July 18, 2015
Globe and Mail – Editorial (July 18, 2015)
Most of Canada’s prisoners have never been convicted of anything. Why are they in jail?
Would you believe that an average 55% of those currently in jails across the country have not been convicted of any crime? They are on remand – awaiting trial or bail hearing. “In 2013,” says the editorial, “the John Howard Society of Ontario reported that the number of accused held on remand doubled from 2001-2010, and called for reforms to the bail system.” The reforms have not happened, the police and crowns prefer jail over bail, and less people are released on bail, less quickly and with many more conditions – and much more expense: $183 / day versus $5 / day on supervised released. Studies show that 9 / 10 show up for court appearances. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/editorials/most-of-canadas-prisoners-have-never-been-convicted-of-anything-why-are-they-in-jail/article25559599/ Related article(2013): John Howard Society Ontario – Reasonable Bail http://www.johnhoward.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/JHSO-Reasonable-Bail-report-final.pdf (A 20 page downloadable PDF) Related article: John Howard Society Ontario – The Mounting Cost of Bail and Remand in Ontario (2014) http://www.johnhoward.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Bail-Remand-Infographic.pdf (A fact poster) Related article (2014) An open letter to Honourable Deborah Matthews http://www.johnhoward.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Open-Letter-Deb-Matthews-Sept-5-2014-final.pdf
Guardian (UK) Trevor Timm
Is the political imperative to be ‘tough on crime’ finally over?
This week news media was buzzing with one after another major political figure raised the issues around mass incarceration. President Obama visited a federal prison, Bill Clinton acknowledged his role in the federal mandatory sentences, even Speaker John Boehner seemed anxious to get to a prison reform bill quickly. Accountability around promised action, says Timm, remains. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jul/18/political-imperative-tough-on-crime Related article: The White House – President Obama: Remarks at the Philadelphia Convention of the NAACP https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/07/14/remarks-president-naacp-conference
The president’s definition of Justice:
“Justice is living up to the common creed that says, I am my brother’s keeper and my sister’s keeper. Justice is making sure every young person knows they are special and they are important and that their lives matter — not because they heard it in a hashtag, but because of the love they feel every single day, not just love from their parents, not just love from their neighborhood, but love from police, love from politicians. Love from somebody who lives on the other side of the country, but says, that young person is still important to me. That’s what justice is.”
New America Media (US) – Claudia Gonzalvez
In World’s Largest Female Prison, Inmates Organize for Health
The Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) is among the largest women’s only prison in the world. It has over 3100 inmates; the prison has 2400 beds. The author of this piece is a former juvenile inmate and reports for an organization called WE’Ced. The prison inmates have organized themselves on the basis of health needs and treatment. http://newamericamedia.org/2015/07/in-worlds-largest-female-prison-inmates-organize-for-health.php?utm_content=buffer23e34&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
National Council of Canadian Muslims –
NCCM Animate: All That’s Wrong with the Senate Report on Countering Terrorism
This link brings you to a three minute video on the reaction of the national Muslims to the report from the senate which advocates approving the education of the imams or Muslim clergy as part of the effort to respond to radicalization of youth. The video looks to the Islamophobic context driving the obviously flawed suggestions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv8MUARdens Related article: CBC Ottawa News NCCM’s Ihsaan Gardee discusses Senate report on violent extremism with CBC News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3MhH3g9cUM (A four min video interview)
TruthOut (US) –
In US Prisons, Psychiatric Disability Is Often Met by Brute Force
Human Rights Watch (US) wants you to know about the “shoeleather treatment” for mentally ill prison inmates. In a report entitled CALLOUS AND CRUEL: Use of Force against Inmates with Mental Disabilities, Human Rights Watch has identified incidents through anecdotal reports, admitting that there are no statistics. The Mandala Rules say that persons with severe mental illness need medical treatment in hospital and not in a prison where impossible compliance with endless orders and routines inevitably get the inmate into disciplinary violations. http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/31886-in-us-prisons-psychiatric-disability-is-often-met-by-brute-force# Related article: Human Rights Watch: Cruel and Callous – the Use of Force against Inmates with Mental Disabilities http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/usprisoner0515_ForUpload.pdf
The Guardian (UK) – William Anderson
Big business built the prison state – Why should we trust them to tear it down?
The US prison system comprising both prisons and immigration detention is big business, witness the private prison operations. Beside the actual operations there are ancillary services and profit centers such as telephones and canteen services. Prison reform is an opportunity to expand the private prisons for the very people and organizations that have profited from creating the mass incarceration. The question is very germane now before the specifics of reform are already determined. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jul/17/prison-industrial-complex-big-business-koch-brothers?CMP=share_btn_link