Do we need prisons?

For years, researchers, activists, and both current and former prisoners have asked “Do we need prisons?” The state of correctional services in Canada and around the world--and the disparity between the theory of corrections and its practice--make this a timely and important question that reflects concerns about justice, equity, dignity, and decency. In episode 3 of Open to Debate, David Moscrop sits down with Justin Piché, an associate professor in the Department of Criminology at the University of Ottawa, where he is also the Director of the Carceral Studies Research Collective, and Souheil Benslimane, a former prisoner and a member of the Criminalization and Punishment Education Project, the Ottawa Sanctuary City Network, and the Coordinator of the Jail Accountability and Information Line.