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Down Inside: Thirty Years in Canada's Prison Service
A compelling personal memoir and a scathing indictment of bureaucratic indifference and agenda-driven government policies.
In his thirty years in the Canadian prison system, Robert Clark rose from student volunteer to deputy warden. He worked with some of Canada's most dangerous and notorious prisoners, including Paul Bernardo and Tyrone Conn. He dealt with escapes, lockdowns, prisoner murders, prisoner suicides, and a riot. But he also arranged ice-hockey games in a maximum-security institution, sat in a darkened gym watching movies with three hundred inmates, took parolees sightseeing, and consoled victims of violent crimes. He has managed cellblocks, been a parole officer, and investigated staff corruption.
Clark takes readers down inside a range of prisons, from the minimum-security Pittsburgh Institution to the Kingston Regional Treatment Centre for mentally ill prisoners and the notorious (and now closed) maximum-security Kingston Penitentiary. In Down Inside, he challenges head-on the popular belief that a "tough-on-crime" approach makes prisons and communities safer, arguing instead for humane treatment and rehabilitation. Wading into the controversy about long-term solitary confinement, Clark draws from his own experience managing solitary-confinement units to continue the discussion begun by the headline-making Ashley Smith case and to join the chorus of voices calling for an end to the abuse of solitary confinement in Canadian prisons.
In his thirty years in the Canadian prison system, Robert Clark rose from student volunteer to deputy warden. He worked with some of Canada's most dangerous and notorious prisoners, including Paul Bernardo and Tyrone Conn. He dealt with escapes, lockdowns, prisoner murders, prisoner suicides, and a riot. But he also arranged ice-hockey games in a maximum-security institution, sat in a darkened gym watching movies with three hundred inmates, took parolees sightseeing, and consoled victims of violent crimes. He has managed cellblocks, been a parole officer, and investigated staff corruption.
Clark takes readers down inside a range of prisons, from the minimum-security Pittsburgh Institution to the Kingston Regional Treatment Centre for mentally ill prisoners and the notorious (and now closed) maximum-security Kingston Penitentiary. In Down Inside, he challenges head-on the popular belief that a "tough-on-crime" approach makes prisons and communities safer, arguing instead for humane treatment and rehabilitation. Wading into the controversy about long-term solitary confinement, Clark draws from his own experience managing solitary-confinement units to continue the discussion begun by the headline-making Ashley Smith case and to join the chorus of voices calling for an end to the abuse of solitary confinement in Canadian prisons.
280 pages, Paperback
First published May 16, 2017
8 people are currently reading
164 people want to read
About the author
Robert Clark
1 book5 followersRobert Clark began his career with Corrections Canada in 1980, working in the gymnasium at the medium-security Joyceville Institution. Over the next thirty years, he would work in seven different federal prisons, at every level of security, in every conceivable role. Clark lives in Kingston, Ontario.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
September 27, 2018
Hmmm. I have read several books about incarceration in many countries and continents.
I have strongly divided feelings about Robert Clark's description of his 30 years' experience in eastern Canadian prisons...thorough in a description of his experiences but not thorough in an historical account of change in Canada's prison system. Yes, he had experience in probably every significant position including deputy warden and experience in most prisons in eastern Canada.
But one experience, let's say 15 years ago, in one particular prison, does not give any idea to the reader of the situation 30 years ago or today. And one position in, for example, the psychiatric branch at one time period, cannot give an understanding of the complexities of the entire prison system at that time period.
To me, this is like reading the story of a person's journey through life for 30 years living in different provinces and countries and social strata and employment/non-employment situations and thinking incorrectly that you have an understanding of the world. You have only snapshots of different locations at different times without continuity in any location.
In other words, a bit of everything but not a lot of anything. For example, I have read entire books just on Kingston Penitentiary. Clark touched on the disinterest, illegal behavior, hopelessness, emotional strain, and blue-walling of the prison personnel as well as the frustrations of dealing with both unions and politicians. But I never FELT the emotional and physical toil of staff who cared and their disgust of illegal behaviors and inhumane treatment by staff who did not care when I read this book. But in other books, I became very emotionally involved.
