August 25: Symposium on Prison Crowding and its Implications for Human Rights
Posted
July 18, 2012
Article Source
John Howard Society of Canada
Objective: To conduct an evidence-based examination of prison
crowding in Canada and measure the current conditions against
appropriate legal standards.
This will be accomplished through reviewing the evolution of
protections and international standards, examining current conditions in
Canadian correctional institutions, comparing current conditions with
existing legal standards and exploring remedies for violations of these
standards. The final panel of the day will highlight and discuss some of
the special challenges involved in representing prisoners.
The Symposium has received continuing professional development (CPD)
accreditation from the Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC), The Law
Society of British Columbia, The Law Society of Saskatchewan, and
Barreau du Québec.
Event Information:
Date Saturday, August 25, 2012 Time 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Place University of Ottawa Campus Contact Catherine Latimer Phone (613) 384-6272 Email clatimer@johnhoward.ca Contact Graham Stewart Phone (613) 389-1737 Email gstewart8@cogeco.ca
I've been thinking about doing a regular post on current news in our prison system for awhile. But havn't done so because I figured much of it would be coming from the mainstream media and I didn't want to take part in spreading the neo-liberal judgment based, hate mongering, propaganda machine any further than it sadly already gets spread! Because I don't have time to give each of these issues the full analysis they deserve in order to counter the mainstream's take on them, I have decided to use the following strategy. I will go ahead and include links to some mainstream news sources, but will balance those with progressive links to organisations providing a human rights based analysis of the issues.
Issues such as the increasing calamity of prison overcrowding. This has always been a problem in Canada, but of late with the elimination in 2010 of 2 for 1 credit for time served in pre-trial prison, we have seen an explosion in the numbers of people held in prison for longer periods, resulting in severe overcrowding, and directly related to overcrowding, has been an increase in staff and prisoner violence.
Treatment of Prisoners in Crowded Facilities
Barton Street jail still in lockdown
By cbc.ca
Published: 08/16/2012
Toronto, ON, Canada -- The Barton Street jail is still in lockdown
and corrections officer are off the job Thursday morning. The officers
are not working while they negotiate a health and safety concern.
The lockdown began Monday after it was discovered a piece of metal was
missing from a light fixture. Management and officers were concerned it
could be used as a weapon.
Dan Sidsworth, Ontario Public Service Employee Union (OPSEU) corrections
division chair, said jail guards wanted to search the entire prison and
wear protective vests but management wanted a smaller section of the
prison searched without the vests.
"Our concern," Sidsworth said, "is that the weapon has migrated to
another part of the institution." He added, officers "searched the
immediate area and came up empty."
The Minstry of Labour was called to investigate the work stoppage Wednesday.
Matt Blajer, a spokesman for the ministry, told CBC Hamilton that the
jail guards do not have the right to refuse work in this situation.
The corrections officers have since been ordered by the employer to
return to work. The officers are members of the Ontario Public Service
Employee Union (OPSEU). Sidsworth said the union is still in contact
with the ministry and made a proposal Tuesday that could lead to an end
of the lockdown. As a result of the lockdown, inmates have reported they haven't had
clean clothes or clean sheets for a week. OPSEU said its members will
only return to work if allowed to complete a jail search wearing a
protective safety vests. "Our concerns," Sidsworth said, "are the same as those of the
inmates. We want a safe working environment for the officers. And our
working conditions are their living conditions. We don't want to see
anyone get hurt."
Union boss says overcrowding at London, Ont., jail could lead to more unrest
A photograph obtained by the London Free Press shows
the aftermath of a recent melee at the Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre
on Exeter Road in London. July 20, 2012
LONDON, ONT. — The head of the union
representing guards at a southwestern Ontario jail says he’s concerned a
near-riot could occur there again, and pressure is mounting on the
province to make the facility safer for staff and inmates.
Ontario Public Service Employees
Union president Warren Thomas toured the Elgin-Middlesex Detention
Centre in London, Ont., on Tuesday morning. Violence flared there last month,
just before the start of the July 28 weekend, when inmates began to
flood toilets, light fires and run amok. Tactical squads quelled the unrest and a five-day lockdown was imposed. “Five-hundred pound iron doors were
bent ... It was a very, very dangerous situation,” said Thomas, whose
union represents more than 260 correctional officers and staff at the
provincial jail. Complaints and lawsuits over
treatment of inmates at the facility stretch back years, but are getting
increased attention after numerous security incidents over the past
several months. Overcrowding at the jail needs to be
addressed or there may be more violence, Thomas said, alleging jail
cells meant for two people are holding three to five inmates in some
cases. The cheek-by-jowl living conditions
were a catalyst in last month’s skirmish and increase the chances of
inmate-on-inmate attacks, he said. “If you’re an inmate in there and
you’re in a cell of five people then you can get hurt quite badly” by
violent cellmates, Thomas said. Things are calm now, but that could
change unless more inmates are transferred elsewhere and staffing
numbers increased, he said. “It’s like the eye of the hurricane.
