CCJA		 Prison overcrowding and reintegration of offenders FRANÇAIS

 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
 
 
The overcrowding of prisons remains a major challenge and concern in Canada. As a result, the safety of inmates and staff alike is threatened and, ultimately, that of the public. The Canadian Criminal Justice Association is calling on all jurisdictions and the public to address these issues with a view to bringing about necessary and pressing changes, and to defusing a potentially explosive situation.
 
This paper identifies some of the more apparent factors that contribute to overcrowding and some of the possible avenues for solving the problem, with a special emphasis on the development of effective community-based options. We acknowledge that some efforts are being deployed, but this paper, because of its very nature, focusses on problems that require attention and the identification of promising opportunities.
 
There are some clear reasons why Canadian prisons are overcrowded:
 
 
1.        We rely excessively on incarceration
 
Square        Incarceration is perceived as the norm, as opposed to one of a series of options available to courts.
Square Incarceration is presented as the best means of ensuring public protection.
Square The number of inmates increased dramatically over the past decade.
Square Aboriginal offenders continue to be over-represented in prisons.
Square Rates of parole are declining.
Square The prison population includes greater numbers of inmates serving long and life sentences.
Square A greater number of inmates are designated as dangerous.
Square Social and mental health services have suffered major cutbacks.
Square The public has become very intolerant and punitive.
 
 
2.        There are several hurdles to the effective operation of release mechanisms:
 
Square        The lack of public support for measures other than incarceration.
Square The inadequacy of current public education efforts.
Square The emphasis on administrative tasks and resulting backlogs.
Square The inadequate targeting of programs and the lack of effective community-based programs.
 
 
3.        Release mechanisms do not operate in a timely manner:
 
Square        Releasing authorities have become overly cautious.
Square Offenders are serving too great a portion of their sentence in institutions.
 
 
4.        Greater support is required to ensure the successful reintegration of offenders into the community:
 
Square        We need to recognize that the retributive approach is not the most effective and to develop a new mind-set, one which aims to ensure that all involved derive a greater sense of real justice.
Square We need political commitment and correctional leadership to redirect institutional resources toward the community.
Square We need to develop new and effective sentencing alternatives, programs, and infrastructures.
Square More specifically, we need to reinvest in a greatly depleted program of community residential services.
Square Professionals need to be supported in the exercising of their professional judgement.
Square We need to resist the urge to resort to reincarceration for the violation of technical conditions of release where there is not increased risk to the public.
 
 
This paper contains a number of suggestions as to what should be done.
 
First and foremost, this paper is intended to elicit dialogue and to involve all parties in the discussion. There is no single solution and no one group or person has all the answers. However, working together, and having committed to a common set of principles, there is hope that significant progress can be achieved.


Back to the table of contents


Next Page