Reflections of a Female Prisoner on our Jail and Prison Systems

A former prisoner (Petey) who was incarcerated at the Grande Valley Institution for Women in Kitchener, Ontario during an overlapping time frame with Ashley Smith, refers to the tragic manner in which Ashley died.  She uses the horror of what happened to Ashley to illustrate some important points about the need for transparency and an effective prisoner complaints system.  What goes on behind prison walls is invisible to the public and indeed in many cases, largely invisible even to those closest to someone inside.  The current direction being taken by our federal government, in pushing for ever greater secrecy and fewer transparent avenues to deal with prisoner complaints and human rights violations inside, will without question lead to more horrific and entirely preventable tragedies.  Such as the succession of "mistakes", and callous decision making which led to the end of Ashley's young life.  Read on for Petey's reflections on this situation.  
Also I would highly recommend following the links within Petey's statement for other written pieces by Petey on her experiences in our prison and jail systems.

Statement from "Petey" at the Demonstration and Vigil for the Death of Ashley Smith

* Read by Jennifer Kilty at the event.

My name is Petey. I am one year older than Ashley would have been, had she not died at the hands of the prison system. I was transferred to Grand Valley Institution for Women two weeks before Ashley Smith’s tragic death took place. 

The Fifth Estate documentary of Ashley Smith’s unfortunate journey through the penal system was given the very appropriate title, “Out of Control”. This is a succinct and precise description of the Corrections Service of Canada. I have been a prisoner in the youth, provincial, and federal systems, and witnessed firsthand the mistreatment of girls as young as twelve to women in their sixties. With them, I experienced oppression and abuse at the hands of prison guards, and felt powerless because it was my word against that of prison personnel. 

One such example is that I spent five illegal months in maximum security at Grand Valley the age of twenty, due to an oversight of the policies that blatantly stated I should not have been there. However, CSC was not interested in informing me about my rights or about policies that would be inconvenient for them to follow. Instead, they hoped I would never notice, and told me that it was “water under the bridge” when I raised objections. This, and many other complaints and grievances that I filed throughout my imprisonment, were strongly discouraged by CSC officials. Asking CSC to follow their own policies is seen as unruliness and noncompliance. Fighting for basic human rights meant that I was labelled as a troublemaker. 

It was a struggle to obtain copies of CSC’s policies and directives, which the public is told are freely available to all prisoners. If successful in obtaining a copy, every single woman in prison would inevitably find sections where the policies were not followed, and where her rights have been trampled. Should she find the courage, and have the skills to fill out a complaint or grievance form, she is seen as Enemy Number One by CSC, and all efforts are put into place to convince her to withdraw the complaint. If the complaint is handled informally or withdrawn, there is no documentation of the transgression, and the public is told that everything is fine; the prison is doing its job, because there is no record of prisoners complaining. 

Unfortunately, these tactics to silence injustice lead to severe breaches of human rights. Ashley Smith’s complaints about her indefinite segregation and excessive number of transfers between prisons and mental health facilities in Canada were left in the complaints box until long after she had died. They were filled out by other people because she was not permitted a pen. It took her death for the public to be made aware that someone at the age of nineteen was being held indefinitely in isolated segregation in a federal prison for women. This is unacceptable. 

It is my sincere hope that this inquest leads to some form of external oversight of CSC, because they are currently not accountable to any authority. They can and do commit any atrocities they deem appropriate, such as transferring someone seventeen times within eleven months, or involuntary injections, under the guise of public safety. This protest is the beginning of a new direction for Corrections, one where the public demands that justice is not synonymous with punishment, and where basic human rights are guaranteed to all Canadians, even the ones in prison.

