Some time ago I received a call from a reporter asking me whether I would be prepared to do an interview with him about the increase in violent offending by young women. "What increase?" was my response. He said his local police source had advised him that their community had seen a 200 per cent increase in robbery offences alone over the past decade. When I asked how many actual cases those figures represented, he was not certain.

Further investigation revealed that two young women had been charged with robbery - one about ten years earlier, the other had just occurred. Prior to that, there were apparently no charges or convictions of girls or young women on record. So, technically, the statistic was correct. The impression created by the 200 per cent figure and the accompanying media hype, however, created an incredibly skewed and inaccurate picture of young women suddenly erupting into violent behaviour. The reality was that the violent behaviour that was perceived to be erupting was pretty much non-existent and the risk posed to the public by the two young women involved was incredibly low.

Recently, I have received other calls from reporters, students, and other members of the public requesting information about the increasing number of girls in gangs. A review of the media accounts leaves one to conclude that the most common causes of this apparent phenomenon are women's desire to be equal to men and the breakdown of the family, which has resulted in girls not having their fathers around to help socialize them. The facts do not support either hypothesis.

It is interesting to note that up until the 1970s, the occasional violent acts committed by women were generally ignored by law enforcement authorities worldwide. During the 1970s, a new mythology emerged that linked the women's movement to a new wave of violent offending by women. White, adult women, as leaders of the women's emancipation movement, were identified as causing the surge in serious criminal offending by women. American author Meda Chesney-Lind calls this the "liberation" hypothesis. She further says that in the 1990s, we are in the midst of a second wave that causally links women's equality with girl's - especially poor, minority girls - participation in gangs.

Throughout both "waves" there have been no significant changes in the levels and patterns of girls violent and aggressive behaviour in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom (Chesney-Lind). There are, however, marked differences in external responses to violent or aggressive actions, especially those perpetrated by youth. The development of so-called zero tolerance policies have resulted in increased policing and prosecuting of all forms of violence committed by boys and girls. Proportionately, because the overall number of young women charged with violent offences remains relatively low, the increased numbers create more substantial percentage increases in the statistics for girls than they do for boys.

Of the very few who are arrested for crimes of violence, most of the situations involve young women reacting to violence perpetrated against them, or offences which were previously labelled as status offences that have now been reclassified as serious offences as a result of "zero tolerance". (Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies; Chesney-Lind). Obviously we all wish to see a decrease in the use of violence in our communities. Criminalizing youth does not diminish violence, it merely legitimizes it in the hands of the state.

In a discussion of the current focus on girls as gang members and gang leaders, Meda Chesney-Lind succinctly frames the issues and our challenges:

As young women are demonized by the media, their genuine problems can be marginalized and ignored. Indeed, the girls have become the problem. The challenge to those concerned about girls, is, then twofold. First, responsible work on girls in gangs must make the dynamic of this victim blaming clear. Second, it must continue to develop an understanding of girls gangs that is sensitive to the context in which they arise. In an era that is increasingly concerned about the intersections of class, race, and gender, such work seems long overdue.

Much is already known about effective and empowering ways to meet the needs of young women. This information, combined with adequate funding for existing and innovative support services and networks, will result in more effective interventions, increased prevention and decreased recidivism.

(This excerpt taken from the above named article was written by Kim Pate, Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies.)

(The Thelma and Louize Group is one of two Drug and Alcohol groups offered on a weekly basis at the Elizabeth Fry Society of Toronto.)

Our 1998/99 Client Survey with women in the Thelma and Louize Harm Reduction Group found that:

• 60% of respondents indicated a significant decrease in their use of substances.
• 60% identified a major increase in their knowledge of substance use.
• 40% identified a significant increase in their knowledge of community resources.
• 80% reported they were more likely to assert themselves.
• 80%experienced a significant increase in their self-esteem.
• 60% identified using less harmful coping strategies.

The Elizabeth Fry Parenting Programme is now in its second successful year of operation and is one of our most popular programmes. Initial start up funding came from the United Way. Ongoing funding has come from various sources including our membership of over 1,000 dedicated donors. The Parenting Programme helps women rebuild their relationships with their children and learn practical parenting skills.

Separation from her children is one of the biggest difficulties a woman must face when she is imprisoned. The following is an edited version of a letter sent to her young children by a woman who is presently imprisoned at the Vanier Centre for Women. The letter has been used with the permission of the client. It shows the pain and hardship of separation.

The agency said goodbye this year to Board member Kelly Hannah Moffat. Kelly joined the Elizabeth Fry Society in 1991 and served as a member of the Board of Directors for five years including Board president from 1996-1998. During her years at E. Fry Kelly was a member of various committees of the agency including Direct Service, Hiring, Social Action and Speakers' Bureau. She also represented E. Fry Toronto on the Boards of the provincial and national Elizabeth Fry Societies. Outside of her work with E. Fry she was involved in various areas of teaching and research with regard to women's imprisonment and its reform. Kelly is currently professor of Sociology at University of Toronto, Erindale Campus. The agency is extremely grateful to Kelly for her many years of service to the agency and to women in conflict with the law. Good Luck Kelly!

