Prisons: The Latest Solution to Homelessness, Poverty and Mental Illness

For as long as there have been prisons they have been filled with those who are poor and marginalized in our society. Most are there for reasons stemming from depletion of resources, public attitudes, and government policies and laws. Kim Pate, the Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies, the national advocacy association for women in prison in Canada, spoke on this topic in Calgary on September 18, 2003. As well as being the Executive Director of CAEFS, Kim is a feminist lawyer and teacher and has worked as a strong advocate for women in prison in Canada for 20 years. Below is an abbreviated version of Kim's speech as part of the WomenSpeak series of fundraisers to benefit the women's organizations in Calgary.

"Given the urgency we all feel, or should feel, about the increased criminalization of women and girls worldwide, my hope is that we will truly engage and work to correct what is fundamentally flawed and wrong about current attempts to reform and correct or change individual and/or groups of women, when it is increasingly the laws and policies within which we all work that are increasingly coming into conflict with people.

In Canada in 1996, we decided to follow the U.S. lead when the federal government eliminated the Canada Assistance Plan and, therefore, the essential nature of Canadian standards of social, medical and educational resources. In Canada, we recognize that the globalized destruction of social safety nets - from social and health services to economic and education standards and availability - are resulting in the increased criminalization of the most marginalized and vulnerable members of our communities. Laws and policies are increasingly in conflict with people's lives, resulting in the virtual inevitability of criminalization of young, racialized and poor women, and those with mental and cognitive disabilities.

We know that increased numbers of young women with mental and cognitive disabilities, women who used to fill psychiatric and mental health facilities, are now increasingly being criminalized. Progressive trends of the past to de-institutionalize those with cognitive and mental disabilities have been subverted by resource depletion and attitudes and policies occasioned by the deficit of the last decade. The result is that more and more people are literally being dumped into the streets.

Their attempts to survive, their attempts to self-medicate, their attempts to cope with their situations as well as the behaviour that then evolves from being in a situation where they are increasingly disenfranchised, have led to their increased criminalization and imprisonment. Once in prison, they are considered difficult to manage and consequently spend a disproportionate amount of their time classified as maximum-security prisoners. This means that in addition to serving most of their sentences in the segregated maximum-security units in men's prisons, they are also most likely to be placed in segregation.

The reflex of corrections to develop mental health service in prison is only serving to exacerbate the trend to increasingly criminalize women with mental and cognitive disabilities. Developing such services in prisons at a time when they are increasingly non-existent in the community is resulting in more women receiving federal sentences because there will be a presumption that there is an ability to access services in prison that are not available in community settings. Prisons are not and cannot be treatment or healing centres. Despite laudable attempts to inject supports, they remain, what they were originally designed to be, places designed to punish and hide away from the rest of the community those who we decide are the scapegoats for society's ills.

So how are prisons being used to "address" poverty and homelessness? By creating criminally low welfare rates and even bans on receipt of state resources, many poor people are immediately relegated to the criminalized underclass. Query the value of enabling the creation of laws and policies that effectively criminalize poverty, disabilities and the victims of colonization, and then developing classification, assessment and correction tools that pretend that the individual members of those very groups of people who are thrown in the correctional systems are there because of their planned, voluntary and criminally intended actions.

Those who fail to address these matters will be faced with the reality that they too could be directly impacted implicitly and possibly explicitly, depending upon their personal, economic and professional circumstances.

Rather than personalizing the various legal, human rights, and social justice struggles and uprisings of prisoners, we are hopeful that increasingly, we will all recognize that it is always in our collective interest when the oppressed rise up to challenge their oppressors and oppression. Increasing prisoner access to justice and equality occasioned by social inclusion will benefit all of us and all of our communities of interest.

More information about these topics and other issues facing women in the criminal justice system is available on the website of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies at www.elizabethfry.ca or you can call Kim Pate at the CAEFS office in Ottawa at 1-800-238-2422.

Strategic Plan Initiative

As part of our 50th anniversary plans the agency embarked on a new strategic planning initiative called: Rekindling the Vision for Our Future under the leadership of the Strategic Planning Committee of the Board. Throughout the summer a comprehensive consultation was conducted with E. Fry clients, board staff, volunteers and community members. The information gathered became the central resource to develop a strategic plan and will guide the Elizabeth Fry Society of Toronto's future over the next few years.

One of the core activities was the renewal of the current mission. The Mission Statement is a brief description of the work of the Elizabeth Fry Society of Toronto. It is a public document that can be an important tool for communicating the "who, what and how" of the agency. The Mission Statement will be complemented by a statement of our values, vision and strategic objectives.