- "Petey"

  Reflections on My First Free Prisoner Justice Day

 After finally escaping from the clutches of maximum security, I was bunked with a young girl who slashed herself up something fierce two weeks later. I was woken up at one in the morning and instructed to leaveour cell so it could be sealed for investigation. My cellmate was shipped toa psychiatric hospital and my nightmares got worse.I asked to please be moved to a single cell, but instead got another cellmate, who I was told was more “stable”. Ten days later, I came back to find she was gone. When I asked what happened, it turned out she wasin segregation on suicide watch. I was starting to think that there was something wrong with me because everyone around me was sick of living. I had no idea how to handle this kind of guilt. Guards in the prison treated these situations as normal and that I should just get used to it. I could not wrap my head around that kind of thinking, so I was left alone, hurt and confused. Several women died while I was at GVI and the injustice of them dying away from their families really weighed heavily on me.Here is a quote from Correctional Service of Canada. by Petey scribd-Reflections on First "Free" Prisoner Justice Day

Updated Aug 18: Prisoner Justice Day Higlights Prison/Jail Overcrowding

Please scroll down to read and view videos of the events for Prisoner Justice Day.  And let me know if you would like to add anything here. 
See Ottawa for Aug 17 update

Sudbury, ON
Remembering those who die behind bars

Prisoners' Justice Day ceremony held outside jail

By: Heidi Ulrichsen - Sudbury Northern Life Staff

 

As the chaplain at the Sudbury Jail, Rev. Genny Rollins has a better idea than most what life behind bars is really like.

The local Anglican priest does her best to comfort prisoners, holding several church services at the jail on Sundays, and counselling prisoners on several other days throughout the week.

“To tell you the truth, God called me to it, or I wouldn't be here,” she said. “That's all I know. I have compassion for them, I have understanding for them and I will try to help them in any way I can.”

On two occasions, though, Rollins has done something which she said was “very difficult.” She accompanied jail officials as they broke the news to family members of prisoners who have committed suicide behind bars.

“I feel it's a privilege to be there to sort of give them a hug, because maybe I've talked to that inmate a few days before,” she said.

“Maybe they've shared things with me, and so I'm in a place where I can say 'I know they loved you and they just thrived so much on your being able to visit them.' It's good to be able to bring that comfort to the family.”

Rollins was in front of the Sudbury Jail with about 20 other people Aug. 9 as part of a ceremony in honour of Prisoners' Justice Day, which commemorates the men and women who have died from unnatural deaths inside prisons and penitentiaries.

The priest led the participants in prayer, a group of musicians played hymns, and a drumming group from the N'Swakamok Native Friendship Centre played an honour song.

Paper lanterns decorated by female prisoners participating in an Elizabeth Fry Society – Sudbury chapter's arts and crafts program were also placed on the steps outside the jail.

Kelly Henry (above), ongoing support and volunteer services co-ordinator at the Elizabeth Fry Society- Sudbury chapter, and Julie Gravelle, bail supervisor with the Elizabeth Fry Society- Sudbury chapter, show off some of the paper lanterns created by women in an arts and crafts program run by their organization at the Sudbury Jail. Photo by Heidi Ulrichsen.

“We spoke with the women about Prisoners' Justice Day and what it means to them,” Kelly Henry, ongoing support and volunteer services co-ordinator at the Elizabeth Fry Society- Sudbury chapter, said.

“The women created these bags, and they will be out here in front of the jail from now until late tomorrow evening, and they will be all lit up.”

John Rimore, executive director of the John Howard Society of Sudbury, said the official date for Prisoners' Justice Day is actually Aug. 10.

“We're commemorating it today because men and women behind bars have asked us to reserve Aug. 10 for them,” he said. “It's a day where inmates fast, refuse to leave their cells and pray. So it is a prisoners- and inmates-led initiative, and we adhere to their wishes.”

Prisoners' Justice Day was started after a prisoner named Eddie Nalon committed suicide in 1974 by slashing his inner elbow, severing all the veins and arteries, while in the segregation unit of the Millhaven Maximum Security Prison.

On the one-year anniversary of Nalon's death, prisoners at Millhaven refused to work, went on a one-day hunger strike and held a memorial service, even though it meant a stint in solitary confinement.

One the second anniversary of his death, a one-day hunger strike was held in prisons across Canada. Prisoners' Justice Day is now commemorated around the world.

Rimore said the rate of violence in jails — including suicide and homicide — is much higher than in the general population.

“Our community should be very concerned about these situations and issues, because most people who are incarcerated do leave the institution,” he said.

“They serve their time and are released. If they live in a situation where there is violence, they bring that violence with them. It's very difficult to leave that violence when you come back to the community to reintegrate, to become a positive member of our society.”

