Getting Tough on Crime Getting Tough on the

“Getting Tough on Crime, Getting Tough on the Causes of Crime”: The Impacts of Penal Populism on the Criminal Justice Practitioner Justin Piché Ph. D Candidate (Sociology) Carleton University jpiche@connect. carleton. ca

Back to the Future: “Getting Tough on Crime” A ‘Conservative’ Project: United States – 1980 s A ‘Centrist’ Project: Canada – 1990 s A ‘Leftist’ Project: Sweden – 1990 s Recurring Themes Construction of ‘Us’ and ‘Them’ Taking Crime Seriously = Punishment Results Rising Imprisonment Rates, Privatization Displacement of Discretion, Rising Case Loads From Welfare State to Penal State

Back to the Future: “Getting Tough on the Causes of Crime” Taking Crime Seriously through ‘Crime Prevention’ England (Labour Party) – 1990 s Canada (All Parties) – (post-2005) Recurring Themes ‘Tougher’ Laws Are Needed BUT We Also Need to Equip Communities Occasional Mention of Root Causes

Ushering in the Culture of Control: ‘Tackling Crime’ in Canada The ‘Accomplishments’ Bill C-9: Conditional Sentencing Reform Bill C-18: DNA Data Bank Bill C-19: Street Racing For details see www. tacklingcrime. gc. ca

Ushering In the Culture of Control: ‘Tackling Crime’ in Canada On the Docket Bill C-2: Tackling Violent Crime A. K. A Bill C-10: Mandatory Minimum Penalties Bill C-22: Age of Protection Bill C-27: Dangerous and High-Risk Offenders Bill C-32: Impaired Driving Reform Bill C-35: Bail Reforms for Firearm Offences For details see www. tacklingcrime. gc. ca

Ushering In the Culture of Control: ‘Tackling Crime’ in Canada Mo’ Better ‘Reforming’ the YCJA Mandatory Sentences for ‘Serious’ Drug Crimes Identity Theft Legislation For details see www. tacklingcrime. gc. ca

Ushering In the Culture of Control: ‘Tackling Crime’ in Canada Funding Commitments – $973. 8 million National Anti-Drug Strategy $63. 8 million More Federal Police $198 million More Federal Prisons $245 million Youth Crime Prevention $20 million National DNA Data Bank $15 million Victims of Crime $26 million Arming Border Guards $103 million Moving ‘low-risks’ Across Borders $303 million For details see www. tacklingcrime. gc. ca

Universal Carceral: On the Exportation of Confinement Immigration Detention Labour Detention Security Detention Criminal Justice Sentence Combat Detention Health Detention

A Forecast for the John Howard Society of Canada The Trajectory Misinformation Politics of Divide and Conquer Vengeance as Communication Eroding Remains of Community Resource Disenfranchisement The Expanding Need Mass Incarceration Categories of Human Life Rendered Disposable Programming as New ‘Welfare’

Changing the Trajectory Bringing the Prison to Canadians DIY Mass Media Tapping New Pools of Volunteers Key Actors Prisoners and Their Loved Ones Criminal Justice Practitioners Advocates and Volunteers Journalists Academics Key Challenges Access

The fire has brought us back As we tell ourselves we’re under attack Caught between mirrors that do lie And the smoke surrounding them that blinds and binds In the end, the fire is in our hands In the end, our heads are burrowed in the sand In the end, the fire is in our hands In the end, will we stop to make amends? The army on movie and TV screens Fight fear, distress, chaos, it’s a war on everything Wind-up the machine to reclaim destiny through human plundering With Monday another chance to fight Look out for dark figures running into the night Manufactured (in)security Eroding remains of community They want the fire back They got the fire back We brought the fire back They want fire, fire Will we stop? Fire

NO ONE IS DISPOSABLE. Justin Piché Ph. D. Candidate (Sociology) Carleton University jpiche@connect. carleton. ca