On September 8 and 9, 2003 the agency held a retreat for our board, staff and volunteers. Following the retreat the Planning Committee met to synthesize and integrate the ideas, themes and thoughts of the participants that will lead us in the creation of a vision for our future.

After the statement of our values, vision and strategic objectives have been completed, the next step in this process will involve the review of each of our departments and programs followed by the implementation of the major goals and objectives identified.

The following is our renewed mission statement:

Congratulations to Lesley Crisp!

Lesley Crisp has recently completed 25 years of volunteer service with the Elizabeth Fry Society of Toronto. Leslie joined the agency in 1978 as a volunteer and soon became very active on the Volunteer Programs Committee and the West Detention Centre program. She was also a key member of the Fundraising Committee, planning such events as an elaborate Carbaret that raised much needed funds for the agency.

In 1981 Lesley became a member of the Board of Directors. From 1982 to 1984 she was Secretary, in 1984 Vice President, and in 1985 she became President of the Board and stayed in this capacity until her term ended in 1987.

Some of the changes that occurred during Lesley's term as president included a commitment by the agency to enlarge the residential program to help meet the increased demand placed on the program. In 1987 a 5-bed second stage residence was established which offered long term affordable housing to our clients. The Volunteer Program and the Community Relations Department were re-evaluated and restructured, the Human Resources Committee established new personnel policies, and a part time fundraiser was hired to increase the fundraising capabilities of the agency.

Until this year, when the women incarcerated at the Metro West Detention Centre were moved to the Maplehurst Correctional Institute in Milton, Lesley actively participated in the agency's social program offered to the women at the "West" on a weekly basis.

Thank you Lesley, for your many years of service to E. Fry!


Trading the Names of Our Donors

For many years, non-profit organizations, including the Elizabeth Fry Society of Toronto, have traded the names on their donor data bases for names from other like-minded organizations. The purpose is to keep the number on their donor bases from decreasing. Many names are lost each year due to those who have moved, passed away, or simply are unable to contribute any longer due to financial restraints.

In January 2001, Federal privacy legislation came into effect. The policy stated that organizations must obtain appropriate consent from their members and donors before their personal information can be given out. Usually this process involves asking the donor to check the yes or no box on the pledge card that comes with the letter asking for a donation.

Some of our donors have agreed to let us trade their names and for this we thank you for your support. However, many have asked us not to trade their names. For the individual donor this has meant a decrease in the number of requests you receive in the mail from other charitable organizations as your name will remain solely on the list of the Elizabeth Fry Society of Toronto.

For E. Fry it has meant a sharp decrease in our trade list from over 1,000 names in April 2001 to less than 400 in October 2003. With less donors to solicit we are hampered not only in our ability to grow our donor list, but in the amount of donations that we could receive to help the women most in need of our support.

Without the ability to trade our names the agency may have to resort to purchasing names. This is not an approach E. Fry has ever taken because it is the most expensive way to obtain names — we would be spending much more than we receive in order to add names to our data base.

We are asking our supporters if you would increase your support of our agency by allowing your name to be traded for names from other charitable organizations. It's simply a matter of checking the box on the pledge card that is sent with each of our mailings that says: Yes, my name can be traded to help the Elizabeth Fry Society of Toronto keep its donor base strong!

We would like to thank our donors for your generous and ongoing support of our work. With your ongoing support our programs can continue to provide much needed services to women in the criminal justice system.

Nancy Webb
Co-ordinator of Community Relations and Fundraising


Letter from an E. Fry client...

What I learned about life I learned from the Elizabeth Fry Society.

The Elizabeth Fry Society is where I found my voice and where I am treated as a human being. The staff at E. Fry offer a smile and a greeting and a free cup of coffee in the waiting room. They are listeners and hear what you are asking for and speaking about.

E. Fry facilitators encourage you to find your strength and take from others so you are able to fly on your own. As a lesbian I have never felt alone there as there are many lesbian articles to read and they are not hidden. And once a week I find shelter from the cruel world in a safe place called the group room.

At times E. Fry fed me when I was hungry, put food in my cupboards, and gave me clothes from the clothes bank. The staff encourage me not to label myself as stupid, fat and pathetic.

Many times you can dial 233 and there is someone to talk to and they will listen. At times E. Fry even acknowledges the death of a group member who has left us for goddess land, and we celebrate her life.

E. Fry encourages diversity and to take your place/space in this world. Women of colour, lesbian, immigrant, and disabled women all have a space here. Women who have been in conflict with the law are never judged. E. Fry realizes that women have so many layers to uncover that you are never forced out after a couple of weeks of therapy. You stay until you are ready to leave.

E. Fry has a cool Executive Director whose name is Leslie Kelman. There are no airs about her and she treats everyone fairly.