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TORONTO, ON

 

 

I attended the service at Church of the Holy Trinity for Prisoner Justice Day.  I was also privileged to help organize the event. I was really touched by the speeches made yesterday, particularly those made by former prisoners.  This years theme was female prisoners and I was really heartened to see quite a few women getting up and speaking out.  One Native Canadian woman talked about her time inside.  She talked about segregation and "special" treatment for Native folks, mentioning how she had been tossed in there naked, without bed or blanket and believed that to be what segregation was until she began noticing that she was the only Native woman among the women in seg at that time, and also the only naked woman with literally nothing in her cell.
We heard from 2 other women who work in the GTA as harm reduction workers, women with lived experience and one of whom was speaking at a public venue for the first time.  Their words, the stories they shared, their way of telling about the work they do, the loving and empowering, non-judgmental environments they are striving to provide for other women....I felt really touched.  It was really impactful.
 
Spirit Wind, a women's hand drum group which performs regularly at the Native Canadian Centre were also incredibly inspiring.  The deep crescendo booming throughout the church conjured images of women throughout the ages, drumming similar drums, mourning their lost... accompanied by beautiful, strong, and powerful female voices (some of whom are survivors of the system) was overwhelmingly touching.  One could feel the solidarity.
 Toronto Prisoner Justice Day Events - Video by Occupy Toronto

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LONDON, ON  PJD 2012

Many of the supporters which the media chose to quote had reformist ideas to share calling for improved and humane treatment of prisoners at Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre.  While its extremely important to gain public voice through media regarding the treatment of prisoners - particularly with the ongoing 24/7 lockdown at Elgin, I prefer to hear calls for abolition. (my two cents)

Jail rally brings out decent crowd, inmates feel support

  

Rally rumbles at troubled detention centre

By Paul Everest/London Community News/Twitter: @PaulEverest1

Any time the cacophony of whistles, bells and chants died down a little, it was possible to hear the inmates of the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre (EMDC) banging on the prison’s walls in response to the rally taking part outside.
Bearing signs with slogans such as “Inmates are still human beings” and “Treat prisoners properly,” nearly 50 people gathered outside the prison Friday evening (Aug. 10) to show their support for those incarcerated inside.
In recent weeks, an almost relentless stream of complaints and concerns regarding conditions at the EMDC, such as overcrowding, poor sanitation and violence, have saturated the media and the people involved in the rally made it clear they want those concerns addressed.

Crystal Day, who joined the rally since she has a boyfriend and friends incarcerated at the facility, said she receives almost daily reports from inmates she knows about cases of guards ripping up prisoners’ mail or family photos, tear gas being used on inmates and frequent assaults.
“People need to hear about it. They need to know what’s going on in there,” she said. “People need to step up and say ‘Hey, we’re not a third-world country.’ We treat our pets better than this.
“Yes, these are criminals, but why not rehabilitate instead of making the situation worse, making it so that when they come out, they can function even worse in society than before they went in.”

