Stormy ways or sunny weather? Prisoners’ views of Canadian prisons
This post is about 1000 words and can be read in about 5 minutes. One of the best ways of understanding the state of an institution is to listen to the people who inhabit it. We learn about the reality...
Read MoreMissed Opportunities: Young Adults in Federal Prisons
This post is about 640 words and can be read in 3 minutes. The Canadian federal prison system is missing many opportunities to work more effectively with young people in federal prisons, according to a report issued in 2017 by...
Read MoreSecurity level explains kinds of violence in Canadian prisons
This post is about 650 words and can be read in 3 minutes. Based on interviews with former male federal prisoners, Memorial University Professor Rose Ricciardelli found that higher levels of security in Canadian prisons produce higher rates of...
Read MoreChildren with jailed parents are also victims of crime
This post is about 820 words and takes about 4 minutes to read. Children with parents in jail are also victims of crime, whose needs and interests have so far received very little attention from the justice system. One of...
Read MoreEverything you were never taught about Canada’s prison system
This post is about 700 words and takes 3 minutes to read. About a year ago, a website called intersectionalanalyst.com published a piece on Canada’s prison system. The website describes itself as “Making sense of complex social problems through information...
Read MoreSeeing crime as a public health issue: Gregg Caruso
This post is about 950 words and will take 4-5 minutes to read. Gregg Caruso’s short and readable book, Public Health and Safety: The Social Determinants of Health and Criminal Behavior, available free online, makes the argument for thinking about...
Read MoreWalls to Bridges: The Positive Effect of Education in Prison
This post is about 900 words and will take 4-5 minutes to read. For many prisoners, education can be a key component of building a better life as well as making jail a less negative experience. Yet education opportunities have...
Read MoreSuicide in prisons: An international comparison
This post is 700 words and will take 3 minutes to read. Suicide rates among people in prison are dramatically higher than those in the general population, although this varies greatly among countries. This is the conclusion of a recent...
Read MoreThe Killing of Matthew Hines
By Catherine Latimer, Executive Director, John Howard Canada On April 25, 2018 two correctional officers pled not guilty to criminal charges relating to the tragic prison death of Matthew Hines at Dorchester Penitentiary. They are entitled to a fair trial...
Read MorePrisoners’ Stories 3 – Here, Kitty, Kitty…
Note: Parts 1 and 2 of this story appeared last fall. By I.M. GRENADA “When?” For prisoners, that’s the cosmic question. On the civilized side of the fence, common folk regularly rate each other in cash (“So, what do you...
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