Most of all you are encouraged to make choices for yourself, keep yourself safe, and that we all matter. We are also encouraged to talk about feelings, acknowledge them and not be ashamed, and to realize we do have power.

Many gifts are for the taking at E. Fry — you can take, and walk away an empowered woman with self-esteem, knowing you have a place in this world. At the end we all have self-respect, boundaries, trust ourselves, and won't be defined by others.

I have taken a lot from E. Fry. You ask what I have given back — a strong survivor!

As a group member said:
The stars exist that we may know
How high our dreams can soar!

Update of the Partner Intervention Program

In 2002 the Partner Intervention Program was started to provide therapeutic service to women who have been found guilty at trial or have plead guilty in early intervention to charges of domestic violence. The program will continue until 2004 at which time it will be re-accessed for future need.

Approximately two years ago, we noticed an emerging trend which showed women being charged with assault in cases of domestic violence. These cases mostly involved a male partner who was sometimes co-charged but most often not. Women in this situation contacted us either from within a correctional facility and/or from the community, seeking help and support.

The women told us their actions of aggression were an attempt to remain safe and defended from their abusive male partners. Having called the police for help, they found themselves in a state of shock when they were arrested and removed from their home, charged, sometimes incarcerated, and restricted from returning to their home and their children.

We acknowledge there are women who express anger in violent ways. However, as it is shown in the literature, the majority of incidents involving women's violence are within the home, where she has been the victim of domestic violence and she is trying to maintain safety for herself and her children.

The Partner Intervention Program is based on the view that a woman's violent actions involving her male partner often arise from her experience of victimization over a period of time, either within her current relationship and/or previous one, or from violent experiences within her family of origin during her early childhood years.

Assessment of these relationships must be carefully completed. There are situations in which a female partner makes a choice to be the initiator of violence. One needs to question if this choice is a constrained choice due to an existing power imbalance in the relationship, or a choice made to control her partner using violence. The Partner Intervention Program attempts to address these complex issues and provide therapeutic intervention as needed.

In the first year of this program, from April 1, 2002 until March 31, 2003 a total of 69 women went through the program. Of those, 54 completed the program. Of the 69 women referred to the program, a small number of those cases were dual charge situations.

Through the evaluation process, women have reported the value of this program in the following ways: a decrease in their social isolation as they have met others in similar circumstances; an opportunity to process and receive support concerning the trauma of being involved in the criminal justice system; a greater understanding of their abusive histories and relationships; strategies for safety; better able to recognize unhealthy components of intimate relationships and are prepared to take steps toward change.

The Partner Intervention Program has shown that violence used by females in domestic violence situations is different from that of men in intensity, purpose, frequency, severity of injury, and the amount of fear experienced by the partner. Therefore, we need to view the use of violence by women very differently from men and continue to create programs that will address the unique needs of women.

Martha Arbuthnot
Manager of Community Programs

Brain Teasers

1. Two look-alike girls sitting on a park bench are approached by a stranger. "You must be twins," he says. The girls smile. "We have the same parents and were born on the same day in the same year, but no, we're not twins." How come?

2. Unscramble these words:
CABK, YADBL, ACTEJK, TOCNAGO

3. A puppy is one, but a dog is not.
A kitten is one, but a cat is not.
A cookie is one, but a cracker is not.
What is it?

4. A pregnant woman named her children: Dominique, Regis, Michelle, Fawn, Sophie and Lara. What will she name her next child: Jessi, Katie, Abby or Tilly?

5. A rich man's son was kidnapped. The ransom note told him to bring a valuable diamond ring to a phone booth in the middle of a public park. Plainclothes officers surrounded the park intending to follow the villain or the messenger. The rich man arrived at the phone booth and followed instructions but the police were powerless to prevent the diamond from leaving the park and reaching its destination. Why?

6. Famous last words from the movies:
a. "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
b. "Hello Ladies and Gentlemen. This is Mrs. Norman Maine."
c. "I used to hate the water. I can't imagine why."
d. "All right Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close up."
e. "There's no place like home."

Answers:

1. They are two of a set of triplets or quadruplets.

2. BACK, BADLY, JACKET, OCTAGON

3. A word with double letters

4. Tilley - she seems to follow Do Re Me Fa So La Ti

5. When the rich man reached the phone booth he found a carrier pigeon in a cage. It had a message attached telling the man to put the diamond ring in a small bag which was around the pigeon's neck and to release the bird. The police were powerless to follow the bird as it returned to its owner. (This is a true story.)

6. a. Casablanca b. A Star is Born c. Jaws d. Sunset Blvd. e. The Wizard of Oz