With the prison often on the verge of riot and numerous lockdowns taking place, Day said she constantly worries about those people she cares about who are behind bars.
“It rips me apart. I never know from one day to the next if I’m going to get my phone calls tomorrow telling me that, yes, everything’s OK, that they made it through another night without being beat up or anything happening.”
As for a solution to the EMDC’s problems, she suggested the province should, instead of closing down older jails, keep correctional facilities open until new, larger prisons in other parts of Ontario are completed.
“That way there’s not the overcrowding, and if there’s not the overcrowding, the guards don’t have to deal with as much, the inmates don’t have to deal with as much and there’s going to be less friction,” Day said.
Anthony Verberckmoes, a rally organizer and a member of the Occupy London movement, said the point of the gathering was to tell the inmates inside the EMDC that some members of the community stand in solidarity with them.
He added rally attendees also wanted to try to lift the inmates’ spirits.
“It’s pretty frequent to feel that nobody cares in the world when you’re sitting in a jail cell. Even if you have some support, it’s a lonely, lonely feeling.”
Verberckmoes said the province needs to fix the situation inside the EMDC soon, but also needs to answer questions on how conditions became so poor in the first place.
“I would personally ask, how did it ever get to this point?” he said. “Before we’re even dealing with it, how does it get to the point where you have even three times the number of people in the facility that there’s supposed to be?”
When asked if he was concerned that the rally might incite actions within the facility that could cause the inmates to be punished, Verberckmoes said if such a situation were to happen, the group would organize further rallies to address such punishments.
Rally attendee Ed Betterley said any punishments against inmates due to the rally would show just how much Ontario’s correctional system has deteriorated.
“It would be a sad commentary about the system if there’s repercussions for them. Unfortunately, if there is, that’s one of the things were fighting,” he said. “They’re citizens in jail and we all have the chance of, at some time, going to jail and I don’t want my rights suspended if I go there.”
With between 20 and 25 clients at the EMDC at any time, defence lawyer Keli Mersereau said she has seen deplorable conditions inside the facility first-hand and agreed that the prison has it backwards when it comes to dealing with inmates.
“Jails are made to punish, not be punishing, and this facility is very punishing.”
She added she attended the rally “to add some legitimacy” to the concerns being raised and said the public needs to know most people incarcerated at the EMDC are awaiting trial and many have not been convicted of a crime.
“I think the public often forgets that people are innocent until found guilty. We should not be treating people in such an inhumane fashion simply because they’re accused of something,” Mersereau said. “And even for persons who have been convicted, it’s not acceptable to house them in conditions like this.”
Teresa Armstrong, the NDP’s MPP for London-Fanshawe, also made an appearance at the rally and said she was planning to meet with the minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services (CSCS), who is responsible for the prison, to address concerns about the facility and look for solutions.
Last week, CSCS’s assistant deputy minister said the province is working to improve conditions at the facility for inmates and guards.
Earlier this week, the ministry announced it was installing 350 cameras within the EMDC at a cost of $5 million to address concerns about inmates not being properly monitored throughout the facility.
“While I cannot get into specifics on how we manage our security systems, I can assure you that staff will have the ability to constantly monitor all cameras at all times,” a ministry spokesman wrote in an email. “No additional staff will be required to monitor the cameras.”

 Escalating inmate tensions put corrections officers at risk: OPSEU
Since the inmate unrest started five days ago, the detention centre has called in tactical units known as Institutional Crisis Intervention teams to bring order and control to the situation.
London (1 Aug. 2012) – Five days of escalating inmate tensions inside the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre is putting the health and safety of corrections officers at risk, says the union that represents staff at the facility.
For full press release, click here

Star exclusive: Violent assaults in federal prisons on the rise

Story on Ongoing Issue of Increasing Violence - Partially Related to Overcrowding

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KINGSTON

See the below link for the Collins Bay Protest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FB9nQ-9mZ4&feature=em-subs_digest 
____________________________

OTTAWA

 August 15, 2012

Raising Justice, Reducing Harm

Ottawa Prisoners' Justice Day raises awareness on the impact of prisons on drug use

by Crystel Hajjar

Prisoners' Justice Day in Ottawa focused on harm reduction this year. Above: a collaborative art project dedicated to those living in incarceration and those who lost their lives in prison was part of the day's activities. Photo: CSCS

"Whether it's the Alberta tar sands or our role in Haiti, The Dominion has the guts to look at Canada without the fairytales about our national virtue that comfort and blind us... Only readers like you can keep this crucial voice alive and growing louder. Please, pitch in!" --Naomi Klein

OTTAWA—The issue of harm reduction in prisons dominated the presentations at the Prisoners’ Justice Day event held in Ottawa, at the Jack Purcell Community Centre on August 10. The event included a table fair, a prisoners’ book drive and presentations from organizers and former inmates.
“Prisoners’ Justice Day is a day of solidarity, to honour and remember all prisoners who have died unnatural deaths while incarcerated, and to cast light on the on-going human rights issues present in prisons,” said Jennifer Rae, a member of Campaign for Safer Consumption Sites in Ottawa (CSCS), in a speech. “This year, [the] day will also focus on the need for harm reduction policies in Canadian prisons to reduce the spread of infectious diseases and save lives.”