I felt as if I was on a roller coaster never sure of where I was going to end up.
However, Clark appears as an intelligent, compassionate employee whose life commitment seemed to be to care for everyone in the prison system, whether employee or inmate, as a human being. He shows remarkable insight into psychological approaches to dealing with people in order to get co-operation and to defuse situations, even to the extent of enlisting mothers to encourage escapees to turn themselves in. He also seems able to out-think those who want to lie about situations, whether they are employees trying to stonewall an investigation or inmates trying to frame someone.
But despite this, he comes across as someone who cannot deal with the horror of victim impact statements, prison murders, corrupt guards, distant politicians, incompetent supervisors and wardens, cut-and-paste parole recommendations, solitary confinement, and visitation privileges for sexual predators.
Ultimately, it seems to me that he has decided that the answer is to provide prisoners with more "human" treatment but I do not interpret more human treatment as allowing prisoners to get drunk on a regular basis or automatically being released after serving 2/3 of their sentences... or many of the other social niceties that he felt would help inmates develop social skills to help their return to life outside the prison system. Job training, yes. Education, yes. Sports, yes.
I also feel that his account lacks a realistic understanding of the changing culture of modern society in the past 30 years. Clark talks about how he would sit in a darkened room with a few hundred prisoners watching a movie together and he yearns for that kind of interaction to be restored today. But look at the different culture today.
He discusses the large increase in the number of inmates who have serious mental conditions since he began his career 30 years ago. But he does not seem to understand that, when a significant proportion of the prison population has mental issues often accompanied by prescription medications which can result in problems as bad as with street drugs, inmates cannot be given the same freedom of interaction with staff. And a lot of this behavior can be controlled only by solitary confinement... If you have ever seen videos of parents dealing with violent reactions of seriously autistic children either attacking their parents or banging their heads against a wall, or videos of several policemen attempting to restrain a drug addict on a "trip", you might have more compassion for prison personnel who are given a person with a psychological condition which is not being treated, who is a threat to himself, to the inmate population, and to the guards. You might understand why they have no recourse but solitary confinement. (Note that I did not say solution, but recourse.)
In other words, if you want a book that describes various parts of the prison system in Canada over time that is mostly anecdotal, this is a good book with which to start.
But if you want a comprehensive approach, read individual books about Kingston Pen, about each suicide in solitary confinement, about the special treatment and privileges given to sexual predators and murderers, about a prison riot, about individual inmates who make a successful return to society, and even about Steven Truscott, Ernie Hollands, Paul Bernardo, etc.
I have strongly divided feelings about Robert Clark's description of his 30 years' experience in eastern Canadian prisons...thorough in a description of his experiences but not thorough in an historical account of change in Canada's prison system. Yes, he had experience in probably every significant position including deputy warden and experience in most prisons in eastern Canada.
But one experience, let's say 15 years ago, in one particular prison, does not give any idea to the reader of the situation 30 years ago or today. And one position in, for example, the psychiatric branch at one time period, cannot give an understanding of the complexities of the entire prison system at that time period.
To me, this is like reading the story of a person's journey through life for 30 years living in different provinces and countries and social strata and employment/non-employment situations and thinking incorrectly that you have an understanding of the world. You have only snapshots of different locations at different times without continuity in any location.
In other words, a bit of everything but not a lot of anything. For example, I have read entire books just on Kingston Penitentiary. Clark touched on the disinterest, illegal behavior, hopelessness, emotional strain, and blue-walling of the prison personnel as well as the frustrations of dealing with both unions and politicians. But I never FELT the emotional and physical toil of staff who cared and their disgust of illegal behaviors and inhumane treatment by staff who did not care when I read this book. But in other books, I became very emotionally involved.
I felt as if I was on a roller coaster never sure of where I was going to end up.
