HSP 3M - Unit 3 Social Institutions Bain, C.M., & Colyer, J.S. (2001). The Human way. Toronto: Oxford University Press.

Unit 3 Social Institutions So far in the course we have been focused on: Forces that influence and shape human behaviour (age, gender, mental illness, ethnicity…) How we are socialized (agents of socialization (family, school, peers, media, workplace, religion) In a nutshell, the forces within our self (nature), and in others (nurture) Social structures Unit 3 Task - To look at how these forces fit into society Social Institutions

What are social Institutions? Social Institutions are social structures in a society that: shape values and beliefs maintain order help society to function efficiently Family Marriage Peers School Churches Legal system Military Media Government Personal Institutions Impersonal Institutions Because they affect large groups of people Affect individual’s lives intimately

Characteristics of Social Institutions Have usually existed for a long time Have well established or entrenched patterns of functioning (change usually occurs slowly) Have a specific purpose Members are joined together by shared values and beliefs Purposes of Social Institutions Act as an agent of socialization maintain order and security

Unit 3 Question: Are Canada's social institutions successful according to the above definition? Discuss using examples:

Criminal Justice Systems All societies need to have mechanisms for social control CJS to ensure that individuals behave in acceptable ways to determine what happens when individuals break the rules

Canada's Formal Justice System 3 Components Apprehend / arrest criminals 1. Law Enforcement Police To protect To prevent crime 2. The Courts Adversarial – lawyers representing the defendant compete with crown prosecutors To process people charged by the police with a crime

Canada's Formal Justice System 3 Components (continued) Retribution: “An eye for an eye” (society’s desire) Deterrence (individual) (society) a) Punishment of the Offender, once convicted by the courts 3. Correctional Agencies and Institutions b) Rehabilitation (the Offender chooses not to re-offend due to their new acceptance of society’s norms c) To protect the public by jailing violent offenders

Rehabilitation of the offender most Canadians think it's necessary changing the offender's values so they will not re-offend Criticism: The facts! but most also think that prisoners “have it easy” and don't support government spending on programs less than half of the general prison population receives counselling or treatment less than one third of sex offenders receive any kind of treatment Canada's recidivism rate (the rate at which offenders re-offend) is currently 75%

Informal Justice Systems in Other Societies In Canada, the justice system is highly impersonal In other cultures personal relationships and maintaining social harmony are much more important in the justice system

Informal Justice Systems continued Aboriginal communities emphasize healing offenders righting the conditions that led to the offence integrating the offender back into the community The community is of primary importance. Within the community, each person had his or her roles and responsibilities, each of equal value to one another.

Kpelle culture of Africa (central Liberia and Guinea) Gibbs’ study of the legal system in 1957 and 1958 Patrilineal culture (inherit through the male line) population 175 000 two branches – formal and informal Formal court handles assault, possession of illegal charms and theft involving unrelated litigants Informal court or moot is an informal airing of disputes before an assembled group (Includes the complainant, the accused, neighbours, other family members and a mediator selected by the complainant)

Factors which make the moot successful Proceedings, although “spirited”, were orderly and open, anyone could speak and felt like they had been heard All felt like they had an impact on the resolution the faults of both parties were pointed out therefore allowing those at fault to save face, not labelled Example: Read page106 of textbook

Issues in Canadian Criminal Justice 1. The Power of the Police Approximately 1 police officer for every 475 Canadians Studies of police behaviour tell us 6 factors influence police behaviour how serious the police perceive the situation to be - more serious = more likely to arrest what the police believe the victim wants the amount of co-operation the suspect offers- unco-operative suspects tend to get arrested police's history with the suspect- prior negative contact more likely to arrest presence of bystanders- more likely to arrest Race - more likely to arrest people of colour

Police Behaviour and Race While this study was conducted in the U.S. we know that in Ontario black people are imprisoned at 5 times the rate for white people Aboriginal people are jailed at 3 times the rate for white people News Reports http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/racial_profiling/

Racial Profiling Percentage of Toronto residents who Have been stopped by police on Multiple occasions in the past 2 years Racial Profiling exists when the members of a particular racial or ethnic group become subject to greater criminal justice or institutional surveillance than others. Profiling exists when racial characteristics - rather than behaviour – contributes to surveillance decisions Source: Scot Wortley, CERIS – Justice Domain Leader, Centre of Criminology, University of Toronto

Issues in Canadian Criminal Justice 2. The Number of Prisons Between 1987 and 1997, the total correctional population increased by 44% (Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics 1997) In 2001, there were 34 000 inmates in Canada (Linden 2000) 115: 100 000 population much higher than in Western Europe, but lower than the U.S.

Prisons continued Average cost of keeping an offender In 1995-97 in a federal penitentiary is $50 000 to $65 000 a year halfway house - $33 000 parole - $9000 (Solicitor General Canada 2001) In 1995-97 77% of the total caseload was outside of prisons only 12% of all correctional spending was for community supervision services

Issues in Canadian Criminal Justice 3. Rehabilitation or Radical Reform Some sociologists argue that we should abandon our current criminal justice system, particularly prisons Why: only protect the public temporarily do little to reshape offenders attitudes or behaviours strengthens criminal attitudes and skills by association severs social ties with the outside world which makes it more likely that individuals will re-offend

Rehabilitation continued Hirschi's analysis of criminal behaviour crime rates are high in late teens and early twenties and fall steeply among older groups most taxpayers' money is going towards warehousing a diminishing crime threat we must intervene in the lives of young people before they break the law e.g. restrict the unsupervised activities of teenagers Age of offenders admitted to Federal Custody, Canada. 1995-97

Rehabilitation continued strong link between criminal behaviour and low self-control teaching children self-control at an early age will reduce crime advocates strong families target funds and assistance to seriously dysfunctional families reducing teen pregnancy alone would reduce crime more effectively than all the current criminal justice programs combined