FROLITICKS

Back in the early seventies, I came across a report by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that placed Canada among the worst countries for recidivism as it pertains to its prison population.  “Recidivism” is defined as the tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend.  What the report pointed out is that the system is primarily one of incarceration and not rehabilitation.  When I questioned the Solicitor General at the time, whose department was responsible for administering the prison system, he acknowledged that there were serious problems with high levels of recidivism.  The OECD could not find any evidence that Canadian prison sentences reduce recidivism and concluded that prisons should therefore not be used with the expectation of reducing criminal behaviour.  A fairly recent report by the Office of the Correctional Investigator found that more than 40 percent of all inmates released in Canada are returned to custody within two years, usually on parole violations.  About a quarter of all those released from prison are convicted of a new offence within those two years, although most charges are non-violent.

To make matters worst, one is dealing with increasingly large prison populations.  Since the 1970s, OECD countries have experienced steady increases in prison population.  The U.S. has witnessed a huge jump in the prison population that bears no historical comparison, with a prison population in 2000 four times as high as in the early 1970s.  When comparing prison populations in 2000, the U.S. stands far above the norm with an incarceration rate five times as high as the OECD average.  More than 1.2 million convicted American adults are in prison.  Canada’s rate is also far too high with an incarceration rate of 107 persons per 100,000 of national population, ranking 17th among countries surveyed in 2020 (Statista.com).  The U.S. ranks first with an incarceration rate of 655 persons per 100,000 of national population.

Rising prison populations, unless fully resourced, generally reduce the effectiveness of criminal re-education.  Upward trends can pull down the staff-prisoner ratio, a key component for achieving effective prevention of re-offending and promoting reintegration in the community. Moreover, prison overcrowding tends to exacerbate already high levels of tensions and violence, raising the risks of self-injury, suicide, substance abuse and sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS.  Overcrowded prisons are more likely to act as “universities of crime”

In Canada, Black and Indigenous inmates represent a significantly disproportionate number of inmates compared to their percentage of the national population.  These inmates are notably more likely to be rated as a security threat, despite the data showing them less likely to reoffend than white offenders.  In the U.S., the same can be said for Black and Hispanic inmates who are disproportionately represented when compared the general population.  There is little doubt that the prison systems are plagued by systemic racism.

The pandemic has only exacerbated and highlighted the existing poor conditions in our prisons.  Resulting in the deaths of numerous inmates, COVID-19 has run rampant in prisons despite governments’ assurances that everything is under control.  Interestingly, in order to reduce prison overcrowding, many non-violent prisoners were given early release and parole in both countries during the pandemic.  There are so many continuing reported problems with prison life that one could write a book about them.  Indeed, several studies about deplorable and unsafe prison conditions are gathering dust on shelves somewhere.  Unless society develops new non-incarceration policies and implements initiatives aimed at supporting real rehabilitation, including alternatives to imprisonment, the recidivism rates in both countries will continue to be unacceptably high.