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DIGITAL COPIES OF THE SOURCES NEEDED: THIS PAPER REQUIRES YOU TO UPLOAD DIRECT LINKS SHOWING FULL TEXT OF EACH SOURCE YOU USE, TOGETHER WITH THE FINAL PAPER.
Instructions:
You have done my argumentative paper outline on Women in corrections in Canada, it was good. and now I need you to write the whole paper based on the outline you have written. please see the marked outline PDF file to see the comments and do what the comments say, be aware that there are some sources which is not an academic source. again it is an argumentative paper on Women in corrections in Canada only in Canada. briefly, this paper should have 4 parts:
1- intro of the issue.
2- Thesis statement.
3- my 3 positions.
4- conclusion
PLEASE see the instructions file (In addition to the digital copies of sources, please include a photocopied first page of each of the academic references. If it is a book, include the inside first page showing publishing house and copyright information).
Answer
Women in Corrections in Canada
The issue of women’s correction has been one of the most scrutinized ones in the history of the Canadian federal correction system. However, this matter has received comparatively little attention in empirical research. This is perhaps because women and girls account for the minority of criminal offenders in the country. Belknap (2014) concurs with this assertion and points out that women are far less likely to commit heinous crimes compared to their male counterparts. This is perhaps the primary reason why women offenders have become exposed to an unpleasant Canadian Justice system that has been designed and structured to accommodate a mostly male prisoner population that comprises approximately 95% of the prison population (Kuokkanen, 2012; Turnbull, 2016). Furthermore, official numbers seem to point out that women in Canada tend to engage in more secretive crimes such as fraud, shoplifting, and widespread theft of property. Statistics in Canada however, report that in spite of their relatively low levels when weighed against men, the rate of females being charged with serious violent offenses like homicide and aggravated assault seems to be on the rise. In fact, the number of violent crime rates among women doubled between 1986 and 2006 with offenses such as assault with a weapon, attempted murder, burglary, and sexual assault topping the list of serious misconducts committed by this demographic group (Jewkes, 2007). All in all, my main argument is centered on the fact that women’s needs in prisons have been subsumed and neglected extensively. As a result, women have been dismissed as a key concern, leading to the formulation and implementation of correctional policies and practices that were initially designed for men and then been applied to this faction. This paper will address the effectiveness of the women’s corrections system, treatment of female offenders as well as the steps that have been put in place in an attempt to achieve a woman-centered feminist method of corrections within this framework that has been designed primarily for male criminals.
First and foremost, most issues concerning federally imprisoned women seemed to be disregarded relative to those problems facing the larger population of male offenders until recently.This has created a state where women have been dismissed as a chief concern, resulting in the creation of correctional policies that are tailored for men and are being applied to women. Consequently, there is insufficient data that is unique to Canadian women offenders. All thesefactors coupled together have contributed to the overall decline in the effectiveness of the corrections system in rehabilitating female detainees over the years. This is mainly because the particular needs of women in custody have not been adequately met because of the overshadowing effects brought about by exposing women to a system structure for men. For instance, it can be noted that women lack the appropriate healthcare and monitoring services which are quite crucial to their well-being. Conclusive evidence reveals that there is a lack of gynecological health provision, maternal care, and routine check-ups. In addition to this, most penitentiary institutions have failed to provide specialized services to women, an action that has seen most feminist movement organizations assert that there is gender insensitivity especially in relation to the currently available amenities (Kuokkanen, 2012). As such, there is a dire need for Canadian female offenders to be attended to in their right since they have rather distinct situations.
In light of this situation, it is important to note that the Correctional Service of Canada ought to follow the rule of law. It emphasizes that the law treats everyone as an equal regardless of the social class, group or stature. As such, there is a need for the Correctional Service of Canada to create and enforce effective procedures and measures that will accomplish this equality and hence improve the environment for female detainees for them to heal and rejoin society. However, this is yet to be achieved. The inhumane surroundings created by the system has been propagated by the lack of appropriate communication channels and lack of essential components such as adequate understanding of the needs of women from different cultural, educational and medical backgrounds and the overall incompetence to provide reliable treatment based on each convict’s needs (Jewkes, 2007).
Moreover, there is sufficient compelling evidence that points to inhumane treatment been meted out to female offenders in Canada. This is primarily because of the presence of gender-based stereotypes and prejudicial principles that are characteristic of a male-dominated society. As such, most institutions subject women to the same harsh treatment that is extended to male inmates disregarding the fragile nature of women. This arises because of the prevailing antagonistic dogmas circulating this prison regime that often paint women as “masculine and insane”, hence they ought to be tamed and controlled in the same manner as male offenders (Worrall, 2014). For instance, in 2015, there were complaints that pepper spray and force were being used excessively on women at the Edmonton Institution following unrest from the inmates. However, such cases all seem to support the assertion that the management has failed in carrying out its role in the corrections department. Such incidences can be better handled by educating and training the staff on negotiation techniques, behavioral responses (how to act when an inmate is causing a disturbance or is inflicting self-harm), and striking a balance between a prisoner’s internal and external security priorities. However, the continued use of force and failure to balance offenders’ needs with safety priorities by the Correctional Service of Canada is solid proof that the staff has failed to put their training into practicality.
