Invested in Punishment: Private Interests in Canadian Incarceration

On Feb 23rd, we present : "Invested in Punishment: Private Interests in Canadian Incarceration" by Prof. Jessica Evans, PhD.

What happens when a publicly operated prison system quietly relies on private interests?
This lecture breaks down the political economy of incarceration in Canada—revealing how private companies shape everything from policy decisions to prison expansion, even as crime rates fall. Dr. Jessica Evans examines who profits, who pays the price, and why “tough on crime” policies persist despite evidence that they don’t improve public safety.

We’ll look closely at Ontario’s major correctional expansions, including the province’s plans to add over 1,350 new prison beds across multiple regions. Drawing from critical political economy, abolitionist scholarship, and community-based research, this lecture explores a central question: when governments build more prison beds than community beds—who does it serve? And who does it harm?

💡 About the wonderful Professor Jessica Evans, PhD.

Dr. Jessica Evans is a community-engaged criminologist whose research focuses on the causes and consequences of incarceration in Canada. Guided by anti-racist, decolonial, abolitionist, and political-economic frameworks, she has led influential projects on prison conditions during COVID, restorative justice for sexual harm, and community-based crisis intervention. She is a co-founder of the former Toronto Prisoners’ Rights Project.

Her work has been widely published in leading journals—including Punishment & Society, The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice, Citizenship Studies, Canadian Journal of Law and Society, and more—and she is a frequent contributor to The Conversation.

📅 Date: February 23, 2025
🕡 Time: 6:00 – 8:00 PM
📍 Location: Near the AGO, Downtown Toronto
🎤 Speaker: Prof. Jessica Evans, PhD

Expect a clear, compelling walkthrough of the systems, incentives, and politics shaping Canadian incarceration today—and why understanding them matters for anyone interested in justice, citizenship, and public policy.

🎟 Seats are limited! Early bird tickets available for a limited time.

❗️Please note: the location in this eventbrite page is NOT the exact location, only indicates the general area. The exact location will be emailed to you via the email you use while purchasing the ticket. Keep an eye out in your inbox or spam folder a couple weeks before the event.