Care and Control?: Examining the Role of the Penal Voluntary Sector in Bail Supervision
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Authors
Leblond, Alyssa
Date
2025-06-24
Type
thesis
Language
eng
Keyword
Bail , Bail Supervision Program , Community supervision , Pre-trial release , Social control
Alternative Title
Abstract
This dissertation examines a Bail Supervision Program (BSP) operated by a non-governmental organization in Ontario, Canada. The data includes over 200 hours of informal observations and conversations at a BSP in Ontario, Canada, coded client case files that closed in 2019 (n= 212), interviews with accused (n= 20), and interviews with bail supervisors (n= 9). This dissertation follows the three-manuscript option and presents three main arguments. The first manuscript argues BSP is a tool used by courts to intervene in the lives of marginalized accused without first needing to secure a conviction. The BSP monitors, tests, and sorts accused, assessing capacity for self-governance and docility through procedural hassle, then relaying this information to the court to be used to determine an appropriate case outcome. The second manuscript argues the BSP provides a critical support role for accused: avoiding consequences of pre-trial detention, offering guidance in navigating the criminal legal process, acting as a resource and information hub, and offering emotional support for accused during a stressful period. While the supporting role is beneficial for accused and the court, accessing support is contingent on accepting coercive conditions that may further entrench accused in the criminal justice system. The third manuscript outlines concerns with the supervisory role of the BSP finding the program does not impact compliance with conditions and is not well positioned to detect condition violations outside of program specific conditions. Instead, the onerous BSP conditions (i.e., weekly reporting to the BSP and program referrals) contribute to a cycle of criminalization through increasing the risk of incurring additional charges for failing to report as required. This research provides needed knowledge of the utility of BSPs from the perspectives of supervised accused people and bail supervisors.
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Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International