This analysis of Canada’s federal parole system reveals how fundamental change is needed to address gender, race, and cultural differences within the penal system.
Description
Just as Canada’s population has changed in the past four decades, so has its prison population. The increasing diversity among prisoners raises important questions about how we punish those who break the law. Parole in Canada is the first book to explore how concerns about Aboriginality, gender, and the multicultural ideal of “diversity” have been interpreted and used to alter parole policy and practice. Using the Parole Board of Canada as a case study, this book shows how some offender differences are selectively included in conditional release decision making, while the structures, practices, and power arrangements that would enable fundamental change remain unaltered.
Reviews
Sarah Turnbull’s book is an important and timely qualitative addition to the field of law and justice ... Turnbull masterfully explains the intersections between the Canadian federal parole system and race, gender, Aboriginal status and identity without oversimplifying this complex issue. Parole in Canada is a highly accessible text that should find its way into every law, social justice and multiculturalism course.
- Katelan Dunn, Conestoga College