Client Profiles
Transitional Housing and Life Skills Counselling
Most of our clients are between the ages of 18 and 39, poor, unemployed, poorly trained for the job market, and lacking even grade 12 education. Most were sentenced for poverty related offences or substance abuse related crimes rather than crimes related to violence. Most have histories of severe physical and sexual abuse, family breakdown, and addictions.
When women return to society from prison with the stigma of a criminal record but without skills or support, they often find themselves trapped in the same painful and wasteful cycle that can lead them once again into conflict with the law. The Elizabeth Fry Society of Toronto offers community-based solutions that address the poverty and addiction-related causes of clients' past behaviour and help break the cycle of crime and incarceration. Our transitional housing, crisis intervention, release planning, individual and group counselling programs help 1,000 women annually.
- Cocaine seemed like the perfect good-time drug for the glitzy, high living disco era but time proved otherwise. Many people were quickly caught up in small-time dealing in order to supply this highly addictive and expensive habit. Annette was one of those people. An educated, middle class woman whose family was the center of her universe, she went from partying to purgatory in the blink of an eye. She and her husband were arrested in a major Toronto drug bust. Both were sent to prison. After serving four months in prison, Annette was released to the Elizabeth Fry Society of Toronto's half-way house. With the support of the staff, Annette began rebuilding her life. "You were the only people who treated me with respect, who still treated me like a human being. In prison I waited all week for your visits." After a successful stay at our residence, Annette promised that once she "got her life together", she would come back as a volunteer. Ten years later, the owner of a thriving business with a stable personal life, Annette honoured her promise. She served on our employment committee for eight years and continues to be a strong agency supporter.
- "I left a very abusive relationship and had developed an addiction to crack/cocaine. My only child was taken into care by the CCAS. It was a very lonely and vulnerable time in my life. In 2002, I joined the Elizabeth Fry Society's Drug and Alcohol Program for both group and individual counselling. Although I was receiving support from other agencies, I really liked the Elizabeth Fry program because it is specifically for women. I found the support, understanding and care I needed and a safe, non-judgmental environment. Today I have my child back and I am free of drugs. I continue to use the service on a weekly basis for my continuing sobriety. I know that if I have to speak to someone or I need support, I can go to E. Fry to talk."
Social Change and Support
The Elizabeth Fry Society of Toronto advocates for changes to laws and policies that discriminate against women, and provides support to women who have been unfairly treated within the justice system. Velma Demerson's story illustrates the many ways our agency helps women who have been in prison.
In 1939 Velma Demerson was arrested, sentenced, and incarcerated under the Female Refuges Act for living in a common law relationship with a Chinese man in Toronto. Under Section 15, a parent or guardian could bring before a judge any female under the age of 21 who proved to be incorrigible. Provincial authorities at that time were highly intolerant of inter-racial relationships. At the age of eighteen, Velma was labeled "incorrigible" and confined to a 7x3 foot prison cell at the Mercer Reformatory for 10 months. During that time Velma, who was pregnant, was subjected to medical experiments and physical torture which resulted in her child being born with a severe skin condition.
When the 1989 Freedom of Information Act allowed Velma to access her Mercer Reformatory records, she thought about launching an investigation into her treatment. Uncertain about how to proceed, she contacted the Elizabeth Fry Society of Toronto which had successfully lobbied for the repeal of the Female Refuges Act in 1958. Throughout Velma's crusade to clear her name, the agency served as sounding board and advocate, raising awareness of Velma's cause. An E. Fry staff person helped to edit the original manuscript of Velma's memoir which was published in 2005 under the title "Incorrigible". In 2004, Velma's appeals to various levels of government, including the Attorney General of Ontario and the International Court of Justice at the Hague, yielded a public apology and financial compensation.