However, Clark appears as an intelligent, compassionate employee whose life commitment seemed to be to care for everyone in the prison system, whether employee or inmate, as a human being. He shows remarkable insight into psychological approaches to dealing with people in order to get co-operation and to defuse situations, even to the extent of enlisting mothers to encourage escapees to turn themselves in. He also seems able to out-think those who want to lie about situations, whether they are employees trying to stonewall an investigation or inmates trying to frame someone.
But despite this, he comes across as someone who cannot deal with the horror of victim impact statements, prison murders, corrupt guards, distant politicians, incompetent supervisors and wardens, cut-and-paste parole recommendations, solitary confinement, and visitation privileges for sexual predators.
Ultimately, it seems to me that he has decided that the answer is to provide prisoners with more "human" treatment but I do not interpret more human treatment as allowing prisoners to get drunk on a regular basis or automatically being released after serving 2/3 of their sentences... or many of the other social niceties that he felt would help inmates develop social skills to help their return to life outside the prison system. Job training, yes. Education, yes. Sports, yes.
I also feel that his account lacks a realistic understanding of the changing culture of modern society in the past 30 years. Clark talks about how he would sit in a darkened room with a few hundred prisoners watching a movie together and he yearns for that kind of interaction to be restored today. But look at the different culture today.
He discusses the large increase in the number of inmates who have serious mental conditions since he began his career 30 years ago. But he does not seem to understand that, when a significant proportion of the prison population has mental issues often accompanied by prescription medications which can result in problems as bad as with street drugs, inmates cannot be given the same freedom of interaction with staff. And a lot of this behavior can be controlled only by solitary confinement... If you have ever seen videos of parents dealing with violent reactions of seriously autistic children either attacking their parents or banging their heads against a wall, or videos of several policemen attempting to restrain a drug addict on a "trip", you might have more compassion for prison personnel who are given a person with a psychological condition which is not being treated, who is a threat to himself, to the inmate population, and to the guards. You might understand why they have no recourse but solitary confinement. (Note that I did not say solution, but recourse.)
In other words, if you want a book that describes various parts of the prison system in Canada over time that is mostly anecdotal, this is a good book with which to start.
But if you want a comprehensive approach, read individual books about Kingston Pen, about each suicide in solitary confinement, about the special treatment and privileges given to sexual predators and murderers, about a prison riot, about individual inmates who make a successful return to society, and even about Steven Truscott, Ernie Hollands, Paul Bernardo, etc.
November 24, 2017
Every Canadian should read this book. This candid account of working in Canada Correctional Services for thirty years gets five stars because it is so candid and straightforward. Canada's prison system is depressing and often inhumane. Before people jump on their high horse to say something ignorant like, it's supposed to be inhumane, in fact it isn't. Most prisoners are not Paul Bernardo by a long shot, as Clark tells us, and I believe him. They are often mentally ill and /or have had horrific childhoods. Yes boo hoo, but it is valid that people who start out not getting the basic necessities of life in childhood can be become really fucked up in adulthood and make very bad decisions. Is the point of prison to provide revenge for society or to try and rehabilitate someone (who has a shot) at being integrated back into society and lead a reasonably productive life. Can it work? Other countries have made a good go of it.
Being a Kingstonian it was also fascinating to read of what goes on behind the walls of the prisons we encounter on a drive through town or just outside of town. This book verified for me something I know about myself, I could not do, nor would I want to do, any job working in a prison. But for those who do, and do it well, they have my utmost respect and regards.
Being a Kingstonian it was also fascinating to read of what goes on behind the walls of the prisons we encounter on a drive through town or just outside of town. This book verified for me something I know about myself, I could not do, nor would I want to do, any job working in a prison. But for those who do, and do it well, they have my utmost respect and regards.
April 30, 2017
A well- told cathartic memoir by a man who spent 30 years working for the Canadian Correctional Services in various roles, including deputy-warden. Honest and revealing, condemning a flawed system and praising the well-intentioned employees who he worked with, Rob Clark's book will surely be used as a guideline for change, although the author himself is skeptical that Mr. Trudeau's government will be effective in its earnest attempts for change. 5 star stuff.
