen explained that the risk that a rapist will
re-offend is “very low” after age 50, and there is basically zero risk of
re-offence after age 60. However, if Mr. Evalik is mainly interested in
child abuse, there is a more-than-very-low-risk to re-offend after age
50 and still some risk after 60. Dr. Klassen was not able to determine
to what extent Mr. Evalik is interested in children, because three of his
sexual offence victims were children.
[28] Dr. Klassen also talked about Circles of Support and Accountability,
which are available in southern Canada. These are groups of
volunteer citizens who provide support to offenders. These circles
work to surround the offender out in the community and provide an
“external ego”. The members of the circle know the offender well
enough to know when that person’s risk is high, or low, and help
provide control of his behaviours.
[29] Dr. Klassen commented that sometimes, offenders from Nunavut can
do better in the south, not only because of increased services (which
there clearly are) but also because the offenders are in a different
milieu, without familiar triggers for bad behaviour.
[30] Mr. Evalik did not take programming during his penitentiary
sentences. It appears from the correctional documents provided to
me, and Defence Counsel confirmed, that on his most recent
penitentiary sentence Mr. Evalik had agreed to take sex-offender
programming but none was available until after the Parole Board met
concerning his possible release on parole. The Board decided that
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Mr. Evalik should be held until sentence expiry, and so he decided not
to take the sex-offender program.
[31] On the other hand, the documents do not reveal serious discipline
issues in the penitentiary, or criminal offending while on parole during
his first penitentiary sentence.
[32] Mr. Hamza Al-Baghdadi gave evidence about the programs available
for inmates through Correctional Services Canada (CSC). He did not
have specific information about Mr. Evalik.
[33] Mr. Al-Baghdadi advised that CSC has modified its programming
recently (since Mr. Evalik was last in the penitentiary), so that inmates
can start taking programs very soon upon admission, even while still
in the intake process.
[34] All offenders take the Integrated Correctional Program Model, with a
multi-target program to deal with the criminogenic factors that are
relevant to the specific offender. There is an indigenous-specific multi-
target program and a sex offender program. Each of those programs
include “maintenance”, to reinforce the learning after the program is
over.
[36] Each stream starts with a “primer” - a preparatory program with a goal
of assisting the offender to identify their factors that led to the criminal
activity and provides motivation for the programs. The offender is
shown the benefits of participating in the programs and is taught basic
self-management skills to cope in the institution.
[38] There are also education and vocational training programs available
in the penitentiaries.
[39] A long-term offender can apply for day parole and/or full parole. Upon
warrant expiry on the determinate sentence, the LTO part of the
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sentence starts. The Parole Board of Canada, with input from the
community parole office, will determine the conditions of the LTO
sentence.
VII. CASELAW
[41] The joint effect of these principles is that a sentencing judge must
consider the possibility that a less restrictive sanction would attain the
same sentencing objectives that a more restrictive sanction seeks to
attain.
[43] Mr. Evalik has stated through counsel that he would comply with sex-
offender pharmacotherapy and would be willing to take alcohol
deterrent medication.
VIII. ANALYSIS
[44] Of the statutory criteria for a finding that Mr. Evalik is a dangerous
offender, the only one in issue is whether Mr. Evalik’s violent conduct
is intractable. Of the three statutory criteria for finding that Mr. Evalik
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[45] In my view Dr. Klassen set out a plan for Mr. Evalik that has a
possibility of eventual control of his risk to the community. Mr. Evalik
says he wants to control his behaviour and there are programs and
treatments that will help him do so. If workable, this would be a less
restrictive sanction, that would attain the same sentencing objective of
safety for the public as would an indeterminate sentence.
[47] The first part of this analysis involves a consideration of the unique
systemic or background factors which may have played a part in
bringing this Indigenous offender before the courts. Mr. Evalik is Inuk
and was born and raised in a remote Northern community with few
services. He grew up in a home with alcoholic parents and was
removed from (and then returned to) that home by Family Services,
along with his younger siblings, on several occasions. I am required to
be cognizant of the history of colonization in Canada which in
Nunavut includes, among many other issues, the introduction of
alcohol, forced relocations from a seminomadic lifestyle to fixed
settlements, and removals for residential school and/or medical
treatment in the south. In this case, it is also relevant to consider the
paucity of mental health treatment and services in Nunavut. Mr. Evalik
has had trouble in his life because of some or all of these factors.
IX. CONCLUSION
[51] Section 753.1 in 2004 allowed for the finding of LTO status in place of
a dangerous offender designation, even when an offender was found
to have met the test for such a designation. A dangerous offender
order would incarcerate Mr. Evalik indefinitely and, consequently,
indefinitely contribute to the count of indigenous offenders
incarcerated in Canada. However, an LTO finding would combine a
lengthy custodial sentence with a long-term period of supervision. In
doing so, the sentence would recognize the seriousness of the
offence for which Mr. Evalik has been convicted and the need to keep
the public safe. If successful, the LTO status would avoid the
indefinite detention of an Indigenous man where alternatives to
incarceration exist.
[54] For the determinate part of the sentence, I take into consideration that
Mr. Evalik has served slightly over two years of custody on this
offence, since February 2019. Mr. Evalik is entitled to enhanced
credit for his remand custody at the rate of 1.5:1. I sentence Mr.
Evalik to a further three years in custody, starting today (for a total
sentence of six years’ incarceration), to be followed by a ten-year
supervision order. I recommend that the supervision order should
include a requirement to take sex-drive reducing medication as well
as alcohol-deterrent medication.
[55] There are mandatory orders that I must make because of these
convictions and this sentence:
[56] Mr. Evalik: I hope that you are able to use the resources available
during this long-term offender sentence to heal yourself and to
prevent ongoing suffering to yourself and those around you.
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Justice S. Charlesworth
Nunavut Court of Justice