It’s not over. It could spark and blow,” he said, adding the facility is
short 15 full-time employees. The jail was initially designed for
200 beds but was retrofitted to hold its current load of more than 400
inmates, Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services
spokesperson Brent Ross said. Ross denied claims there are up to
five inmates in a cell, saying the ministry does not house more than
three people in a single cell. Corrections Minister Madeleine
Meilleur was set to discuss conditions at the jail on Tuesday night with
local Progressive Conservative member Jeff Yurek and Bob Bailey, the
party’s corrections critic. Lawyer Kevin Egan says he has about
50 lawsuits in various stages from inmates who allege understaffing and
safety gaps, such as a lack of security cameras that would let guards
easily monitor inmates, have led to attacks. Egan said he’s so busy he’s had to hire a new clerk to help handle new cases. Egan alleges staffing shortages mean
some prisoners are exercising control over their fellow inmates, such as
demanding they hand over medications before receiving food from the
delivery cart. “There’s a culture where ... they allow the toughest, meanest inmates to set conditions inside the cellblock,” he alleged. Egan said he is “very hopeful” the
ministry will take steps such as hiring more staff and installing
security cameras as called for last year by a pair of inquests, one of
which found the April 2009 death of Kenneth Drysdale was a homicide. “If they don’t, somebody else is
going to die,” said Egan, who is representing Drysdale’s family in a
suit against the province over his death. Egan is also representing former
inmate Robert Broley in a $1.25-million lawsuit stemming from an attack
on Broley at the jail in 2004. Broley says he received a 30-day sentence for fraudulently depositing a blank cheque envelope at an ATM. He says that once inside the jail he
was assaulted by five other inmates for refusing to give them the home
address of a jail guard he knew through his home maintenance business,
and suffered three cranial fractures when hit on the head with a plastic
mug. He claims the attack occurred in a
section of the facility guards could not see directly or monitor, since
there were no security cameras. Now disabled for life and receiving
disability payments, he hopes the mounting number of inmate lawsuits
will force change at the facility. “This is not a Third World country.
This is Canada. When people break the law, yes they should pay, but they
should not be shoved into cruel and unusual punishment,” Broley said.
Prisoners Push Back
Prison hunger strike: inmates say they’re mistreated, locked up all day
By Staff The Canadian Press
PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Inmates on a hunger strike at a northern
Saskatchewan prison say they’re being mistreated and locked up all day. The hunger strikers, believed to be as many as 16, say they won’t eat
until things change at the medium-security Prince Albert correctional
facility. They say they’re supposed to be out six hours a day and they’re not allowed to go outside at all. A spokeswoman for Corrections, Public Safety and Policing says the
inmates are unhappy with a lockdown after a serious incident last
Friday. Judy Orthner says prisoners on the unit are being confined during the
investigation into what happened, but it is not considered a lockdown. She says the current situation should end Thursday. Corrections will look at the concerns and decide what steps might be appropriate in the future, Orthner says. “These inmates who are on a hunger strike are saying, ‘It’s not fair
that we should be kept in our cells with no routine and no programming
going on while this investigation is going on.”’ Left of Road (Politically); Response to Tough on Crime Agenda
Interviews with prisoner advocates in Canada to talk about the history of the prisoner human rights movement in the context of the current conservative "crime" agenda.
Supporters
of the now defunct federal prison farms held a special vigil at the
entrance of Frontenac Institution on Bath Road last week to mark the
second anniversary of their closure.
EMC News - It's been just over two years since the federal government shut down the prison farm at Frontenac Institution.
Those who tried, in vain, to save the farm returned to the entrance of the prison to hold an evening vigil last Thursday.
"We
just want to remind the federal government...we think it was a mistake
to close the prison farms. It provided rehabilitation. It provided job
training and provided food for the system," said Dianne Dowling, a
member of the Save Our Prison Farms (SOPF) committee.
Even as Dowling was speaking, honks from cars going by nearly drowned her out.
Dowling
said members of SOPF, along with hundreds of people, campaigned for 18
months asking Prime Minister Stephen Harper to reconsider the decision
to close the farms.
She said people came to rallies, meetings and signed petitions. They also wrote letters to the government.
This
all lead to a quasi-blockade at the entrance of the prison by some of
the most adamant supporters. It also led to some of their eventual
arrests. A few were convicted earlier this year of mischief.
"We
believed we were right. We still believe we are right. The program
should have been saved and the decision was wrong," said Dowling. "We
feel we need to keep repeating that comment. It was very frustrating to
the people in the campaign. It made no sense to close the prison farms."
Canada had six prison farms before their closure.
About 250 cattle at Frontenac were sold by auction in Waterloo.
Dowling said removing the cattle was the death of the farm.
Twenty-four
people, aged 14 to 87, in total were arrested and charged with mischief
two years ago in hopes of stopping cattle trucks.
Supporter Daniel Beals was at the vigil.