February 14, 2018
Doing time
Clark knows his stuff and the Canadian Corrections has let everyone down. Why does Canada follow a flawed model, whereas those of Europe seem to be doing such a better job?
Clark,has an easy style and is a goodread.
Clark knows his stuff and the Canadian Corrections has let everyone down. Why does Canada follow a flawed model, whereas those of Europe seem to be doing such a better job?
Clark,has an easy style and is a goodread.
August 3, 2017
I don't know if "enjoy" is the word when describing how I felt about this book. It really was interesting and very insightful into Canada's prisons, at least the ones in the Kingston area. Robert Clark writes with authority about a pretty grim topic. His book is a memoir of his career in the Correctional Service of Canada. I think it's an important book that gives Canadians thoughtful information about life inside our prisons, a subject that is often in the news these days. Good job in presenting this Robert Clark.
May 16, 2017
An excellent account of a journey inside the prison system in Canada. Down Inside takes the reader on a 30 year career of the author Rob Clark, through many positions and personal challenges. Clark argues in favor of humane treatment and rehabilitation not far from what the general view would be if we think in the context that could be our son or daughter behind bars.
February 19, 2019
For most, Canada's prisons are more of an opaque and abstract concept and less a brick-and-mortar reality. Not so for Rob Clark, whose memoir — Down Inside — should be considered required reading for any Canadian who works adjacent to or within the criminal justice system of this country.
As an employee of Correctional Service Canada (CSC) for 30 years, Clark served in almost every role within the prison, from uniformed staff to parole officer to deputy warden. He recounts stories from that career with rare introspection and compassion, always making sure to accompany those stories with a lesson or two for the reader.
Perhaps most importantly, the entire book builds toward Clark's central thesis that a "tough on crime" approach, while thought to be the best route to justice by many Canadians, is actually highly counterproductive and harmful — not just to convicts, but also to the staff in these institutions and the Canadian public, generally.
Just beneath the surface of this text is a comprehensive argument for prison reform that drifts away from the Harper-era policies that deprived human beings of their fundamental rights. The only way this book could have been a better read is if it had dived right into the topic with another chapter or two at the end. Still, as an introduction to that line of thought, Down Inside shows tremendous value.
As an employee of Correctional Service Canada (CSC) for 30 years, Clark served in almost every role within the prison, from uniformed staff to parole officer to deputy warden. He recounts stories from that career with rare introspection and compassion, always making sure to accompany those stories with a lesson or two for the reader.
Perhaps most importantly, the entire book builds toward Clark's central thesis that a "tough on crime" approach, while thought to be the best route to justice by many Canadians, is actually highly counterproductive and harmful — not just to convicts, but also to the staff in these institutions and the Canadian public, generally.
Just beneath the surface of this text is a comprehensive argument for prison reform that drifts away from the Harper-era policies that deprived human beings of their fundamental rights. The only way this book could have been a better read is if it had dived right into the topic with another chapter or two at the end. Still, as an introduction to that line of thought, Down Inside shows tremendous value.
February 4, 2020
GOD BLESS YOU ROBERT CLARK
This book had to be written for the sake of all the people damaged by by Canada's prison system.
Not only the inmates but also the employees who suffered broken marriages; and worst! They innocently sought shelter in alcohol not only to maintain their livelihoods but also their sanity.
Little did they know, they were in a battle they could never win! Instead of a peaceful retirement many now suffer from PTSD unrecognized by both the public and the government.
Given high praises in this book; Prime Minister Trudeau must now show what can HE can do to rectify Canada's prison system.
This book was recommended to me by a friend that survived over 30 years as an employee of the CSC. He is one of the nicest men I have ever had the good fortune of knowing in the 80 years of my life!
Vern LaRue CD Major RCAF (retired)
This book had to be written for the sake of all the people damaged by by Canada's prison system.
Not only the inmates but also the employees who suffered broken marriages; and worst! They innocently sought shelter in alcohol not only to maintain their livelihoods but also their sanity.
Little did they know, they were in a battle they could never win! Instead of a peaceful retirement many now suffer from PTSD unrecognized by both the public and the government.
