This represents only a proportion of the 1.97 billion that is spent on the combined federal, provincial, and territorial corrections. The annual budget for CSC alone is over 1.1 billion dollars in 1996-1997. In fact they feel that the prison should be used to protect the public and rehabilitate offenders. Ours is a retributive criminal justice system where, increasingly, our focus is on identifying someone to blame and then punish for legal transgressions. The Canadian public demonstrates support for individual responsibility and accountability, and alternative penalties that enforce compensation in action such as community service.
Imprisonment is expensive.
The unravelling of social programs and, therefore, the basic support systems for Canadian women, combined with increases in penalties and imprisonment are not resulting in any increased safety or equality for Canadian women and children. Statistics Canada reports that the crime rates have been dropping since 1996, however, the fear of crime has increased. At the community level, fear of crime is second only to the issue of unemployment. Most were the primary, if not sole, caregivers for their children prior to their incarceration. Too many children end up in state care as a result of the imprisonment of their mothers and this is the most central problem for women in prison after their release.