The agency also bid congratulations and farewell to Elizabeth Davis as she heads into retirement. Elizabeth has been with the agency in the position of Financial Administrator for the past nine years doing everything from keeping tight control of the agency's petty cash to dealing competently with the agency's complicated funding contracts. Her expertise in all areas of the agency's financial administration steered us safely through one of the worst times in the agency's history as government and budget cuts led to many changes in E. Fry's financial situation. She has always been a dedicated team player not only in her day to day work but also by her ongoing participation in other agency events outside regular working hours. Before she came to E. Fry Elizabeth worked for five years at the John Howard Society. The agency extends its bests wishes for a happy and successful retirement. Now she can get some of that gardening done she's been talking about for so long!

The Phyllis Haslam Resource Library houses a unique collection of books and articles pertaining to the female offender. The library/resource centre, housed in the boardroom of the agency, is an important aspect of the Toronto Elizabeth Fry Society. Used mainly as a reference library, many students at all educational levels, including many E. Fry staff, have found that a few quiet hours spent researching in the library have given them the material needed for class projects and papers. The library is open to the general public from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Information cannot be taken from the library but photocopying facilities are available. Please call to make an appointment a day or two ahead of your visit.

The following is a list of some of the more recent acquisitions:

• The Memoirs of Elizabeth Fry Vol. I and II
• The Female Offender: Girls, Women and Crime, by Meda Chesney-Lind, 1997
• Murder Most Rare: The Female Serial Killer, 1998
• The Convict Lover by Merilyn Simonds, 1996
• Latino Families in Therapy, A Guide to Multicultural Practice by Celia Jaes Falicov, 1998
• Women and Justice, Canadian Women's Studies, 1999

The successful candidate will possess: - 5 years demonstrated experience and/or an MSW or equivalent education - 5 years in-depth counselling experience - proven expertise in the area of group work - 3 years clinical and administrative supervisory experience - sensitivity and knowledge in working in a multicultural environment - knowledge of the criminal justice system an asset

Position: - supervise staff and programming requirements - supervise and provide an educational role to the group therapy programme - provide counselling to agency clients

Competitive salary and excellent benefits.

Please submit resumes by Friday, November 19, 1999 to: The Executive Director, The Elizabeth Fry Society of Toronto 215 Wellesley Street E., Toronto, Ontario M4X 1G1.

NO FAXES OF TELEPHONE CALLS PLEASE. ONLY SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS WILL BE CONTACTED.

The Elizabeth Fry Society, in accordance with its Employment Equity Plan, encourages applicants from diverse ethnic cultures and backgrounds to apply.

October is Women's History Month in Canada. To help celebrate this occasion, we have made up a quiz that will test your knowledge of the history of women's prisons in Canada and heighten your awareness of the women who fought for the rights of female prisoners.

1. Elizabeth Fry Society's namesake, Elizabeth Fry, suggested which of the following penal reforms for women in the early 1800s?

a. Religious instruction

b. Classification of prisoners

c. Useful and gainful employment

d. Female custodial officers

e. All of the above

2. Which of the following government reports was one of the earliest to acknowledge the rights of women prisoners to fair and equal treatment.

a. The Fauteaux Report

b. The Ouimet Report

c. The Archambault Report

d. NACFO-Clarke Report

3. Which of the following women was responsible for establishing the commission that lead to the report listed in question number four.

a. Nellie McClung

b. Agnes Macphail

c. Charlotte Whitton

d. Eliza McCormack White

4. In what year did the Prison for Women open?

a. 1930

b. 1931

c. 1933

d. 1934

5. Many reports over the years recommended that the Prison for Women be closed. The latest was released in April 1990. Name the report?

a. The Task Force Report on the Prison for Women

b. Creating Choices: The Task Force Report on Federally Sentenced Women

c. Report of the Inquiry into Certain Events at the Prison for Women

d. Women's Voices, Women's Choices

6. The report in question five suggested a number of principles for meaningful change. Which one does not belong on this list.

a. empowerment

b. meaningful and responsible choices

c. respect and dignity

d. supportive environment

e. shared responsibility

f. none of the above

7. Six regional prisons, including a native healing lodge, have replaced the Prison for Women. In which provinces are these prisons located?

a. Nova Scotia

b. New Brunswick

c. Quebec

d. Newfoundland

e. Ontario

f. Manitoba

g. Alberta

h. Saskatchewan

i. British Columbia

8. Which provincial prison for women in Ontario was the first to be built with a women-centred approach?

a. Toronto West Detention Centre

b. Vanier Centre for Women

c. Grand Valley Institution

d. Maplehurst Correctional Institute

9. The Elizabeth Fry Society of Toronto was established in 1952 by a group of women who believed that aftercare for women coming out of prison was essential. Which of the following women was not a founding member?

a. Helen Tracy

b. Phyllis Haslam

c. Eileen Adams

d. Jean Fielding

e. Mary Ruth Goodall

f. Lillian Thompson

g. Leona Fells Clouston

Answers: l:e; 2:c; 3:b; 4:d; 5:b; 6:f; 7:a,c,e,g,h,i; 8:b; 9:b.