Exam 3 Flashcards
What are three major challenges faced by probation officers?
Stress, heavy workloads, and managing a diverse clientele.
What are intermediate sanctions?
Alternative punishments between probation and incarceration, such as fines, community service, and electronic monitoring.
What is community-based restorative justice?
A system that emphasizes repairing harm through victim-offender mediation and reconciliation.
What are the two early penitentiary models?
The Pennsylvania model (solitary confinement) and the Auburn model (silent, congregate work system).
What was the Brown Commission?
A mid-19th century inquiry into abuses at Kingston Penitentiary, leading to prison reforms in Canada.
What is the difference between federal and provincial correctional systems in Canada?
Federal institutions house offenders sentenced to two years or more, while provincial/territorial institutions handle those sentenced to less than two years.
What are major challenges in Canadian corrections?
Overcrowding, mental health issues, Indigenous overrepresentation, and lack of rehabilitation resources.
What is the ‘rule of law’ in corrections?
The principle that correctional institutions must operate within legal and constitutional limits.
What is a ‘total institution’?
A facility where inmates live under strict control, cut off from society (e.g., prisons, mental hospitals).
What are common characteristics of offenders in correctional institutions?
Disproportionately male, from marginalized communities, often with substance use disorders and low education levels.
What are some roles of correctional officers?
Maintaining security, enforcing rules, managing inmate behavior, and rehabilitative support.
What is the ‘correctional officer subculture’?
A set of shared norms and values among officers, often emphasizing toughness, solidarity, and skepticism toward inmates.
Why are correctional officers at high risk for PTSD?
Exposure to violence, threats, high-stress situations, and lack of mental health support.
What is prisonization?
The process where inmates adopt the values, norms, and behaviors of prison culture.
What is institutionalization?
The difficulty inmates face adapting to life outside prison after long-term incarceration.
What is self-injurious behavior (SIB), and why does it occur in prisons?
Self-harm without suicidal intent, often due to stress, isolation, or lack of mental health care.
What is the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) model?
A framework for effective rehabilitation based on assessing risk levels, addressing criminogenic needs, and tailoring treatment to individual learning styles.
What is throughcare?
Continuous support and services from incarceration through reintegration into society.
What is conditional release?
Early release from prison under supervision, with conditions to follow.
Who makes parole decisions in Canada?
The Parole Board of Canada (PBC), based on risk assessments and behavior in prison.
What are common challenges of reintegration?
Employment, housing, stigma, lack of support, and risk of reoffending.
What does the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) emphasize?
Rehabilitation, reintegration, and reducing reliance on incarceration for youth offenders.
What are common risk factors for youth delinquency?
Family instability, poverty, peer pressure, substance abuse, and school failure.
What are youth diversion programs?
Programs that offer alternatives to formal court processing, such as community service or counseling.
How does youth sentencing differ from adult sentencing?
Youth sentences focus more on rehabilitation rather than punishment, often including probation, community service, and counseling.
Why are ‘Scared Straight’ programs ineffective?
Research shows they do not deter crime and may increase delinquent behavior.
Why are most offenders sentenced to alternatives rather than prison?
Reduces incarceration rates, stigma, and costs while supporting rehabilitation.
What is net-widening in community corrections?
When individuals who wouldn’t have been punished before are now included in alternative sanctions, increasing control over more people.
What role do probation officers play in community corrections?
Assess risk and needs, manage cases, and enforce conditions.
What are some common intermediate sanctions?
House arrest, curfews, electronic monitoring, day reporting centers, boot camps.
What is the goal of Intensive Supervision Programs (ISP)?
Provide stricter oversight than probation while avoiding full incarceration.
What are the three levels of security in Canadian prisons?
Minimum security: No perimeter fencing, more movement freedom.
Medium security: Some movement but with controls.
Maximum security: Highly controlled, limited inmate movement.
What is the difference between static and dynamic security?
Static security: Physical barriers like walls and fences.
Dynamic security: Interaction between staff and inmates to maintain order.
What are the biggest challenges in correctional institutions?
Overcrowding, mental health concerns, conflicts, and high levels of self-harm.
What is solitary confinement?
Inmates are isolated for 22+ hours per day, sometimes for punishment, sometimes for their protection.
Why are Indigenous and Black individuals overrepresented in Canadian prisons?
Systemic racism, economic disadvantages, higher likelihood of receiving harsh sentences.
What factors determine an offender’s classification in prison?
Physical, psychological, behavioral assessments to determine risk and needs.
What is throughcare in correctional treatment?
A model that ensures continuous support from incarceration through reintegration.
What are the main types of conditional release in Canada?
Day parole: Temporary release for work or education.
Full parole: Released under supervision for the remainder of the sentence.
Statutory release: Mandatory release at two-thirds of the sentence, unless deemed dangerous.
What challenges do offenders face when reintegrating into society?
Housing, employment, stigma, adjusting to fast-paced life.
What was the Juvenile Delinquents Act (1908)?
A welfare-based model that treated youth offenders as misguided rather than criminal.
How does the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) differ?
Focuses on rehabilitation, privacy protections, and extrajudicial measures.
What are risk factors for youth crime?
Family instability, school failure, poverty, peer influence, substance abuse.
What is the school-to-prison pipeline?
Policies that disproportionately push marginalized youth from schools into the criminal justice system.
Why are zero-tolerance policies criticized?
They lead to harsh punishments that don’t address underlying causes of youth behavior.
Why is the ‘Scared Straight’ program ineffective?
Research shows it increases delinquency rather than deterring crime.