Given high praises in this book; Prime Minister Trudeau must now show what can HE can do to rectify Canada's prison system.
This book was recommended to me by a friend that survived over 30 years as an employee of the CSC. He is one of the nicest men I have ever had the good fortune of knowing in the 80 years of my life!
Vern LaRue CD Major RCAF (retired)
July 7, 2017
Down Inside takes you on a first hand trip through the Canadian prison system and it is a shocking journey for those of us on the outside looking in. Robert Clark, who served CSC for 30 years in a variety of roles, reveals in shocking candour the good, the bad and the ugly in our penal institutions. You hear about the heroes who work with the intention of empathy and kindness. You also hear about the those inmates and guards who have total contempt for each other and for the system in general. Layer that atmosphere with inappropriate, politically motivated 'reforms' or 'operational narratives' and you have the making of a tinder box ready to explode.
A very interesting but difficult book to read.
A very interesting but difficult book to read.
March 16, 2018
If you are employed in the Canadian criminal justice system, are interested in the CJS or more simply, a citizen you must read this book. Robert Clark stresses the need that Corrections Canada must change in order for positive, meaningful rehabilitation and reintergration to occur. We, as a society, must move away from punitive punishment in order to create a successful justice system that ultimately results in lower rates of reoffending. Clark's insights, reflections, and opinions in his autobiography of his 30 year career in corrections is proof of this point. On both sides of the cell, there are humans. Not prisoners, "problems" or officers, but humans that deserve to be treated as such.
January 30, 2019
I think that Clark did a very good job shedding a light on the inside of Canada's prisons.
This book is a must read for anyone looking for information on Canadian prisons. Clark outlines his 30 years of experience and focuses on what needs to be changed. That the tough on crime agenda isn't going to rehabilitate anyone.
It is powerful, and also sad, as Clark details what goes on "down inside". It shows the importance of human connections and hands on work in prisons in a world that believes that being tough is the answer. It also shows the devastating effects of solitary confinement, and how it is being abused today. This book will definitely stay with you for a long time.
This book is a must read for anyone looking for information on Canadian prisons. Clark outlines his 30 years of experience and focuses on what needs to be changed. That the tough on crime agenda isn't going to rehabilitate anyone.
It is powerful, and also sad, as Clark details what goes on "down inside". It shows the importance of human connections and hands on work in prisons in a world that believes that being tough is the answer. It also shows the devastating effects of solitary confinement, and how it is being abused today. This book will definitely stay with you for a long time.
July 28, 2019
An interesting autobiography of a 30 year career in Correctional Services Canada from volunteer to deputy warden.
The author takes us inside several different institutions from minimum security to the notorious Kingston Penitentiary for a glimpse of the intimate & internal life & routines of prison life.
Through his experiences with government officials, prison staff & prisoners themselves, I thought he illustrated quite clearly how humane treatment & actual rehabilitation can make prisons & communities safer & I also found that he makes a powerful & passionate case for ending the practice of solitary confinement.
The author takes us inside several different institutions from minimum security to the notorious Kingston Penitentiary for a glimpse of the intimate & internal life & routines of prison life.
Through his experiences with government officials, prison staff & prisoners themselves, I thought he illustrated quite clearly how humane treatment & actual rehabilitation can make prisons & communities safer & I also found that he makes a powerful & passionate case for ending the practice of solitary confinement.
May 9, 2025
Before picking up Down Inside, I was weary that there was going to be biases regarding the blue line and that there would be a rose tinted perspective of Canada’s incarceration system.
Rob provides a perspective as someone who has done lots of reflection and introspection of the CSC and demonstrated that there are people who do care about the incarcerated people and rehabilitation within the system. While being able to be also critical of his peers at times as well showing the dysfunction of the corrections system as well.
The passage about Tyrone Conn will resonate with me heavily and was a difficult read.
Rob provides a perspective as someone who has done lots of reflection and introspection of the CSC and demonstrated that there are people who do care about the incarcerated people and rehabilitation within the system. While being able to be also critical of his peers at times as well showing the dysfunction of the corrections system as well.
