COVID-19, Race, and the Case for Canadian Prison Reform
Emily Quinn - 17 June 2020
In the United States, 655 people out of every 100,000 are incarcerated – or 2.2 million individuals. This is the highest rate of incarceration in the world. Interestingly, the USA also holds the global record for the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, with the number of documented cases exceeding 2 million. The COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to devastate American society, is overwhelming US welfare and healthcare systems. Moreover, people of colour, particularly Black Americans, are contracting and dying from the disease at higher rates than any other group in America. These disproportionate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic underscore a deeply rooted social issue poorly disguised as an epidemiological one. Racialized people and people living in low income are more likely to work in front-line jobs, live in densely populated neighbourhoods, and suffer from health disparities. Structural racism has ensured that COVID-19 is a disease of unequal opportunity.
Canadians may be tempted to believe that we are better than our southern neighbours. Indeed, our incarceration rates (131 adults per 100,000 population) and number of COVID-19 cases (100,000), are less severe than the American numbers. But the hard truths of Canada’s national origins and recurring evidence of ongoing racist practices should give us pause. Black Canadians, Indigenous peoples, and people of colour are oppressed by systems that are designed to ensure their marginalization. This situation can no longer be ignored. Patience in activism may be essential, but COVID-19 has widened the cracks in this flawed system enough for us to pry it apart and rebuild it– and we can't let up until this has been achieved. One of the ways we can work toward this goal? Prison reform.
According to some experts, COVID-19 is especially virulent in prisons because of crowded conditions; lack of access to clean water, soap, and ventilation; and inadequate access to health care. Add that to the prevalence of pre-existing health conditions among many people who are incarcerated, and you have an ideal environment for disease transmission. Further, racialized people are heavily over-represented in the Canadian prison system. African-Canadians make up 3.5 percent of the general population, but account for 7 percent of the federal prison population and are recognized as the fastest growing prison population in Canada. Comparatively, Indigenous peoples account for around 24 percent of those incarcerated in federal prison, and just 4.9 percent of the general population. The prison system itself is thus another manifestation of structural racism putting some populations at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 than others. Let’s face it: Canada has a huge problem when it comes to overrepresentation of marginalized populations in provincial and federal prisons.
The silence surrounding these issues stems from our desire to believe that the disproportionate incarceration of marginalized peoples is an American problem. Many of us are trying hard to maintain our sense of moral superiority, but this has to stop. We need to look into these issues as they are experienced in Canada. Some provinces, including Alberta, have started releasing inmates incarcerated for nonviolent crimes to help curb the spread of COVID-19 in the prison population. However, in order to slow the number of cases within correctional facilities, provincial and federal governments should make prison reform an immediate priority, not only releasing nonviolent offenders but making exceptions for those at high risk of contracting the disease, such as the elderly.
Many high-profile politicians and policymakers continue to dismiss the issue of police targeting and unjust incarceration. They represent people in prison as somehow different from other folks – as though they don’t matter to society, that they have nothing to contribute, and are past the point of being helped. Yet, it is not neglect and punishment that people in these situations need. It is compassion. We all make mistakes, we all want to be treated with respect and dignity, and even more importantly, we are all human. It is rehabilitation and societal reintegration that will ultimately help us move beyond both the mass incarceration of oppressed groups, as well as slow the spread of COVID-19.
Let us not forget that politicians cater to demand. Let us remember that COVID-19 is revealing racial inequality to the masses. Let us take this as a signal that the Canadian justice system cannot be left as it is. Let’s stand with our Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) siblings and make space for them to speak. Let’s hear their voices and amplify them. And, let’s divest in policing and invest in our communities.
Emily Quinn is a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition & Food Science student and has completed PLLC's certificate program.