CHP11 Flashcards
How did perceptions of crime and criminals influence the operation of early prisons?
Early prisons reflected the belief that crime stemmed from moral failings, leading to harsh, punitive regimes focused on order and discipline.
Early prisons emerged from the belief that crime resulted from moral failings and community disorder, not just individual flaws. This view led to strict, punitive environments aimed at correcting criminal behaviour through harsh discipline, isolation, and hard labor, reflecting societal efforts to instill order, morality, and obedience.
What characterized the Pennsylvania model of early prisons?
Emphasized solitary confinement and silence,
aiming for repentance but often causing psychological harm.
The Pennsylvania model emphasized a “separate and silent” system, where incarcerated persons were kept in solitary confinement with minimal interaction. It aimed to encourage penance, reflection, and reformation, but often resulted in severe psychological harm due to isolation.
What characterized the Auburn model of early prisons?
Prisoners worked and ate together in silence by day, then were isolated at night, emphasizing strict discipline and hard labor.
The Auburn model was based on congregate work and meals by day, but enforced strict silence at all times. Incarcerated persons slept in individual cells and worked together in workshops, emphasizing hard labor and strict discipline as means to reform offenders.
What were conditions like in early Canadian prisons?
Facilities were overcrowded, unsanitary, harshly punitive, lacked classification of inmates, and offered few rehabilitative programs.
Early Canadian prisons, such as Kingston Penitentiary, were overcrowded, lacked proper sanitation, provided minimal health care, and had no classification of offenders. Corporal punishment, strict silence, and harsh labor were common, and there were few effective rehabilitative programs.
What reform efforts occurred in Canadian prisons from the 1800s to present?
Reforms included introducing inspectors, separating vulnerable inmates, adding treatment and education, addressing mental health, and reducing solitary confinement practices.
Over time, reforms included appointing prison inspectors, providing separate confinement for women and youth, introducing vocational training and education after WWII, and shifting towards treatment and rehabilitation models. More recently, legal and policy reforms have sought to reduce harsh practices like segregation and to address issues of mental health, Indigenous overrepresentation, and inmate well-being.
How do federal and provincial/territorial correctional systems differ in Canada?
Federal prisons house offenders with sentences of two years or more; provincial/territorial institutions handle shorter sentences, remand, and most offenders.
The federal system (CSC) manages offenders sentenced to two years or more and operates penitentiaries, halfway houses, and specialized facilities. Provincial/territorial systems handle those sentenced to less than two years and operate local jails, remand centers, and specialized units. Most offenders serve shorter sentences under provincial/territorial jurisdiction.
What are the main differences between various security levels in correctional institutions?
Minimum-security allows more freedom; medium- and maximum-security impose tighter controls and surveillance, with special units for the highest-risk inmates.
Minimum-security institutions have limited perimeter security and allow more inmate movement. Medium-security facilities have stricter fencing and more restrictions. Maximum-security institutions closely control inmate movement, use high security fencing, and employ extensive monitoring and surveillance. Special Handling Units (SHUs) house the highest-risk inmates.
What are the general characteristics of Canada’s incarcerated population?
Inmates are often young, marginalized, undereducated, poor, and disproportionately Indigenous or Black, with high rates of mental health and substance use issues.
Incarcerated individuals are often young, male, from marginalized communities (Indigenous and Black populations are overrepresented), and have limited education and employment skills. Many have mental health issues, substance use disorders, unstable housing histories, and have experienced prior victimization.
What are some contemporary issues in Canadian correctional institutes?
Overcrowding, mental health needs, infectious diseases, Indigenous overrepresentation, and debates over segregation and inmate rights persist.
Contemporary challenges include overcrowding, the overrepresentation of Indigenous and Black persons, mental health and substance use treatment deficits, the use of solitary confinement, ensuring inmate safety, and providing adequate health care. Courts and human rights advocates scrutinize these issues, influencing policy and practice.
What are the implications of prison overcrowding?
Overcrowding strains resources, heightens tensions, reduces access to programs, and increases violence and stress for both inmates and staff.
Overcrowding leads to heightened tensions, increased violence, reduced access to rehabilitation programs, more lockdowns, and worsened living conditions. It makes it harder to separate different categories of inmates and undermines efforts to provide effective treatment and support services.
What are prisonization and institutionalization, and how are they related?
Prisonization is adopting prison norms; institutionalization is becoming unable to function outside. Both hinder reintegration upon release.
Prisonization is the process by which inmates adapt to the norms, values, and culture of prison life. Institutionalization occurs when individuals become so accustomed to these routines that they struggle to function outside. Both processes can hinder successful reintegration and perpetuate criminal lifestyles upon release.
What issues exist regarding health care and mental health care in correctional institutes?
Inadequate staffing, long wait times, limited services, and poor facilities often worsen inmates’ physical and mental health conditions.
Inmates often receive inadequate or substandard health care, face long wait times, and contend with understaffing and limited mental health professionals. Conditions can exacerbate mental illnesses and communicable diseases, leading to worsened outcomes and insufficient treatment for those in need.
How do rates of suicide differ among incarcerated populations compared to the general population?
Suicide rates are higher in prisons due to isolation, stress, mental health issues, and inadequate support.
Suicide rates are significantly higher in correctional facilities than in the general population. Contributing factors include isolation, mental health issues, inadequate support services, and the stress of confinement. Higher-risk settings like segregation can further increase the likelihood of suicide.
What gender-related challenges exist in Canadian correctional institutes?
Women face separation from children, trauma histories, limited gender-specific programs, and unique needs often unmet by male-centered approaches.
Women often face greater pains of imprisonment, including separation from children, higher rates of prior victimization, and mental health and substance use challenges. Overrepresentation of Indigenous women, lack of gender-specific programming, and policies around transgender inmate placement also pose significant challenges.
What is the difference between punitive and administrative segregation?
Punitive segregation is disciplinary; administrative segregation is for safety or order. Both isolate inmates, but their purposes differ.
Punitive segregation is used as a disciplinary measure after an inmate violates institutional rules. Administrative segregation, on the other hand, is used to prevent harm, maintain security, or manage risks without a specific disciplinary violation. Both involve isolation, but their purposes differ.
