“Getting Tough on Crime, Getting Tough on the Causes of Crime”: The Impacts of Penal Populism on the Criminal Justice

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

2. Back to the Future:“Getting Tough on Crime” A ‘Conservative’ Project: United States – 1980sA ‘Centrist’ Project: Canada – 1990sA ‘Leftist’ Project: Sweden – 1990s Recurring ThemesConstruction of ‘Us’ and ‘Them’Taking Crime Seriously = PunishmentResultsRising Imprisonment Rates, Privatization Displacement of Discretion, Rising Case LoadsFrom Welfare State to Penal State

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

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

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

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

7. Ushering In the Culture of Control:‘Tackling Crime’ in Canada Funding Commitments – $973.8 million National Anti-Drug Strategy $63.8 millionMore Federal Police $198 millionMore Federal Prisons $245 millionYouth Crime Prevention $20 millionNational DNA Data Bank $15 millionVictims of Crime $26 millionArming Border Guards $103 million Moving ‘low-risks’ Across Borders $303 million For details see www.tacklingcrime.gc.ca

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

9. A Forecast for theJohn Howard Society of Canada The Trajectory MisinformationPolitics of Divide and ConquerVengeance as CommunicationEroding Remains of CommunityResource DisenfranchisementThe Expanding NeedMass IncarcerationCategories of Human Life Rendered DisposableProgramming as New ‘Welfare’

10. Changing the Trajectory Bringing the Prison to CanadiansDIYMass MediaTapping New Pools of VolunteersKey ActorsPrisoners and Their Loved OnesCriminal Justice PractitionersAdvocates and VolunteersJournalistsAcademicsKey ChallengesAccess

11. 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 fightLook out for dark figures running into the nightManufactured (in)securityEroding remains of communityThey want the fire back They got the fire back We brought the fire back They want fire, fire Will we stop? Fire

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