The passage about Tyrone Conn will resonate with me heavily and was a difficult read.
March 12, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Reading about the prison system in Canada from someone who has worked in so many various areas was illuminating in many ways. I am very interested in front line social service work, mental health, offenders rights and fair treatment and the punitive system in Canada. I applaud the author for being honest and transparent about his life’s work and feelings about it and the workplaces he was in. Probably the best book I’ve found so far in my search for books about the prisons at least in Ontario.
June 20, 2021
robert clark went through school to be a teacher and no jobs were open. he worked as a instructor in kingston pen and got to know the prisoners when his time was done he figured that was the end of that but he was wrong he spent the next 30 years working in the canadian prison services in every job they had he worked in 7 diffrent federal prisons..this is his story of how the system works or doesnt work he talks about ty cobb and his escape that he used a dummy like escape from alcatraz... and when he met paul bernardo...its not a bad book but its alot about laws and the prison system...
August 30, 2019
Having worked in a prison I could identify with the sentiment felt by Clark. Prison should be there for rehabilitation and that is a tough thing to change in an institution that was initially built for punishment. Being a CO is a difficult job, and it can attract people who maybe shouldn't be excercising power over the vulnerable. Change will need to start with society and government and need to trickle down. Great book with some great insight!
April 6, 2024
This was interesting to read. I enjoyed the anecdotal parts the best.
Books like this bother me a bit because while I agree with the author that there are better ways to do things within the prison system, I can’t help but think that prison should be more than getting criminals back safely into society. It’s a punishment, so people getting out early because they’ve been good and probably won’t reoffend ticks me off.
Books like this bother me a bit because while I agree with the author that there are better ways to do things within the prison system, I can’t help but think that prison should be more than getting criminals back safely into society. It’s a punishment, so people getting out early because they’ve been good and probably won’t reoffend ticks me off.
November 12, 2017
Definitely an insight into the Canadian prison system. I first heard Mr. Clark on an interview with CBC radio, prompting me to borrow the book. I was drawn in by his articulate responses in the interview. And the book did not disappoint. A look at a difficult subject.
October 25, 2024
wow great read about Canada's prison system - I attended the presention from the author in 2017 while i was volunteering at Kingston's Writers festival and really enjoyed it adn now i finally read the book !!
July 3, 2017
Exceptional read
January 3, 2019
Amazing read.
June 25, 2019
Good read if you're thinking of going into the corrections field of work.
December 21, 2019
Really interesting. Yes it's just one person's opinion but I really valued reading what Clark had to say. A lot of his arguments made perfect sense to me. I like the way this book is structured around his career narrative. It's a very engaging read.
January 12, 2024
I didn’t go into this book thinking I would enjoy it as it was an assignment for one of my university classes, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was super interesting to get a first hand look at what goes on down inside the Canadian prison system. From the relationships made, to the corruption in the authority, there is no sugar coating in this book. Excellent read.
February 23, 2020
Any examination of the prison system must look at why people ended up there and what we expect to accomplish by placing them there.
A look at the criminal court system would demonstrate that most are incarcerated because they could not afford a good lawyer and/or belonged to a visible minority. The rich and the perpetrators of white collar crime rarely end up in jail. With the release to the community of mental health patients to save the cost of care centres many run afoul of the law and end up imprisoned. Then there are those who abuse drugs and I’ll not rehash pot laws. Prisons are ill-equipped to deal with either population.
Imprisonment is a form of punishment for crime though the deterrence argument does not hold up under scrutiny witness the driver fined for distracted driving five times in one week. Protecting the public from dangerous offenders is a further objective always remembering that sooner or later most inmates get released. And then there’s rehabilitation which unfortunately gets short shrift from budgetary concerns.
I’ve always felt that the custodial officers are equally imprisoned with the inmates they manage. A neighbour is retired from Canada’s largest prison.
The present writer is concerned with due process within the prison system. Reading his introduction he confronts the “Blue Wall” custodial officers erect in common with police officers to protect their own from the public, the inmates, and higher management. And the deleterious effects of long term solitary confinement.
