The federal prison population is increasingly Indigenous, grappling with mental health issues and aging behind bars. Time in prison is the punishment. But for people sentenced to Canada’s federal prisons, the punishment comes in many forms: increased violence from guards and other prisoners alike, nutritionally inadequate food and a complete lack of accountability.
Today in The Conversation Canada, Sarah Speight and Jarrod Shook from the University of Ottawa write about the bleak picture of life in Canadian penitentiaries. For Shook, it’s not a remote situation because incarceration is his daily experience. But behind bars or not, the recent report from the prison watchdog is a troubling account of a government agency failing the people for which they’re responsible.
Also today:
All the best.
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The annual report from Canada’s prison watchdog paints a bleak picture of a prison system where violence between and against prisoners is concerning.
(Shutterstock)
Sarah Speight, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
This year's oversight report into the penitentiary system shows that long-standing problems have become entrenched in Canada's federal prisons.
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Medical workers in health crisis zones need access to research evidence to inform decisions. Above, workers at a temporary hospital for COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, China on Feb. 21, 2020.
Chinatopix via AP, File
Ahmad Firas Khalid, McMaster University
In a health crisis, decisions about treatment and containment must be made quickly. It’s crucial those decisions be based on research evidence, but fast and easy access is not always available.
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A Bombardier sign welcomes travellers to Berlin Central Station, where Bombardier’s rail division headquarters are located. Canada’s failure to invest in rail infrastructure has hurt Bombardier.
(Wikimedia)
Klaus Meyer, Western University
Building infrastructure takes time. To develop sustainable transportation, Canada needs to invest in high-quality infrastructure that will enable us to make environmentally friendly travel choices.
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Striking school teachers protest outside a speech by Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce in Toronto on Feb. 12, 2020.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
Shannon D. M. Moore, University of Manitoba; Melanie D. Janzen, University of Manitoba
Neoliberal governments are getting away with cutting public funding to education — by framing education as women's work that needs a strong managerial hand.
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Des soldats congolais patrouillent dans les rues de Beni, au Congo, en juillet 2019. L'armée officielle côtoie une centaine de groupes armés issus de la société civile.
AP Photo/Jerome Delay
Valentin MIGABO, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)
La lutte armée en RDC, qui implique une centaine de groupes, est utilisée par le pouvoir et les trafiquants pour semer le chaos, dans le but de rendre le pays ingouvernable.
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Business + Economy
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Adrian R. Bell, University of Reading; Andrew Prescott, University of Glasgow; Helen Lacey, University of Oxford
A look back at history can help us consider the economic effects of public health emergencies and how best to manage them.
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Environment + Energy
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Keith Hyams, University of Warwick; Morten Fibieger Byskov, University of Warwick
Our research has brought us into contact with multiple communities whose lives are increasingly precarious thanks to climate change.
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Politics
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Niamatullah Ibrahimi, Deakin University
Many Afghans fear the landmark US-Taliban deal will not lead to peace without firm commitments from the Taliban to protect human rights and sever ties with terrorist groups.
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Science + Technology
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Vandana Janeja, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Machine learning technology was first to sound the alarm about the new coronavirus. Its success illustrates how AI is boosting epidemiology.
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