CSCS, an organization that promotes dignity and respect for all drug users, was one of the many community groups organizing this event. According to her speech, estimates of HIV and Hepatitis C prevalence in Canadian prisons are respectively 10 times and 20 times the estimated prevalence in the rest of Canada, and are especially high among drug users. Additionally, suicide rates in prisons are seven times higher than the general Canadian population, and between 2005 and 2010 there were over 33,000 formal complaints from prisoners, mostly regarding lack of health care in federal prisons.
Caleb Chepesiuk is the Harm Reduction Program Coordinator at AIDS Committee of Ottawa, another group organizing the event. The group provides support and promotes the wellbeing of people affected by HIV/AIDS. Chepesiuk said that the prison policies do not provide a space for safe drug use, encouraging the spread of infections such as HIV and Hepatitis C.
“The policies create more harm for people who use drugs than the drugs themselves,” he said. “There has been a call for a needle distribution system in prisons for years now…and this is being actively ignored by our politicians and bureaucrats.”
Chepesiuk added that even people who are on trial or spending shorter periods of time in prisons are also at a risk of facing many problems.
“Whether it is a couple of weeks or a couple of months, [those policies] disrupt any efforts of getting employment, or housing, all those different pieces that really help build a healthy community,” he said.
On August 10, inmates in Canada and in prisons around the world went on a hunger strike in memory of Eddy Nolan who bled to death in Millhaven Penitentiary in Ontario on August 10, 1974. That incident along with a four day riot that resulted in the death of two inmates at the Kingston Penitentiary in 1971 led to major improvements in the Canadian prison system.
Inmates also released a statement on Prisoners’ Justice Day, written by Alex Hundert, and Mandy Hiscocks, both community organizers who are currently imprisoned on charges related to activist organizing around the G20 Summit, in Toronto in 2010. The statement was written with input from more than a dozen inmates inside the Central North Correctional Complex in Penetanguishene Ontario.
Similar events were held in other Canadian cities such as Toronto, Halifax and Vancouver, Montreal and Sudbury.
Crystel Hajjar is an Ottawa-based writer, organizer and climate justice activist.

PRISONER JUSTICE DAY AUGUST 10 2012 - KINGSTON - TORONTO - VANCOUVER - OTTAWA

 See this link for pictures, videos and written accounts of Prisoner Justice Day events which took place August 10.
 http://prisonstatecanada.blogspot.ca/search/label/Prisoner%20Justice%20Day

 Scroll down to see upcoming events for each city....
History of Prisoner Justice Day

Eddie Nalon sat in a solitary confinement cell at Millhaven Maximum Security Prison near Kingston, Ontario. On August 10th, 1974, he was expecting to be given the news that he was to be released from solitary confinement. The guards neglected to tell him of his pending release. 

 

Out of frustration or despair, he cut the vein in his inner elbow.  The cells were equipped with call buttons that could be used to summon the guards in an emergency. He pushed the button in his cell, other prisoners pushed their buttons, nobody responded, and he bled to death.

An inquest into his death found that the guards had deactivated the call buttons in the unit. There were a number of recommendations made by the coroner's jury, including the immediate repair of the emergency call system.

In May 1976, another prisoner, Bobby Landers died of a heart attack in the same unit. He tried to summon help but the call buttons had still not been repaired. Medical testimony at the inquest into his death established that he should have been in intensive care, not solitary confinement.

Prisoners at Millhaven put out a call for August 10th to be a national day of protest against an apathetic prison system that did not seem to care if people in prison lived or died.

PRISON JUSTICE DAY IS...  

...August 10, the day prisoners have set aside as a day to fast and refuse to work in a show of solidarity to remember those who have died unnecessarily -- victims of murder, suicide and neglect.

...the day when organizations and individuals in the community hold demonstrations, vigils, worship services and other events in common resistance with prisoners.

...the day to raise issue with the fact that a very high rate of women are in prison for protecting themselves against their abusers.

..is the day to remember that there are a disproportionate number of Natives, African-Canadians and other minorities and marginalized people in prisons.

..the day to raise public awareness of the economic and social costs of  a system of criminal justice which punishes for revenge.  If there is ever to be social justice, it will only come about using a model of healing justice

by prisonjustice.ca

Please let me know if you have info on other cities hosting Prisoner Justice Day events that you would like added here.
 

KINGSTON:

 
 AUGUST 10th: ALL OUT FOR PRISONERS JUSTICE DAY!
August 10th is Prisoners’ Justice Day, a day in remembrance of all of those who have died at the hands of the prison system. Prisoners fast and refuse work on this day, while outside the walls organizations and individuals demonstrate in solidarity. We want a world without prisons, and will resist their expansion any day of the year, but it would be especially offensive to see cranes, trucks, and workers expanding the prison on August 10th while prisoners are on strike inside.

