NCJ Number
147722
Journal
Journal of Prisoners on Prisons Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Dated: (Autumn 1993) Pages: 23-25
Date Published
1993
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This author argues that Canadian society uses prisons to house people whose behavior, speech, and appearance does not fit into the predominant socioeconomic mold.
Abstract
Many of the inmates incarcerated today include victims of sexual abuse, paternal abandonment, social neglect, and discrimination. Symbolically, prison walls represent the security shield behind which the wealthy and powerful segments of society can hide. The author suggests that every university should have a required course in prison ethnics so that future generations of leaders consider carefully their decisions to mete out harsh sentences and incarcerate prisoners in overcrowded facilities. Even though many prisoners experience feelings of guilt and a sense that they are paying for their crimes, there is no real justice in modern society because the state now punishes crimes against institutional property, while exonerating corporate crime committed against the less powerful. The state discriminates against women and native peoples, while protecting male white-collar criminals from the consequences of their actions. While prisons cannot be totally abolished, because there will always be some offenders who need to be kept separate from the public, society is obliged to seek out more effective pro-social alternatives to deal with criminal behavior. 1 note