Kingstonians Get a Glimpse Into the 'Back Stage' of Penal Infrastructure Marketing

Last week, I was invited by OPIRG Kingston, Students for Accessible Education and EPIC to the penitentiary capital of Canada to discuss some of my doctoral research findings at the city library (read event notice). While the organizers were expecting thirty to forty Kingstonians to attend, well over a hundred concerned residents - including many from the Save Our Prison Farms campaign - came to the presentation to learn more about the scope of prison expansion in Canada, and more specifically, in their backyards.

Introduction (watch here)

In the introduction, I reviewed penal infrastructure projects springing-up across the country, with an emphasis on the approach used by the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) and the minority Conservative Government of Canada to establish these facilities without robust consultation with community stakeholders - an approach modelled on the process that led to the decision to close prison farms.

Part I (watch here)

In part I of the presentation, I focussed on the strategies used to establish new penal infrastructure in Canada, both historically and in the contemporary context.

Part II (watch here)

In part II of the presentation, I reviewed the origins of penal infrastructure marketing in this country and showed excerpts from a must-see video (for those who have a sense of humour) produced by the Canadian Penitentiary Service (now CSC) in 1977. This penal infrastructure marketing video was created to generate support for the establishment of new federal penitentiaries amongst residents in prospective host communities at a time when there was considerable opposition to such projects due to the violence that had erupted in prisons from coast-to-coast.

Why Build? (Canadian Penitentiary Service, 1977)

Part I (watch here)

Part II (watch here)

Part III (watch here)

Part IV (watch here)

Video excerpt: "We cannot sell the idea of a penitentiary in your locality in the same way as others can use propaganda to promote the establishment of primary industries. And we do not intend to do so. We at the Canadian Penitentiary Service believe the penitentiary is a community institution - the same as a hospital or school".

Part III (watch here)

In part III of the presentation, I explained the role of penal infrastructure marketing campaigns. I also highlighted some of the main messages that are communicated by prison authorities and governments in press releases to sell prison expansion to Canadians. Drawing on unpublished records obtained using Access to Information and Freedom of Information requests, event participants were briefly introduced to the 'back stage' of penal infrastructure marketing and how officials draft messages under the banners of "green prisons", "economic stimulus" and "public safety".

Part IV (watch here)

In part IV of the presentation, I discussed different approaches that could be used by opponents of prison expansion to contest penal 'common sense' - reasoning related to penal policy and practice that appeals to commonly held assumptions or logic, yet is unsubstantiated by empirical evidence. I concluded by making the case for a punishment legislation moratorium as an alternative to prison expansion in order to provide Canadians with the space to develop community-based solutions to the community-based issues that we call 'crime'.

Following the presentation, a group discussion ensued where those present shared ideas on how Kingstonians could come together and mobilize against prison expansion. After the event, one had the sense that, at least in one corner of the country, the punishment agenda of the minority Conservative Government of Canada will not fly. Whether it is because individuals disagree with what they're doing or because of how their doing it, the Conservatives will likely not get a smooth ride in Kingston come election time despite their penal pork barreling efforts.