"I
am here to mourn and pay tribute to what we went through a couple years
ago. I have a lot of good friends here that I made specifically through
the Save Our Prison Farms campaign," said Beals.
He feels the prison farms could return one day.
"I
believe if we had a different government there's a possibly it could
come back. I wouldn't go out making promises but I think that certainly
if there is an NDP government we would look at something like that
again," said Beals, who has been a federal NDP candidate in the area
since 2009.
He claimed rehabilitation is not the No. 1 concern for the Conservative government.
Supporters
will continue to fight for prison farms. In fact, every Monday night
since Aug. 9, 2010, SOPF supporters have been holding a vigil at the
entrance to Frontenac.
Corrections Canada to push ahead with electronic anklets for parolees
The below article by Anna Mehler Paperny at the Globe talks about ankle bracelet monitoring for people out of prison on passes or parole. It also mentions that the government's own pilot study of ankle monitoring effectiveness showed the devices to be unreliable, and more expensive than traditional monitoring. So if the devices are such crap what other reason could the CSC have for "pushing ahead" with use of them? See this post from 2011:
Correctional Service Canada plans to roll out electronic anklets to
monitor parolees – even though its own pilot project found the devices
did not work as hoped. The idea is to ensure that offenders follow
the conditions of their release. A tiny proportion of parolees breach
those conditions or reoffend, although the number has been getting
smaller for four years. A Correctional Service Canada study found the GPS anklets do not
change offenders’ behaviour, create more work for parole officers and
have numerous technical problems – including false alarms and a tendency
to show people to be somewhere they are not. “You’re doing more
intervention unnecessarily, catching people in the corrections net who
perhaps don’t require it,” James Bonta, director of Public Safety’s
research unit, told Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Safety and
National Security earlier this year. Proponents say monitoring
keeps the public safe by ensuring convicts toe the line. Others say that
while the anklets are effective in some circumstances for high-risk
offenders, they don’t alter a parolee’s behaviour; also, by the time
officers are notified of a violation, it may be too late to apprehend
the person in the act. “We sometimes think of technology as being
perfect. It is not perfect,” Mr. Bonta said. “Overall, if I look at the
whole body of evidence, I don’t think” the anklets make communities
safer. The federal Conservatives’ Safe Streets and Communities
Act, Bill C-10, allows Correctional Service Canada to impose electronic
monitoring on an offender with geographic restrictions on temporary
absence, work release, parole, statutory release or long-term
supervision. Correctional Service Canada intends to begin the program in
the fall of 2013. Electronic monitoring for offenders has been
around since the mid-1960s. Seven provinces use anklets for offenders on
probation. Studies so far are inconclusive on whether and when they’re
worth it. Monitoring methods vary. Some programs are actively
watched from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with activity logged overnight. In
Saskatchewan, radio frequencies are sent to a server, and notices of
violations or alerts go to officers’ cellphones or a community
correctional centre. In a choice between electronic monitoring or a
stint behind bars, studies suggest the former saves money and keeps the
offender out of an environment that often contributes to recidivism.
The benefits of putting a parolee on a monitoring device during a
conditional release are murkier: There’s no demonstrated effect on
recidivism and, especially in the case of low-risk offenders, a GPS
anklet can actually make reintegration harder. Between 2008 and
2009, Correctional Service Canada conducted an $856,096 pilot project of
anklets for parolees. An evaluation found basic technological
challenges: Batteries drained quickly; false tamper alerts were
frequent; the GPS system had a tendency to “drift” – to show a person in
the wrong location. While the system “may benefit some
offenders,” the report states, “the benefits could not be demonstrated
in the current evaluation.” In 2010-11, 88 per cent of those on
day parole and 76.5 per cent of those on full parole completed the
program with no problems. Only 2.4 per cent of day parolees and 6.7 per
cent of full parolees reoffended. Both breaches and reoffences have
dropped steadily since 2007. The anklets provide “an opportunity
to verify compliance with release conditions and provide additional
information for the ongoing assessment of risk to enhance public
safety,” Correctional Service Canada said in an e-mailed statement this
week. “CSC’s procurement of new technology will address some of the
limitations noted in the first pilot (for example battery life).” The
cost of the anklets and software is $15 per offender per day, although
they can be cheaper. Training and staffing can get pricey. Almost all
U.S. agencies that use electronic monitoring increased staff faster than
those that did not, said Marc Renzema, a criminal justice professor at
Kutztown University in Pennsylvania. Correctional Service Canada
Commissioner Don Head and Public Safety Minister Vic Toews declined to
be interviewed. Addressing the Standing Committee on Public Safety and
National Security in February, Mr. Head argued the anklets’ benefits
outweighed their drawbacks. “This will ultimately contribute to
strengthening public safety,” he said. “The report indicated that there
were some deficiencies, but that through amendments to practices and
procedures we could address these deficiencies.”
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.”_____________________________________________________
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
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
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
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.
