Introduction
“That’s outrageous! Hoosegow Hooligans,” is an article written by Reader’s Digest in October 2005. The article critiques Canada’s penal code system, which was marred by irregularities such as prisoners walking out of the institution and frequent riots by prisoners for petty issues such as their kitchen schedule being delayed. Generally, Canada’s jail system lacked structures that could improve service delivery. The article talks of Randy White’s impromptu visits to the Canadian jail system to check on real life on the ground before presenting the evidence in the series dubbed “Behind the Bars.” The article argues that the jail system in Canada needs to be restructured due to the numerous challenges that it faces. White’s work was presented when Canada was heading into an electioneering period, and politicians were striving to market their plan of introducing a raft of changes once elected. Through the article, the politicians would be able to know the current status of the penal code system and the measures taken to improve the system, if any, and they would know how they can improve it.
Penal Systems in Canada
The article narrates research conducted by Randy White, a British-Columbia MP. The issues discussed in the article are a direct report of the series dubbed “Behind the Bars,” which poke holes into the penal code system. This series talks about how prisoners freely escape from prisons without too much struggle. Convicted killers, thugs, killers, drug dealers, and arsonists are freely roaming out of prisons despite being convicted of their offenses. Correctional officers are easily getting bamboozled by criminals to the extent that they forget to discharge their duties. Cons even have the opportunity to get off their coveralls and escape from prison without being noted. The article compares the jails with an institution with no stone walls and iron bars since prisoners occasionally escape and the guards struggle to retain them. The article uses data on the number of escaped prisoners to justify the arguments. Good data provides indisputable evidence, unlike assumptions that may make people act based on incorrect information (Ryan et al., 762). The data provided in the article is used to justify the claims of the rotting jail system in Canada. The number of escaping prisoners is well noted, and the amount of cash stolen by prisoners and the value of the property destroyed during riots is also well presented.
According to White’s observation Canadian jail system is seen not to work efficiently as the criminals are seen to run away from jail and if they are not on the run, they are involved in riots where they destroy valuable items like furniture. The research carried out by Whites indicates that there is little that is done to improve the jail system and the crimes as the prisoners in chapter one are seen running away from the prison in a much easier way; it’s like there is no wall to prevent them and they are doing so in most the prisons that have been mentioned (Reader’s Digest, pp.23). In chapter two, they are not running away, but the condition is not even better as they are involved in rioting inside the prisons. Hence it is clear that there is a need for criminal activities to be tamed in the country and in the prisons.
The prison system is seen to be dangerous. There are inmates in the Atlantic who made a hole when there was a fight in prison. The guards used warning shots, which did not even make the 28 rioters calm and stop their actions (Reader’s Digest, pp.24). In the same month, the prisoners punched a collection officer after they refused of them go to the common area. The destruction cases in the prison have made the taxpayers pay more as they are seen to cost them $ 150,000 after the computers were smashed (Reader’s Digest, pp. 25). Through all these scenarios, Mr White indicated the real situation in Canadian Prisons. The Government and involved agencies may use the information to rectify the situation and improve the prison and nation.
However, the major weakness of the article is that it relies on narration of the research conducted by Randy White. Narrators can never be fully reliable since all aspects of their narration have been molded by the circumstances and experiences of the researchers (Ryan et al., pp. 762). Their narrations are only a second-hand reflection of the real work and are prone to reporting distorted information based on the researcher’s circumstances and experience. Furthermore, the research was conducted by a one-person show, a person who visited prisons without informing any management team member. Moreover, the survey was single-subject research that generalized the study conclusions without having substantive support on the conclusion about the populations of the subject (Emerson, pp.76). White concludes that Canadian jail systems need massive change by generalizing information from two very few prisons. Moreover, the researcher used observation as the data collection method. Observation is subject to distortion, unmanageable data lacks clarity and depends on the competency of the observer.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the article indicates the situation of penal systems in Canada and may be a true reflection of the real situation. The information is not verifiable. Furthermore, the article relies on research that another person conducted, thus being subject to distortion and bias. White concludes by saying, “The system will not change without the public at large insisting that changes be made (Reader’s Digest, pp 26). This is a political point of view as he says that the public needs to enhance the change, which is mostly through voting for the politicians who will be able to enact change in the prisons.
Works Cited
Emerson, R. W. (2021). Convenience Sampling Revisited: Embracing Its Limitations Through Thoughtful Study Design. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 115(1), 76-78.
Reader’s Digest (2005). That’s Outrageous! Hoosegow Hooligans. Pp 23-26.
Ryan, Louise, and Magdolna Lőrinc. “Perceptions, prejudices and possibilities: young people narrating apprenticeship experiences.” British Journal of Sociology of Education 39.6 (2018): 762-777.