Society has long since operated on a system of reward and punishment. That is, when good deeds are done or a person behaves in a desired way they SP are rewarded, or conversely punished when behaviour does not meet the societal norms. Those who defy these norms and commit crime are often punished by organized governmental justice systems through the use of penitentiaries, where prisoners carry out their sentences. The main goals of sentencing include deterrence, safety of the public, retribution, rehabilitation, punishment and respect for the law (Government of Canada, 2013). However, the type of justice system in place within a state or country greatly influences the aims and mandates of prisons and in turn targets different aspects of sentencing goals. Justice systems commonly focus on either rehabilitative or retributive measures. Canada is a country where rehabilitation has been a formal part of sentencing and correctional policies for an extended period of time (Andrews & Bonta, 2010). Furthermore, a group of Canadian researchers have examined the methodology and effectiveness of rehabilitation, and are principal figures in the correctional rehabilitation field (Cullen & Gendreau, 2000). However, despite rehabilitation being a central aspect of Canadian identity, there has been a shift in the justice system’s objectives. The rise of the Conservative government and their omnibus bill C-10, Safe Streets and Communities Act, has created a move towards retribution. Bill C-10 was passed on March 12, 2012 (Government of Canada, 2013) and was a proposal to make fundamental changes to almost every component of Canada’s criminal justice system. Law changes included new and increased mandatory minimum sentencin... ... middle of paper ... .../2013001/article/11854-eng.htm#a1. Walker, N. (1983). Side-effects of incarceration. British Journal of Criminology, 23(1), 61-71. Wormith, J. S., Althouse, R., Simpson, M., Reitzel, L. R., Fagan, T. J., & Morgan, R. D. (2007). The rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders: The current landscape and some future directions for correctional psychology. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 34(7), 879-892. Yates, P. M. (2005). Pathways to treatment of sexual offenders: Rethinking intervention. Forum on Corrections Research, 17, 1-9. Zamble, E., & Porporino, F. (1990). Coping, imprisonment, and rehabilitation: Some data and their implications. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 17(1), 53-70. Zhang, S. X., Roberts, R. E. L., & Callanan, V. J. (2006). Preventing parolees from returning to prison through community-based reintegration. Crime & Delinquency, 52(4), 551-571.
Canada’s criminal justice system largely focuses on rehabilitation, but Bourque’s harsh sentence is similar to the sentencing practices of the United States (Gagnon 2015). This is troubling as Canada’s rehabilitation focused criminal justice system appears to be working. Canada has a low rate of recidivism for offenders who have been convicted of murder (Gagnon 2015). Research shows that Canada’s rehabilitation focused criminal justice system has also worked with crimes that are not as severe as murder. Between 2010/2011 and 2013/2014, there was a 12% decrease in completed adult criminal court cases. Most cases in adult criminal court involve non-violent offenses (Maxwell 2013/2014). Similarly, in 2013, the police-reported crime rate was at it lowest since 1969 (Statistics Canada). The homicide rate is also declining, as in 2013, it represented less than 1% of all violent crime (Statistics Canada). Notably, probation was the most common sentence given in adult court cases and custody sentences were less than six months (Maxwell, 2013/2014). These types of sentences showcase the rehabilitation focused thinking of the Canadian criminal justice system and reinforce the impact and possible repercussions of Justin Bourque’s
The Canadian Justice system is run like a well-oiled machine. It is based on the fair and humane treatment of suspects who remain innocent until proven guilty. There is one big question that has been debated since July 14th, 1976 - should the death penalty have been abolished in Canada? The new younger generation of Canadians seems to agree with me that the death penalty should be resurrected in Canada.
Rehabilitation, retribution, and restoration are seen as the three tenets of justice in Canada. Rehabilitation seeks to help the offender reintegrate into society, restoration focuses on the needs of the victim, and retribution solely looks to punish the offender. Regarding the incarceration system, it is crucial to acknowledge that cruel and unusual punishments doled out through retribution only hold society back from progressing and bettering itself.
Lipsey, M. W., Chapman, G. L., L & Enberger, N. A. (2001). Cognitive-behavioral programs for offenders. The annals of the american academy of political and social science, 578 (1), pp. 144--157.
