Conclusion

Since 2009, I have been actively engaged in providing supports within Federal institutions. Throughout this period, my group and I have confronted persistent barriers and challenges. These encounters compelled me to become an advocate for the rights and dignity of Black incarcerated individuals. In my testimony at the 2019 Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights, I drew a compelling parallel between the conditions faced by Black prisoners, the institutions that house them, and the historical context of slave plantations. In this analogy, the warden assumes the role of the slave master, while guards and correctional officers are likened to slave catchers. The systemic racism inherent in Canadian prisons mirrors the oppressive structures of historical plantations, with the degree of oppression varying among institutions. Those who are most oppressive not only provide the least support but also witness increased incidents of rebellion or violence among prisoners and on plantations. Anyone who speaks out is deemed as a trouble maker and targeted. As I have recently learned, these institutions operate largely unchecked, lacking the necessary accountability mechanisms essential for fostering a fair and just correctional system. The disheartening abdication of responsibility by Correctional Service Canada (CSC) is evidenced by the 2023 landscape that persists in echoing the same inequality and unjust treatment despite years of international and internal reports advocating for humane treatment and support for Black prisoners.

In unveiling the harsh realities faced by Black individuals within Canada’s criminal justice system, this study lays bare the pervasive racism that permeates every facet of the process. From social determinants to reintegration, the first-hand accounts of Black prisoners illuminate a system plagued by hidden inequality and racial bias. Within the confines of prison walls, a stark portrait emerges of generational cycles of incarceration for both inmates and staff, where the justice system operates as a lucrative business, disproportionately victimizing the Black community. Canada, often perceived as polite and pleasant on the surface, harbors a justice system that mirrors the oppressive mindset shared with its more outspoken sister, America. While the U.S. prison industrial complex thrives on the incarceration of poor and innocent, disproportionately Black individuals, Canada grapples with a different but equally insidious issue: the systemic inequality and mistreatment of its Black population. In this unequal landscape, the study exposes a disheartening truth – that a white person is seen as a potential family member to those within the criminal justice system, while a Black person is many times gang labeled, misunderstood, and viewed as an animal. It reveals a system that is hypocritical and not only perpetuates stereotypes but also actively hinders the rehabilitation of Black individuals. The overuse of gang labels and the lack of supports serves as a tool for further oppression, perpetuating a cycle that offers little hope for positive change. A system that incarcerates Black people but does not rehabilitate.

“It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.” -Nelson Mandela