We invite you to join us early in the morning on August 10th to shut down construction at Collins Bay Penitentiary in honour of Prisoners’ Justice Day. This will also mark the two-year anniversary of the Prison Farms blockade at the same location, a historic mobilization for Kingston.
If you don’t live in Kingston and want to come, or if you do live in Kingston and can offer billeting, get in contact with us and we will co-ordinate lodgings with you. Our email is epic [at] riseup [dot] net
Keep your eye on http://endthepic.wordpress.com/pjd for updates.
This August 10th, join us in Kingston to mark #pjd2012.
Please circulate widely – see you August 10th!

Prisoner’s Justice Day 2012 Schedule
Kingston, Ontario

Thursday, August 9th
Welcome Dinner and Social, AKA Autonomous Social Centre, 75 Queen St. Unit 1.
5-9pm Free dinner (ongoing as folks arrive) & hang out
7-8pm Justice for Levi Presentation: http://justiceforlevi.org/
Early to bed!
Friday, August 10th
5am sharp Free coffee & snacks @ The Sleepless Goat, 91 Princess St.
5:30am Rides leave from the Goat
5:45am Meet up and gather near Collins Bay Penitentiary (location TBA)
6am March on Collins Bay and take over the entrance!
8pm/dusk Noise demo (location TBA)
*Please bring food and water for yourself for the day on Friday.
*On August 10th, you can reach a contact person if you need info or get
separated! Call our action phone: 613-893-5327
*Keep in touch during the day by subscribing your cellphone to twitter. Follow @endthepic or #pjd2012

BILLETING

ATTN: Local EPIC Friends and Allies!

We need places for out-of-towners to stay during Prisoners Justice Day events in Kingston, August 9-10. If you have space, please let us know ASAP at epic [at] riseup [dot] net with “Offering Billets” in the subject line.
Hosting folks in your house for a night or two is an excellent way to meet new activists and new friends, and expand your personal and political networks. We anticipate activists from all over southern Ontario and parts of Quebec needing places to lay their heads. Spare rooms are grand, but so are couches or spots where folks can unroll a sleeping bag. Please consider letting someone share the roof and/or your backyard (for camping) during Prisoners Justice Day events in Kingston!
If you have any reason to believe that your house contains bed bugs, please be upfront either with us or with your billeters.
If you can lend general support (such as providing childcare or offering transporation) to this action, but for whatever reason cannot participate directly, let us know!

ATTN: Out-of-Towners!

We know some of you might be seeking places to stay in Kingston during Prisoners Justice Day events, August 9-10. If you need help finding a homestay, please let us know ASAP at epic [at] riseup [dot] net
On the evening of Thursday, August 9th, we’ll be having a bbq with guest speakers. On Friday, August 10th, we will be meeting at 5am at the Sleepless Goat, where we will have breakfast and arrange for rides to Collins Bay. There are other tentative activities happening, so please check our website for up-to-date information, http://endthepic.wordpress.com
Please also inform us of anything you think we’d need to know in order to appropriately match you with a place to stay.
What are your access needs?
Do you need childcare on August 10th?
Do you have any allergies you want us to consider?
Are you comfortable staying alone, or are you traveling with someone that you absolutely must stay with? Etc.
We cannot guarantee space, but we will do our absolute best to help everyone find places that meet their specific needs.
If you have any reason to believe that you may travel with bed bugs, please be upfront either with us or with your homestay.

Feel free to print and distribute our flyer below!

KINGSTON'S PRISON RADIO (101.9fm)        Celebrates Prisoner Justice Day on August 10 

(tune in for regular broadcasts too, or to send a loved one inside a song request)  http://cfrc.ca.

KINGSTON, ON – CFRC 101.9FM, Kingston's only campus and

community radio station,marks the 37th annual 

Prisoners Justice Day with a special live broadcast on

Friday, August 10 from 2-10pm.

The broadcast begins at 2pm with news, interviews, and features focused                                        on prisoners and prison issues. 