I had an abnormal psych professor who spent a majority of her class time inveighing against ECT in part because a relative had undergone it. I can only hope this auther does not become a one note polemicist.
Robert Clark got into prison work by happenstance. Having taken his BA in Physical Education and a teaching degree, he graduated at a time when no one was looking for educators. After a season repairing railway tracks he was offered a temporary job at Joyceville as Recreation Co-ordinator on the strength of a volunteer placement at Millhaven during a school term. Life so often doesn’t go to plan.
The common denominator of most of the inmates described here is a broken home or unwed mother, neglectful or abusive guardiands. Whereas the stories of individual case files makes for interesting human interest the details of administrative processes, though important to the operation of prisons makes for dry reading.
Remarkably there are no caustic reviews of Clark’s writing from fellow workers. I share his low opinion of Stephan Harper and his tough on crime polieies in particular. It may have played well in certain stratas of the public but the issues of criminal justice reform are beyond the understanding of most people. They want results, they don’t care how they get them. The book ends with a final criticism of solitary confinement, a tool as archaic as capital punishemt which mercifully remains banned in Canada. Clark does not acknowledge that his approach works for him in large part because of his unique make-up which raises the issue of who gets hired to work in our prison system and given its reputation the fact that workers are probably not clamouring to get into its employ.
Given the lengthy process of getting a book published the infamous Kingston Pen was closed after this book went to press though not bombed as here recommended. Along with Toronto’s Don Jail it was an institution of a now outmoded era.
A look at the criminal court system would demonstrate that most are incarcerated because they could not afford a good lawyer and/or belonged to a visible minority. The rich and the perpetrators of white collar crime rarely end up in jail. With the release to the community of mental health patients to save the cost of care centres many run afoul of the law and end up imprisoned. Then there are those who abuse drugs and I’ll not rehash pot laws. Prisons are ill-equipped to deal with either population.
Imprisonment is a form of punishment for crime though the deterrence argument does not hold up under scrutiny witness the driver fined for distracted driving five times in one week. Protecting the public from dangerous offenders is a further objective always remembering that sooner or later most inmates get released. And then there’s rehabilitation which unfortunately gets short shrift from budgetary concerns.
I’ve always felt that the custodial officers are equally imprisoned with the inmates they manage. A neighbour is retired from Canada’s largest prison.
The present writer is concerned with due process within the prison system. Reading his introduction he confronts the “Blue Wall” custodial officers erect in common with police officers to protect their own from the public, the inmates, and higher management. And the deleterious effects of long term solitary confinement.
I had an abnormal psych professor who spent a majority of her class time inveighing against ECT in part because a relative had undergone it. I can only hope this auther does not become a one note polemicist.
Robert Clark got into prison work by happenstance. Having taken his BA in Physical Education and a teaching degree, he graduated at a time when no one was looking for educators. After a season repairing railway tracks he was offered a temporary job at Joyceville as Recreation Co-ordinator on the strength of a volunteer placement at Millhaven during a school term. Life so often doesn’t go to plan.
The common denominator of most of the inmates described here is a broken home or unwed mother, neglectful or abusive guardiands. Whereas the stories of individual case files makes for interesting human interest the details of administrative processes, though important to the operation of prisons makes for dry reading.
Remarkably there are no caustic reviews of Clark’s writing from fellow workers. I share his low opinion of Stephan Harper and his tough on crime polieies in particular. It may have played well in certain stratas of the public but the issues of criminal justice reform are beyond the understanding of most people. They want results, they don’t care how they get them. The book ends with a final criticism of solitary confinement, a tool as archaic as capital punishemt which mercifully remains banned in Canada. Clark does not acknowledge that his approach works for him in large part because of his unique make-up which raises the issue of who gets hired to work in our prison system and given its reputation the fact that workers are probably not clamouring to get into its employ.
Given the lengthy process of getting a book published the infamous Kingston Pen was closed after this book went to press though not bombed as here recommended. Along with Toronto’s Don Jail it was an institution of a now outmoded era.
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