There has been a lot written about the "scandal" of various nefarious female prisoners at the Grand Valley Institute for Women in Kitchener participating in a Spa Day, which included manicures, pedicures, aromatherapy and tea on fine china. After seeing the HBO program "Oz", I promised myself to ensure not to run afoul of the law, but perhaps I was wrong. A correct view might actually be the difference between Canadian and U.S. prisons.
Which leads me to my main point. All this discussion of whether or not convicted murderers should get a pedicure is wasted time. What we should be discussing is the model of our prison system, whether it should be based on retribution (ie. punishment for your crime), or on the present rehabilitation. If you think rehabilitation is the way to go, who is to say a spa day is any better or worst than psychotherapy, 12 step programs or holding hands and singing kumbaya?
MB
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