From 4-6pm, a special edition of CFRC's "Finding a 

Voice" program shares writing by prisoners.  7-10pm, 

CFRC airs music requests and messages by and for 

prisoners and their loved ones, friends and supporters,

who can send requests and comments by:

• Tweeting @CPRkingston;  

• Recording a voice message for broadcast through our toll-free number at 1-800-440-5219; 

• Calling the request line during the program at 613-533-CFRC.

 

OTTAWA

Join us in commemorating Prisoner Justice Day – August 10th, 2012

Posted in Ottawa, PJD on August 2, 2012 by prisonerjusticeday Location:  Jack Purcell Community Centre, room 101 (map)
Time: Friday, August 10, 5pm – 8pm
We will be gathering to mark the day with plenty of information and activities, such as books to prisoners (BYO soft-cover book!), button making, and letter writing. Topics to be covered by speakers at the event include harm reduction in prison, Bill C-10, and lived experiences of the corrections system.
We welcome everyone to this community event, as we come together in solidarity to support the human rights of prisoners.
RSVP on Facebook

For more events and info on Ottawa area PJD activities Click

MONTREAL

 
Week Against Prisons! - http://contrelesprisons.blogspot.ca/
 
Film Screening and Facilitated Discussion about Girls and Women in Prison
 
August 7 from 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy (1500 de Maisonneuve Ouest, Suite #404)
http://www.facebook.com/events/165374010263786/
 
Film Screening of award-winning film "Stranger Inside (2001)"
(w/French subtitles) and documentary "Unlocking the Gates (2012)" followed
by a facilitated discussion led by the Life After Life Collective; a
2110 action group dedicated to the de-carceration and de-criminalization
of girls, women and transgendered people.  The first film is
about incarcerated queer women of colour in a US prison while the
documentary focuses on Aboriginal women's struggle with the revolving door
in Canada. Both are presented as part of the 2110 Centre's annual "Summer
Night" Film Screenings. (French whisper translation will be available
during the discussion)
 
-
 
Inside/Out: Celebrating the Life and Work of Marilyn Buck
 
August 8 from 6-8pm
(casa del popolo) 4873 boul. st-laurent
https://www.facebook.com/events/394752210574434/
 
Marilyn Buck was an anti-imperialist, a feminist, an artist and
a revolutionary, who spent almost half of her life in prison as a result
of her participation in revolutionary armed movements in the united
states. Amongst other things, she was convicted of helping to break Assata
Shakur out of prison. While incarcerated she developed uterine cancer; she
was released on July 15, 2010, and died a couple of weeks later, on August
3. Join us now for a celebration of Marilyn's life, and a book launch
for Inside/Out, a recently published collection of her poems, with
readings by local Montreal activists, and brief talks about Marilyn, about
political prisoners, and resistance. (In English)
 
-
 
Vigil, Testimonies, Audio Documentaries, and Commemoration in memory
of those who died in custody
 
August 10 from 2-4pm
1701 Parthenais street, outside the Coroner's office
 
Every year people die in prison, murdered by a system that refuses
them adequate care, puts them in situations of abuse, subjects them
to violence, is designed to rob them of their humanity. August 10 is a day
in which we remember those who have died on the inside, and demand an end
to the travesty that is the prison system. Join us for a vigil in front
of the offices of the coroner, whose job it is to cover up deaths on
the inside.
 
-
 
Presentation by Kim Pate
 
August 10 from 5pm-7pm
Café Touski (2361 rue Ontario Est -- métro Frontenac)
http://www.facebook.com/events/474248009261400/
 
Kim Pate is a criminologist. She has more than 30 years experience working
with incarcerated women, and is particularly interested in the conditions
of First Nations women. We have asked her to give a presentation about how
the policies being put in place by the Harper government will impact the
prison system, and especially how they will impact women. We want to
better prepare ourselves to resist and fight back. (In English with
whisper translation into French)
 
-
 
Dans le cadre des soirée de la Maison Norman Bethune
 
August 10 - 19h
1918 rue Frontenac
 
Dans le cadre de la semaine contre les prisons, la Maison Norman Bethune
présente trois courts exposés visant à explorer certaines des questions
soulevées par la réalité des prisons dans la société capitaliste actuelle.
Les présentations seront suivies d'une discussion sur les thèmes abordés:
Le rôle des prisons dans la société capitaliste; La prison comme lieu
d'organisation politique; et La situation des femmes en milieu carcéral.
(en français)
 
