Crime and Punishment: Corrections Canada or Punishment Canada?

I was listening to an interesting CBC Sunday Edition show. It intrigued me, since I am volunteering at our local minimum security prison. I teach a Creative Writing class. It has proven quite an education for me, as well.

There are many issues in the media spotlight, which differs from the agenda that the politicians, or the public are keen to examine. Your point of view, of course, depends upon the stakeholder group from which you belong:

Are you a victim, the family of a victim, a law enforcement officer, a probation officer, the public, the media, or a politician? All of us have a stake.


The statistics:

• 70% in jail do not possess a high school certificate
• 80% have addictions
• 2/3 have mental illnesses

Other statements I heard:

• You can't punish your way into a safe society.
• We've spent $2 Billion on a long-gun registry, to sustain it is a small $3 million/year, the sunk costs are, indeed, sunk. The Canadian Police Association wants these guns registered.
• Despite the Jane Creba murder, on Boxing Day, 2007, in 2006 gun murders were down by 46%.

The politician's knee-jerk reaction is for mandatory sentencing.
We know that politicians do not have to do a good job, they just have to be seen apparently doing a good job. This issue commands a lot of emotion, not the best motivation for change and improvements to a system.

The government also wants to close the 6 prison farms in Canada. Two of the six are near Kingston. These provide meaningful work for those incarcerated. Whether inmates are plunked in a cell, or given work experience, would seem the difference between punishment or corrections. These are transferable skills. They can be applied to life experience. For those without skills, knowledge, education, such routines: working hard, working with animals, working on the land, is a good use of their energy. They produce food, perhaps becoming contributing members of society for the first time in a long time.

There are many excellent programs by Corrections Canada. There are many volunteers who seek to work with those whom society have ignored, by-passed and plunked into jails. They work with families. One such program is one whereby inmates read bedtime stories aloud, which are then sent home for their children to listen to. How many perpetrators are victims of dysfunctional families? I love this idea. They work with inmate's families to help them navigate the system.

Restorative Justice vs. Punitive Justice.
This is the debate: Is this Corrections Canada or Punishment Canada?
CAC Annual Report 2005-2006, provides details on how citizen feel we can improve the system. It is the politicians who use this topic as a wedge issue, to conquer and divide constituents and gain sound bytes.

Restorative Justice has been seen to make a difference to both victim and perpetrator.

Advisors
CACs provide impartial advice to CSC managers on the operation of correctional facilities and their impact on surrounding communities. CAC members fulfill this role by regularly visiting correctional facilities, and meeting regularly with offenders, local union representatives, and with local CSC management and employees. CACs also advise and assist local, regional, and national CSC managers to help with the overall development of correctional facilities and programs, and of the impact of this development on the community.

For those with drinking and driving convictions, there is no sentence that will bring back a victim, or ameliorate a family's grief. What is the point of mandated sentencing? What is the point of a sentence declared 'too short' or 'too long'? There is no sentence that will bring them back. Each case is different and requires individual decisions, including parole.

Statistics have shown that many who offend, re-offend. It is a logical discussion, since we know that many addicts are not 'cured'. It one has mental health, educational, or addictions issues, very few are made better by incarceration, but it does protect potential victims.

What are societal goals, then?

• To prevent it from happening again.
• To keep a perpetrator from re-offending.
• To protect potential victims and their family.
• To correct the behaviour.
• To reduce crime.
• To reduce addictions, mental health issues, to educate and train those without skills

It is difficult, determining what is right. We all deserve a second chance, one man told me he learned that money is less important than family. He sold drugs for money; gave up his family life as a penalty. He learned his lesson, he said. Family is more important and incarceration was no fun. I wish him well.