An Analysis of the Vision and Current Operation of the Toronto South Detention Centre
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Promises Broken or Promises Kept? An Analysis of the Vision and Current Operation of the Toronto South Detention Centre by Braiden Bhindi A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Legal Studies Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario 2019 Braiden Bhindi Abstract This study explores the justifications and realities of carceral expansion. It compares the vision for the Toronto South Detention Centre to its implementation once it opened in 2014. For this research, a thematic qualitative analysis was undertaken through collected news media and secondary sources. I conclude that the justifications used to legitimate the Toronto South Detention Centre run contrary to what has taken place at the facility as illustrated through several challenges and shortfalls. As such, this research adopts a prison abolitionist lens to contend for the adoption of alternatives to incarceration, as opposed to constructing larger carceral institutions due to the reality of jail expansion at the Toronto South Detention Centre. The project also adopts a public criminology lens to examine how the results of the study can be shared with a wider public audience outside of academia, in an attempt to influence public policy. ii Acknowledgements Many individuals contributed to the success of this project. First and foremost, thank you to my supervisor, Aaron Doyle, and committee members, Dale Spencer and Justin Piché, for your advice, support, and encouragement over the course of conducting this study. I would also like to thank the Ontario Graduate Scholarship program and the Department of Law and Legal Studies at Carleton University for their generous funding and support over the course of my degree. Finally, I would like to thank my friends and family members for their support and encouragement throughout the study. iii Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ iii Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................... iv Glossary of Terms ......................................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1– Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1 Purpose of This Thesis ........................................................................................................................... 1 Theoretical and Practical Importance .................................................................................................. 4 Research Questions................................................................................................................................. 6 Chapter Outline ...................................................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 2- Literature Review ........................................................................................................ 9 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 9 The History of Carceral Expansion ...................................................................................................... 9 The Modern ‘Correctional’ Landscape in Ontario and Canada ..................................................... 15 Justifications for Carceral Expansion ................................................................................................ 18 Chapter 3- Weaving it All Together: Conceptual Framing and Theoretical Orientation ........ 26 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 26 Neoliberalism and The Management of the Lower Classes .............................................................. 26 Prison Abolitionism .............................................................................................................................. 31 Michel Foucault .................................................................................................................................... 35 Gaps in the Carceral Expansion Literature ....................................................................................... 37 Chapter 4– Methodology .............................................................................................................. 40 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 40 Distinguishing Qualitative from Quantitative Methodology ............................................................ 40 Case Study ............................................................................................................................................. 42 Sampling Strategy................................................................................................................................. 43 Data Analysis Strategy ......................................................................................................................... 45 Thematic Analysis................................................................................................................................. 46 Limitations and Reflexivity .................................................................................................................. 48 Chapter 5- Case Study and Analysis ........................................................................................... 55 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 55 Contextualizing the Emergence, Tendering, and Construction of the TSDC ................................. 55 Justification ........................................................................................................................................... 65 Safety and Security ............................................................................................................................................. 65 iv Infrastructure Changes ...................................................................................................................................... 67 Economic and Environmental Benefits .............................................................................................................. 70 Transformational Vision .................................................................................................................................... 72 Challenge ............................................................................................................................................... 75 Healthcare .......................................................................................................................................................... 75 Operations .......................................................................................................................................................... 79 Morale and Pessimism ....................................................................................................................................... 84 Shortfall ................................................................................................................................................. 89 Staffing and Lockdowns ..................................................................................................................................... 89 Complaints and Unrest ...................................................................................................................................... 96 Violence............................................................................................................................................................ 103 Reform .............................................................................................................................................................. 107 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................... 109 Chapter 6- Implications and Recommendations ...................................................................... 111 The Gap Between Carceral Expansion and Reality ........................................................................ 111 Recommendations for Alternatives to Incarceration ...................................................................... 115 Alternatives to Incarceration ............................................................................................................. 120 Reducing the Harms of Imprisonment at the TSDC ....................................................................... 124 Chapter 7- Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 127 Brief Overview of Key Findings, Recommendations, and Final Thoughts ................................... 127