Criminal Injustice In Canada

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Criminal Injustice in Canada Canada’s incarceration rate is 110 prisoners per 100,000 people, a quota that is intermediate between other countries such as Sweden, France and England. The imprisonment percentage is not something that arises from increased crime rates, but from escalation of government inspection, itself a predictable consequence of a digression in the economy. Crime is dependent on the socioeconomic problems that rise and fall during the year. Distress and desperation exert a major influence capable of causing widespread behavioural change in society. The moral panics that follow generally cause the government to promise expansion of the war on crime (Schissel, 423). Therefore, the government must come up with more…show more content…
Though to this day the American and Canadian cultures retain their differences in socioeconomic stratification, race relations, and deviant subculture, the variation in incarceration rate should be seen through a historical perspective: during Canada’s early period of growth, a much greater amount of policing was required to maintain societal protection. The immigration policy that made Canada a multicultural country also caused many problems during the initial stages of settlement (Lenton, 164). Competition and fighting between minority groups disrupted the previous homogeneity of Canadian society. The Canadian government responded by increasing the overall presence of law enforcement. Increased police presence ultimately correlated with a decrease in the total amount of crime, and by extension the incarceration rate (Bonta, 164). To continue with a perspective focused on the past; the United States views the criminal code in a different way because of the relative brevity of America’s ties to Britain. While Canada’s legal system owes much to Britain to this day, the American legal system diverged immediately after the American Revolution. After the thirteen colonies broke free from British rule, Americans became more likely to resist authority figures, coinciding with a higher incarceration rate (Lenton,…show more content…
Many factors contribute to the psychological problems that are experienced post-prison. Institutions change a person through humiliation and distress – even solitary confinement is still widely used (Bonta, et al. 349). In many cases the authority figures take advantage of their power, no further demonstration is needed than that provided by the Stanford Prison Experiment. Even leaving abuse of power aside, the principal discomfort of prison is crowding, an issue serious enough to now cause reforms in prisoners’ sentencing, and interventions in court (Bonta, et al. 350). Limited space, including noise level and the duration of exposure has been known to cause stress, anxiety, and
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