-
 
Solidarity in a Culture of Criminalization: Transformative Justice in the
Community
 
August 11 from 1pm-5pm
2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy (1500 de Maisonneuve Ouest, Suite #404)
http://www.facebook.com/events/364754366931379/
Transformative Justice 101, followed with facilitated discussion on how
to respond to several challenging hypothetical scenarios without turning
to the police and a creative response session. (In English)
 
-
 
Street Festival - Freedom for All Political Prisoners / SOLIDARITÉ POUR
touTEs LES prisonnierÈREs POLITIQUES
 
August 12 from 1pm-6pm
Square Phillips, corner of St. Catherine and Union (Metro McGill)
http://www.facebook.com/events/213247592138441/
 
Join us for an afternoon of food, theater, and music in solidarity with
political prisoner struggles around the world!   

TORONTO

 37th International Prisoners Justice Day
August 10, 2012-­ 11am. until 5 pm.
Please Join Us in Toronto at Church of the Holy Trinity –
behind the Eaton Centre
Everyone is Welcome!

  Artist, BobbyLee Worm who was subjected to the Management Protocol for women for 4 years.

Special Host:
Michelle Latimer
Presenters will include:
Janis Cole, filmmaker “P4W”, “Shaggie: Letters from Prison”
Shoshana Pollack, Inside Out Prison Exchange Program,
WLU Janet Ritch, Author, Advocate for the rights of women in prison.

COUNTERfit Prison Justice Day
 
August 10 at 2pm

South Riverdale Community Centre (955 Queen St E)

Poster & more information:  

http://www.srchc.ca/news/prisoners-justice-day
 
COUNTERfit invites all drug users and allies to come 

together to protest prison policy and treatment of 

those incarcerated.
 
Candlelight Vigil
 

August 10 at 6pm

Outside the Don Jail (14 St Matthews Rd - 

Gerrard & Broadview)

More information:  

http://www.facebook.com/events/255907681188485/

pjdtoronto (at) gmail.com
 

G20 Letter Writing & Film Night hosted by the 

WCCC-Toronto
 

August 12 at 6pm

Harvest Noon at University of Toronto (16 Bancroft Ave)
More information: 

http://g20.torontomobilize.org/node/784/

KITCHENER-WATERLOO

 
All Day Prisoners' Justice Solidarity
 

August 10 from 9am to 5pm

Kitchener Courthouse (200 Fredrick St)

http://www.facebook.com/events/405248716194739/
 

VANCOUVER

 Prison Justice Day Memorial Rally
Fri Aug 10th, 6pm
Claire Culhane Memorial Bench in Trout Lake Park (southeast corner), East Vancouver.
Speakers include ex-prisoners and anti-prison activists. All welcome.
Organized by the Prison Justice Day Committee . pjd(at)prisonjustice.ca.
Prison Justice Day is a day to remember all the men, women and youth who have died in prison.

Also listen to the Stark Raven radio broadcast for PJD 

Stark Raven Radio: A Closer Look at Prisons & the Psychiatric Survivor Movement

Mon Aug 6th, 2012: Prison Justice Day Special
*Prison Justice Day is a day to remember those who have died behind bars.

Mon Sept 3rd, 2012: Vancouver Prison Justice Day Rally
*Tune in to hear highlights from the annual memorial rally from August 10th.

First Monday of each month, 7-8pm.
In Vancouver at 102.7FM, and online: www.coopradio.org
Find out more about Stark Raven, including how to hear past shows and our podcasts.

EDMONTON
 
Prisoners’ Justice Day Candle Lit Vigil
 
August 10 at 7pm
Elizabeth Fry Society of Edmonton - outside around the back (10523 100Ave)
For more information: 780-784-2207
 
******************************
 

HALIFAX
 
Prisoner Justice Day
 

August 10 at 7pm

Johanna B. Oosterveld Centre (2013 Gottingen St)
booksbeyondbars (at) gmail.com
 
Speakers: Gary Kinsman on surveillance & criminalization of queer
communities + poetry & writings of women incarcerated in Nova Scotia