3. Report of the Interagency Council on Sex Offender Treatment to the Senate Interim Committee on Health and Human Services and the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice, 1993
In today’s society, many people commit crimes and illegal behavior is nothing new. Society knows that there are criminals and they have criminal intentions. The question today is not if people are going to commit crimes, it is finding the most effective method to help those criminals reenter society as productive citizens, and preventing new people from becoming criminals. Department of corrections around the nation have implemented a program that identifies the most effective method. The “what works” movement outlines four general principles that are implemented in the rehabilitation of criminals; and, these principles are risk principle, criminogenic need principle, treatment principle, and fidelity principle.
Wood's data collection was conducted in a unnamed prison in a southern state, where he surveyed over 700 individuals concerning their length of incarceration, their past incarcerations and how likely they perceived themselves as returning to a life of crime after completing their sentence. The data showed, through bi-variate regressions, that with a p-value of <.000 all measures o...
Sung, L. G.-e. (2011). Rethinking Corrections: Rehabilitation, Reentry, and Reintegration. Thousand Oaks : SAGE Publications.
Every civilization in history has had rules, and citizens who break them. To this day governments struggle to figure out the best way to deal with their criminals in ways that help both society and those that commit the crimes. Imprisonment has historically been the popular solution. However, there are many instances in which people are sent to prison that would be better served for community service, rehab, or some other form of punishment. Prison affects more than just the prisoner; the families, friends, employers, and communities of the incarcerated also pay a price. Prison as a punishment has its pros and cons; although it may be necessary for some, it can be harmful for those who would be better suited for alternative means of punishment.
According to the National Institute of Justice recidivism is one of the most fundamental concepts in criminal justice. Recidivism refers to a person’s reoccurrence or continuation of criminal behavior that persists after the person receives their sanctions or arbitration. Researchers from the statistics of The Bureau of Justice found that two-thirds, 67.8%, of released prisoners were rearrested within three years. About three quarters, 79.6%, were rearrested within five years of their release. At the end of the year, 56.7%, which is more than half of those prisoners were rearrested. The most likely to be rearrested were property offenders, 82.1% of released offenders were rearrested for
Over the course of reading the Houses of Healing, I was enlightened to the many and very different types of counseling ideas that are used by Criminal justice counselors and all the ways that an offender can change and get the help that they may need. I found that not all ideas will work from these programs for all of the offenders but many are the step in the right direction for many. I will relate many of the exercises from the book and give my overall opinion on theses exercises and their importance for rehabilitation and treatment for offenders. The book cover a lot of ground on the different ideas that are out there for criminal justice counseling should and has been carried out. The ones that I felt were the most important include
Although this case predates the Gladue Principle which directs the courts to consider all sentencing options prior to imposing an incarceration sentence (Parrott, 2014), the judges failed to recognize the importance of rehabilitation. The accused received a two month sentence, which accordingly resulted in imprisonment in a provincial correctional facility where rehabilitation programs available to offenders are few and poorly funded (Public Services Foundation of Canada, 2015). Furthermore, the long-lived debate over the “tough on crime” approach in punitive sentencing resulted in considerable sociological research which undermines the Court of Appeal’s decision. For one, a majority of studies on this topic find that certainty of punitive sanctions is more effective in invoking fear of sanctions in criminals, than is the severity of possible punishment (Bailey, 1972). In this specific case, punishment had been delayed by the extensive and lengthy process of appeals and was uncertain due to the obvious disagreement between counsel and the judiciary. The court’s problematic reasoning on the effectiveness of sentence severity in relation to deterrence “assumes that human beings are rational actors who consider the consequences of
UK: Willan Publishing Co., Ltd. Verkaik, R. (2006) The Big Question: What are the alternatives to prison, and do they work? The Independent [online] 10 October. Available from: Johnstone, G. and Ness, D. (2007) Handbook of Restorative Justice.
The purpose of this paper is to verify whether rehabilitation is performed in prisons or in criminal substitutes to integrate deprived of freedom individuals into society. The jail is a place where people are kept when they have been arrested and are being punished for a crime (Merriam-webster). This aims to rehabilitate and incorporate the prisoner to society as one able to live in it, without the need to re-offend. But are the prisons meeting the requirements? Is our society is adapted to receive an offender rehabilitated? Does the system is encouraged to fulfill its purpose or is the system to the edge of bankruptcy? Once imprisonment, as a sanction in the conviction is applied, the system must begin their treatment, which aims to achieve
Day Professor of Psychology; Member of the Strategic Research Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, Deakin University, Andrew. "Crime and Punishment and Rehabilitation: A Smarter Approach." The Conversation. N.p., 23 Mar. 2017. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.