In a closely related issue, the subjects of discrimination and segregation have taken the limelight of late. The discrimination of women offenders takes many forms, but the common ones are in education and other training and vocational programs offered inside the prisons (Petrillo, 2007; Worrall, 2014). The majority of the women’s prison systems in Canada have adopted a system whereby only those inmates who behave properly are accorded the chance to access certain programs that are designed to arm them with the required skills to carry on with life after serving their sentences. While many may support this model, it is highly ineffective because it disregards certain aspects such as mental health issues. Thus, inmates who have such medical problems end up missing out on such crucial programs. On the other hand, the use of segregation as a proactive method to deal with disruptive behavior has proven to be counterproductive. Hannah-Moffat (2001) however, supports the use of exclusion by claiming that it is necessary for the efficient functioning and success of the prisons service. In my view, it is ineffective because it fails to address the more pressing issues faced by inmates whether emotional, physical or psychological. If anything, long-term solitary confinement can be damaging to a prisoner’s mental health (Dell et al., 2009). Subsequently, it inhibits the possibility of the adoption of a more holistic and needs-based approach (Petrillo, 2007).
All in all, changes have been implemented within the scope of federal corrections for women at present. Most of these modifications are more inclined towards a “woman-centered” and feministic approach. Recently, the Correctional Service of Canada implemented a new program that will cater to those women who are incarcerated together with their children. The model is designed to accommodate the interests of those mothers serving a minimum of two years to life imprisonment. The Canadian government proposed this move in an attempt to prioritize the interests of children. Moreover, a court ruling finalized this proposal by deeming the practice of taking away children from their mothers as wayward since it impacts negatively on the child’s development. The scheme will oversee the introduction of close to 114 beds in at least four of the women’s prisons in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and Nova Scotia.
Furthermore, following the funding initiatives made in 2008, the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) has been able to launch new initiatives that address the issue of health concerns, more so, mental health. CSC has been able to develop a comprehensive strategy that will enable them to deal and respond to mental health matters. The stratagem will take a three-pronged approach. Firstly, there will be an introduction to a thorough mental health screening for all offenders entering the corrections system. Secondly, both the health professionals and the correctional staff will be exposed to ameliorative training on mental health. Thirdly, primary mental health care will be implemented across all federal correction institutions for the purposes of supporting, counseling and treating mental issues among offenders. Aside from these initiatives, the CSC is looking into new ways and strategies that will ensure high-quality mental health care for both male and female offenders that will be sustainable and efficient in the long-run (Turnbull, 2016). The success of such a model will depend on some factors such as permanent funding, greater recruitment of health care professionals as well as a stable relationship with community partners and other non-profit organizations (Worrall, 2014).
Addressing issues of mental health among offenders will go a long way in fostering order in the penitentiary institutions. This arises due to the recent incidents of chaos and upheavals as witnessed in Edmonton Institution for Women. The lack of adequate mental health services, as well as proper correctional handling for federal female offenders, has been a talking point in Canada. The primary and immediate mental health care being provided to female inmates is unsatisfactory (Worrall, 2014). This explains why the correctional system has failed to provide for the particular needs of womenmostly because the CSC has exuded some weakness in balancing between the medical needs of detainees and the security primacies (Turnbull, 2016). Critics such as Dell et al. (2009) and Hayman (2006) assert that there is a valid reason to control women who are categorized as risky or mentally unstable since they pose an immediate threat to the order in prison and security. The introduction of the initiatives mentioned earlier on will address this issue by providing clear ways and explicit directions to handle such cases.
It is evident that imprisoned women represent a marginalized group. Numerous reports and studies reveal the condition of prisons, the experiences that women undergo while there as well as the outcome of imprisonment on the offender. The common factor in all these reports is that they all unearth the inhumane and unsafe conditions that are typical to women’s prisons as well as the adverse outcomes the prisons have on the individuals exposed to them. Upon realizing the unique situation of female offenders and their placement in the Canadian society, it is imperative thatcriminal justice system formulates new and favorable policies that recognize the gender insensitivity and imbalance of power and proceed to amend this situation. The argument here is not that these women are innocent, but rather their needs are different from those of men;hence, the solutions being advanced ought to be different altogether and should reflect a “woman-centered approach.” This is because the current policies that are in play have failed to deliver a safe, empowering anda supportive healing environment for female offenders as advocated by the Creating Choices Report.To move forward, segregation should be used minimally, and new procedures should be adopted to attend to the psychological health issues faced by federally imprisoned women. The inability of the CSC to provide an ideal environment for rehabilitating female detainees is a clear indication of a failed institution. For this reason, there is a need to restructure and redefine the entire corrections department and shape it into an emblem of fairness and equality with the ideals of empowerment and reform being at the core.
References
Belknap, J. (2014). The invisible woman: Gender, crime, and justice. Nelson Education
Dell, Colleen Anne, Catherine J. Fillmore and Jennifer M. Kilty. 2009. ―Looking Back 10 Years After the Arbour Inquiry: Ideology, Policy, Practice, and the Federal Female Prisoner. The Prison Journal 89(3):286-308.
Hannah-Moffat, K. (2001). Punishment in Disguise: Penal Governance and Federal Imprisonment of Women in Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Hayman, Stephanie 2006. Imprisoning Our Sisters: The New Federal Women’s Prisons in Canada. Kingston, ON: McGill-Queen‘s University Press.
Jewkes, Y. (2007). Handbook on Prisons. Chapter 19: Prisons and the media: the shaping of public opinion and penal policy in a mediated society. London: Routledge.
Kuokkanen, R. (2012). Self-Determination and Indigenous: Women’s Rights at the Intersection of International Human Rights. Human Rights Quarterly, 34,225–250.
Petrillo, M. (2007). The Corston Report: A review of women with particular vulnerabilities in the criminal justice system. Probation Journal, 54(3), 285-287.
Turnbull, S. (2016). Parole in Canada: Gender and Diversity in the Federal System. Vancouver: UBC Press.
Worrall, A. (2014). Punishment in the Community: The Future of Criminal Justice. New York, NY: Routledge.
