Prisons Ineffective In Prisons

The Criminal Justice System has many components that make it up. There are many differences and similarities between Canada and America like the culture, religion, and governments. Some of the main differences and similarities being the Criminal Justice System. The Criminal Justice System is the law that is related to arresting, sentencing and punishing people if found guilty with jail time, probation, or community service. In this research paper, I will be stating some of the main differences and similarities between the Canadian and American Judicial System.

The Canadian criminal justice system consists of multiple roles in order to sustain a well-working government system. The system is put in place in order to keep safety, equality, peace and fairness. There are four main functions of the criminal justice system that are interrelated segments that help protect a society from crime. The criminal justice system consists of policing, courts, corrections and parole. The component of the Canadian Criminal Justice System that will be discussed is about the process and function of the courts.

Our modern society consist of many social problems. However, many Canadians have yet to acknowledge a major issue on our international community today. Within Canada, prison overcrowding has arisen and continues too. As many of Canadian prisons exceed its maximum capacity, we have yet not created a proper plan to execute this problem. Consequently, with the prison population accumulating, there is now a decline in correctional spending. Today, it costs over $115,000 to maintain an offender in an institution (CSC statistics 2014). As a result, the amount of inmates in custody throughout Canada are 36, 845 which includes 21, 704 in our provincial / territorial institution and 15,141 in our federal institution (Statistics Canada 2013/2014). Therefore,

Law enforcement officers are authorized by federal, state, and local lawmakers to arrest and confine persons suspected of crimes. The judicial system is authorized to confine persons convicted of crimes. This confinement, whether before or after a criminal conviction, is called incarceration.

One major problem of prison overcrowding is the effect it has on prison organizational stability. The more prisoners and people put in jail have made it harder for prison guards and staff to monitor and control them. The entire prison system must make enormous changes in order to accommodate for the number of inmates versus the number of prison guards (O’Leary). This often results in a misclassification of offenders. Many who come through the system are classified based on the amount of space available instead of on the security level and programs that would be most suitable for them (Howard). “It is not uncommon to find inmates, classified as medium security, incarcerated in maximum security institutions, while other inmates are in medium security who were previously considered candidates for maximum security” (Howard). Misclassifying offenders often leads to “slow progress through the corrections system as well as a slow exit” (Howard). This in turn only prolongs and increases the overcrowding problem (Howard). The corrections programs should be reformed to meet the needs of the inmates rather than the inmates having to adjust to meet the requirements of the system. Offenders need to be on specific rehabilitation programs that are customized to fit their needs, such as alcohol and drug abuse programs and so forth.

Rose Ricciardelli has written a book entitled Surviving Incarceration, which explores and reveals the various dynamics inside Canadian prisons. Essentially, it is a research done by the author, who incorporates a male sub-sample of Canadian federal prisons, while collecting data via 1-on-1 interviews with these inmates. Ricciardelli states early in the book that she will be focusing on prisoners and their experiences with federal prison; not on discussing why prisons exist or whether they are punitive or rehabilitative. Thus, although the title is misleading since Ricciardelli does not actually write about ‘surviving prison,’ she makes it clear early on for what readers can expect. Also, the author will look at the effectiveness of policy and legislation changes. With this in mind, one can assume that the title was simply for marketing purposes. Additionally, although Ricciardelli has set the focus on the Canadian prison system, she does not disclose further information or a history in this regard. For instance, throughout the readings, Ricciardelli does not provide statistics that would be curious to know in the minds of readers. This can include the statistical difference between federal and

The base of the U.S judicial system is founded on justice and truth, yet there are flaws in the legal and prison systems. People go to prison for crimes they commit then released. They often come out angry and likely to repeat a crime again. To avoid a repeated offense, U.S prison system should implement an assimilation program, to ease convicts into society. So that assimilation is even more successful prisons should offer vocational education programs to inmates, to obtain working skills, benefiting them for the future once they are released.

What comes to mind when thinking of women in a correctional facility? Maybe crime, sexual abuse, mental illness, or drugs? When contemplating a typical female prisoner these are valid areas to take into consideration. However, has anyone ever stopped to think about the quality of care they receive during their incarceration or the lack thereof? Using an experimental approach, this group aims to create a film that will shed light onto the inhumane treatment of women in prison.

Nevertheless, it is important to point out prisons conditions doses matter since it illustrates how Australian prison influence how the prisoners rehabilitated. For example, the prison studies report the statistics shows Australia Total prison population is approximately 35,804, which currently rank 47 in the world along with prison population rate of 151 reaching the rank of 97. (Prison studies 2014). From the result it shows how overpopulated Australia prison currently is and emphasis how important it is to build a better prisons conditions. For instance, overpopulation is a great example of how prisons conditions affect the prison system and prisoner’s mental health. Notably In the research by John Howard society (John Howard 1996), the

Throughout the century, Canada has experienced a significant shift in the way the justice system responds to youth crime. Currently, the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) efficiently reduces criminal activity and recidivism in Canadian youth, by rightly imposing harsh penalties. A harsh punishment is one that is much more than a “slap on the wrist,” and which is strict- yet not unreasonably so- in order to teach the youth a lesson. It is crucial

The criminal justice system is known as the most fascinating and controversial component of Canada’s legal establishment. The meaning of the concept of justice is perceived and viewed differently by every individual but an overall implication states that justice is “the protection from the power of the state for some and vengeance to others, or those who are concerned with individual rights from those who emphasize the need for individual responsibility and social accountability” . The Canadian Justice System does its best to perform as adequate as it can and keeps the safety of individuals intact. The Charter of

Due to the “war on drugs”, prison overcrowding is becoming more and more of an issue, putting a strain on not just the law enforcement but our society as well. America has been implementing a “war on drugs” policy since the early nineteen – seventies. Since the creating of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in 1973 under Richard Nixon, then the Office of National Drug Control Policy under Ronald Reagan in 1988, the United States has found themselves in an endless war and in constant debt huge amounts of money.

Prisons have become asylums. There are ten times as many prisoners receiving help than there are patients in psychiatrist. It has become a simpler or only way for some to obtain help; to self-medicate and land in prison. Getting help in communities around the nation is becoming difficult Therefore, a large portion of inmates are being left untreated and have found their ways onto the prison system. Because Prisons are unequipped many are left with no psychiatry help or with only medication to hand out. Prison officials are mostly untrained for these individuals and treat them alike others unknowingly inflicting more damage to the individuals, others try their best to provide treatment but understand that the prison cycle is difficult to get

The Unites States of America’s prison system is a flawed mess. To open the eyes of our government we must first take a stand against unlawful government decisions, and show support for the greater good of society. What are our own tax-dollars paying for, what are the flaws in the justice/prison system, why is overcrowding in prisons causing tension, and what are ways our society and government can rebuild the system that has been destroyed over the years? Most criminals in prisons are not a danger to our society because they commit crimes just to use jail as a shelter, causing the overcrowding of prisons and wasting away of what we really should be paying for.

Are prisons effective total institutions or do they more commonly fail in their goal of resocialization? Please compare and contrast how a conflict, a functionalist or an interactionist theorist would answer this question. Finally offer your opinion