Over the past few months, I�ve become increasingly convinced that the Criminal Code of Canada seems to matter least where it ought to matter most.
Prisons are supposed to be a place of rehabilitation. A place where people learn more respect for the law and for each other. That�s what I�m led to believe when my tax dollars are taken to fund a �correctional� system.
But the reality is far from the stated intent!
The most monitored environment in all of society is fast becoming the most lawless.
In prison, there are posted notices informing inmates and visitors that phone calls and visits are monitored. There are cameras on the ranges. There are cameras at the gates and in the yards. There are more guards in jail than there are cops on the street.
Yet I don�t know of a place with a higher likelihood of racketeering, extortion, drug dealing, rape, assault and intimidation.
Gang activity proliferates. Entire ranges packed with members of the same gang, interspersed with a few independents or rival gang members. Those prone to conspiracy theories might suspect that somebody in administration likely wants to teach them a lesson. Or maybe just watch them die.
Stereos blasting on gang-run ranges with no respect for anyone.
I don�t get it. Is anyone watching those cameras or listening to those microphones?
If anyone looked or listened, they would have to be aware of countless threats and violations of the Criminal Code of Canada.
Anywhere else, the overseers would get sued for negligence.
If doctors, teachers or preachers purposely turn their back on deliberate and flagrant violations of law, they would likely be sued for negligence. And if they had half a heart, they�d have a hard time sleeping at night.
Don�t get me wrong. I�m not just picking on guards. I can see where the guards won�t do much if they don�t feel the full support of the administration, courts and the rest of the �corrections� system.
The present situation is outrageous.
Crime inside prison should be treated more like crime outside prison. I�ve heard of horrific crimes in prison. The punishment? A five dollar reduction in �allowance� and perhaps 30 days in the �hole� (23 and a half hour solitary lockup). Just because someone committed a crime doesn�t mean they should be victimized as well.
Those crimes are no less criminal just because they�re committed behind bars. The Criminal Code process and terms of additional imprisonment should be applied to those crimes. And the sentence for the new crime should be served following the current incarceration � not concurrently.
The gang situation in prison is totally out of control. On some ranges, it�s like the animals are running the zoo. Since the strength and benefits of gangs is in their pseudo-solidarity, perhaps there should be solidarity in discipline as well. If one gang member breaks the law in there, perhaps the rest of the gang and all known associates should be on 23.5 hour lockdown for a set amount of time. Maybe that would provide for some positive peer pressure.
These guys don�t even all want to be in gangs. Some do it just to stay alive. What kind of life is that?
These ideas might be crazy, but somebody�s got to care enough to come up with something better!
If politicians and government can�t deal with crime in prison, we shouldn�t be tricked into thinking they can deal with it anywhere else. You�ve got a captive, monitored audience. If you can�t deal with crime in the place where you hold every trump card, all the �tough-on-crime� press conferences won�t fool us.
Why bother worrying about recidivism? We ought to be worried sick about the recalcitrance bred by our penal system. It�s less a system for �corrections� than it is an encouragement of cynicism.
Prisons have become a distillery for more organized crime and more calculating criminals.
Inmates leave with less respect for law than when they entered.
And here�s the shameful part. Most people out here don't give a rip. �Let �em kill each other.� �Who cares what they do to each other. Let them experience the grief they�ve brought on others.�
That�s not just a cold, calloused attitude. It�s outright stupid.
Face the facts. Most of these guys will be out in the community after their time of incarceration.
They�ve already learned that most folks on the outside don�t care about them. So don�t be surprised that they don�t really care about you when they get out. And their time in jail certainly didn�t instill more respect for the law.
If we want those guys to respect the rule of law out in public, we better be sure we respect their need for the same law in prison.
Rev. Harry Lehotsky
514 Maryland Street
Winnipeg, Mb R3G 1M5
(204) 775-4929
[email protected]