Crime is defined as an act or an omission of an act against society. Unfortunately, crime has plagued all of mankind throughout time. Equally, there has always been a question about the methods of dealing with these criminals. Whether it is retaliatory or treatment based, it is generally agreed that the criminal must be punished. The way that society punishes criminal behaviour seems to be a barometer of culture. Punishment signifies a society's values, morality, sensibilities and reasoning. Traditionally, retaliatory methods of punishment, or punishments that use revenge, were widespread throughout the world. This form of a penalty included anything from corporal and capital punishment, to incarceration and banishment. In the modern world, incarceration has become the common method for supposed rehabilitation. Recently, it has been argued that the use of treatment-based strategies for prisoner reformation is far more effective. This has spurred the need of alternative techniques. In theory, the use of these alternative methods of incarceration allow the convicted criminal [offender] to be humanely reintegrated into society more effectively than traditional methods. This theory is based

The evolution of programs that aid the convicted criminal's permanent reintegration with non-criminal persons should be a goal of any future correction system. If attempted, this goal will lead society away from the traditional vindictive philosophy associated with modern corrections. The destruction of large, secluded prisons is necessary, and in its place, small units within the community close to the offender's home will be erected. The obvious benefits of this concept include possibilities for more direct communication between family, neighbours, and social services. This concept also allows the implementation of a graduated release program designed to aid the offender in a gradual reintegration program into his own community. The treatment of the ex-offender's problems will be achieved by using a combination of community resources. Contrary to the traditional methods of release where ex-offenders were given the bare minimum only to re-offend in a short time after, a graduated release program would release an ex-offender with a job, residence, and financial and social assistance. The release is only a step in the reintegration process. This is an effectively humane method of synchronization of the ex-offender and the needs of society. (Dodge 20-23)

At the present time Canada has approximately thirty-three thousand prisoners in its prisons throughout the country. It costs an average of $170 per day to maintain a prisoner in these units. The total annual cost of this lockup system is more than $2 billion. Through innovative approaches to prison alternatives, Canada is well on its way to change this picture. These high costs have spurred the country's officials to adopt other, more efficient methods of incarceration. Probation supervision, or parole, only costs $35 per day, almost five times less expensive than prison. There is dramatic comparison between the costs of many other alternatives and the traditional prison system (Dodge 61). Canada seems to rely more heavily on imprisonment as a punishment for crime than most other western nations, probably due to the Criminal Code's wide legislative authority for imprisonment (Bonta 1). There seems to be no justification for incarceration when it is based on the four goals of sentencing (Bonta 2). Prison has not shown much, if any, signs of positive rehabilitation or prisoner reformation, as well as it has not revealed itself as a strong deterrent (Bonta 2). Prison sentences only offer temporary protection of society, and therefore there is a need for rehabilitation, but it doesn't seem to exist, hence the high recidivism rates within society (Bonta 3). There is also an inconsistency within sanctions passed on similar charges. Therefore, there is uneven retribution (Bonta 3). Coupled with these weaknesses, prisons are very expensive in relation to their alternative program's counterparts (Bonta 3). The prison system is unable to reintegrate the criminal back into society.

The second fundamental principle of alternative methods relates to the correctional institution's transformation from emphasis on security, to emphasis on re-socialization. Decisions affecting the prisoner will be generated by staff members that are well acquainted with the offender. This method can be considered a family-type enterprise, and will ensure that the prisoner is getting the treatment that is necessary for society's needs. Ideally located within the city, these operations can be associated with manufacturers within the neighbourhood, and therefore industrial training in purposeful trades can be achieved. Controlling the withdrawals from the prisoner's income by staff members, will help enable the prisoner to take

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Approximate Word count = 2477
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)