There are about eight times as many deaths (from illness, homicides and suicides) in institutions, as in the population at large. While the stresses of prison life contribute to these numbers, there are often shortcomings in the prison response to … [Read more...]
Criminalized and imprisoned women
January 18, 2013 By
Worldwide, though few compared with male inmates, poor marginalized women comprise the fastest growing prison population. In Canada, a high proportion is Aboriginal. Most have suffered abuse, and more than half their crimes are non-violent. Prison … [Read more...]
Community options required!
January 18, 2013 By
Frequently working as cooks or cleaners in the prison, women learn few marketable skills, and have less access to pre- release programs than do male inmates. Access to CORCAN and to community work releases would better prepare them for return to … [Read more...]
Human Rights in Action
January 18, 2013 By
A video by the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies about women in prison: http://www.sistersinside.com.au/media/ConferencePapers2009/Final%20Video%20HRIA.wmv … [Read more...]
Income inequality promotes crime and imprisonment
January 16, 2013 By
Groundbreaking analysis by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, authors of The Spirit Level, shows that greater economic equality-not greater wealth-is the mark of the most successful societies. In this TED talk, Richard Wilkinson charts the hard data … [Read more...]
Why is prison the worst setting for the seriously mentally ill?
January 6, 2013 By
Jails and prisons can be brutal places: suicide rates are at 84 per 100,000 compared with 11.3 in the community; homicide is 28 per 100,00 compared with 1.8 (Office of the Correctional Investigator, 2010). Slamming cell doors, fear and intimidation … [Read more...]
Provincial Correctional Responses to Individuals with Mental Illness in Ontario – A Review of Literature
December 4, 2012 By
This review, published by the Schizophrenia Society of Ontario in 2012, identifies key issues related the correctional systems’ responses to individuals with mental health conditions. The report concludes that the needs of this growing population … [Read more...]
Hard costs of lock-’em-up culture
August 12, 2012 By
This article reports on shattering data from the Pew Foundation that documents for the first time incarceration’s economic effects, with severe impacts life-long on the economic stability of families and whole communities. Unless society comes up … [Read more...]
Finding direction: Expanding criminal justice options by considering policies of other nations
August 12, 2012 By
This report compares criminal justice systems and social indicators for six countries including Canada. Countries choosing fines, community service, probation, or treatment did not produce higher victimization rates. Some countries used sentence … [Read more...]
Is your criminal justice system serving you well?
August 12, 2012 By
This Toronto Star series maps the most costly jail cities in the country, adding socioeconomic data to the mix to give a better picture of crime and punishment in Canada — and Toronto. http://www.thestar.com/specialSections/crime … [Read more...]