“On any given day, between six and eight per cent of Canada’s 15,000 federal inmates are in segregation cells, and about one-fifth of them will spend more than 120 days there.”(Winter, par. 13) Solitary confinement is not something anyone is willing to talk about because it involves people society deems as outcasts so we sweep it under the rug and ignore the issue. What many canadians do not know is that solitary confinement is classified as a form of torture by the United Nations due to to its severe mental effects. There are many things wrong with the correctional system but solitary confinement ignored human rights in order to gain some control and punish those unwill to respond to commands. Solitary confinement is an ineffective form of
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As many psychologists and researchers have discovered ““it is very difficult, if not impossible, to prepare people for [their] release into the community if [they're kept] ... locked [up] in a cell for 23 out of 24 hours a day[.]” (Winter, par. 26) When an inmate has not learned how to function in a regular society and is not prepared to be released, they are more likely to resort to old behaviours and get arrested again. These negative effects of solitary confinement make the punishment all the more ineffective and unnecessary. Furthermore, researchers have taken an interest in recidivism rates and their correspondence to solitary confinement. Particularly a study done in 2006 by federal courts of appeal judge John Gibbons “[who] raised concerns about higher recidivism rates when prisoners are released directly from solitary to the community. High rates of security segregation can actually increase incidents of violence.” (The Abuse of Solitary, par. 4) The correctional system was created to punish and reintroduce criminals into society. By punishing them further and isolating …show more content…
Mental illness is a major issue in prisons but officers do not know how to deal with it properly. An example would be when “ Tekano was having a panic attack, guards in riot gear would remove him from his cell, douse him with pepper spray, shackle him, and transfer him to solitary confinement.” These extreme and unnecessary precautions speak to the larger issue that the guards are uneducated and unable to effectively control the metal outbursts an inmate experiences. The biggest issue is in fact prison policies and officer training courses are out of date and not caught up with current social views. On top of that, with no administrative oversight prisons are able to do almost anything, in many cases officers abuse their power to target a minority or to establish power. ““Administrative Segregation” in particular, raises concerns. The nexus of disciplinary and administrative powers that are granted to correctional officers is problematic. With little to no oversight, prison administrations are able to act as independent bodies, running their own fiefdoms.” (Jansen, par 8) The Correctional institution along with it regulations and policies are not regulated closely by the government giving the prison all the power need to run the facility. With no oversight from the government the officers are able to use their own discretion along with protocol to manage inmates. This leads to racism and
As many psychologists and researchers have discovered ““it is very difficult, if not impossible, to prepare people for [their] release into the community if [they're kept] ... locked [up] in a cell for 23 out of 24 hours a day[.]” (Winter, par. 26) When an inmate has not learned how to function in a regular society and is not prepared to be released, they are more likely to resort to old behaviours and get arrested again. These negative effects of solitary confinement make the punishment all the more ineffective and unnecessary. Furthermore, researchers have taken an interest in recidivism rates and their correspondence to solitary confinement. Particularly a study done in 2006 by federal courts of appeal judge John Gibbons “[who] raised concerns about higher recidivism rates when prisoners are released directly from solitary to the community. High rates of security segregation can actually increase incidents of violence.” (The Abuse of Solitary, par. 4) The correctional system was created to punish and reintroduce criminals into society. By punishing them further and isolating …show more content…
Mental illness is a major issue in prisons but officers do not know how to deal with it properly. An example would be when “ Tekano was having a panic attack, guards in riot gear would remove him from his cell, douse him with pepper spray, shackle him, and transfer him to solitary confinement.” These extreme and unnecessary precautions speak to the larger issue that the guards are uneducated and unable to effectively control the metal outbursts an inmate experiences. The biggest issue is in fact prison policies and officer training courses are out of date and not caught up with current social views. On top of that, with no administrative oversight prisons are able to do almost anything, in many cases officers abuse their power to target a minority or to establish power. ““Administrative Segregation” in particular, raises concerns. The nexus of disciplinary and administrative powers that are granted to correctional officers is problematic. With little to no oversight, prison administrations are able to act as independent bodies, running their own fiefdoms.” (Jansen, par 8) The Correctional institution along with it regulations and policies are not regulated closely by the government giving the prison all the power need to run the facility. With no oversight from the government the officers are able to use their own discretion along with protocol to manage inmates. This leads to racism and