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Inside the Walls: The Truth about Prisons and Criminal Justice

Explore the complex world of prisons and criminal justice, including statistics, goals, realities, and potential solutions. Learn about the challenges and issues surrounding punishment, protection, deterrence, and rehabilitation in the prison system. Discover the impact of overcrowding, lack of funding, and societal factors on inmates and their reintegration into society. Delve into the need for systemic changes to address deeper issues contributing to crime and improve the effectiveness of prisons.

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Inside the Walls: The Truth about Prisons and Criminal Justice

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  1. The Criminal Justice System & Prisons In prison, those things withheld from and denied to the prisoner become precisely what he wants most of all. ~ Eldridge Cleaver

  2. Fast facts… • ~12,000 prisoners in federal penitentiaries, and 9,000 staff • It costs ~ $90 000/year to provide for a male inmate and ~ $200 000/year for a female inmate • Almost all inmates are 20-65 years old • Aboriginals make up 4% of the total population of Canada but represent 18% of federal inmates (taken from http://www.vcn.bc.ca/august10/politics/facts_stats.html)

  3. Purposes/Goals of Prisons • Punish offender • Protect public • Deter others from committing similar crimes • Rehabilitate offender

  4. The Reality of the Goals… • Conditions are quite poor, so the only goal most probably accomplish is punishment • In some cases, younger criminals may actually learn more criminal behaviourin these facilities – schools for crime!

  5. Protection • Locking one person up does not ensure that others won’t commit the same or a similar crime. • Even though the offender is removed from society (sometimes only temporarily) there is no guarantee he/she will be law-abiding upon release

  6. Deterrence • Many violent crimes are committed impulsively or under the influence of drugs or alcohol – so thought is not given to consequences of actions • There is some evidence that harsher penalties deter people from committing white collar crimes and drinking and driving offenses

  7. Rehabilitation • Generally, not very effective • Programs $$$, funding is hard to get • Overcrowding, drugs and violence within the system make programs difficult to administer • Long sentences have 2 effects: prisoners become more antisocial/violent or become so unprepared that they can’t function properly in society once they are released

  8. Possible Solutions??? • More $ needed – for programs and overcrowding • Change sentencing for less violent crimes to free up space • Use electronic monitoring devices • Recognize and treat deeper symptoms of violent crimes – poverty, racism, troubled family lives • Fix the problems that cause crime: boredom, social inequatity, substance abuse, lack of education

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