Jan 17, 2014
CBC News – Kathleen Harris
Radicalization of prisoners discussed at Canadian roundtable – Canada quietly hosted international summit on extremist inmates
Corrections Canada hosted this conference last week, one of the spin-offs of the events in France. The concern is the impact of radicalized inmates on prisons since two of the terrorists in France appear to have been radicalize while still in prison. The authorities are calling the potential a “worrying trend,” while advocates are concerned that security measures within prisons will again effectively eliminate treatment programs, especially in mental health. Security expert and academic Alex Wilner has filed a report with CSC that proposes sweeping changes “to include barring institutional access to extremists — including some religious leaders. It also suggested providing more training for staff about the warning signs of radicalization and isolating extremists from other prisoners.” http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/politics/radicalization-of-prisoners-discussed-at-canadian-roundtable-1.2898342
Canada.com – Dylan Robertson
Anti-terror bill to focus on preventive arrests; possible border laws
The federal government is preparing a new anti-terrorist bill which will likely focus on preventative arrest and hopes to do so before late January. The legislation may also lower the threshold for getting and peace bond and may speak to border service provisions. http://www.canada.com/News/canada/Anti+terror+bill+focus+preventive+arrests+possible+border+laws/10720093/story.html
Blogger Monia Mazigh
The false debate between freedom of expression and religious extremism
Author and rights advocate Mazigh offers an insight into the simplicity of some of the media coverage of the recent Je suis Charlie based terrorism events. She frames her insights so as to invite unpacking the layers of the events. “Today, after many years of a failed “war on terror,” numerous scandals about abuse of political power, torture and indefinite detention, people have come to realize that this dichotomy is false and that security for all can’t be achieved without respect of human dignity for all.” https://moniamazigh.wordpress.com/2015/01/10/the-false-debate-between-freedom-of-expression-and-religious-extremism
Winnipeg Free Press – Larry Kusch
Oswald touts social enterprises – Leadership candidate says job-creation plans would help cut crime
An NDP candidate for MB premier, Theresa Oswald says that lots of small community driven enterprise, particularly in the non-profit sector, is a solution to both the unemployment and the crime among the poor. She is also suggesting long term financing for those enterprises that are a proven success, such a drug and mental health courts and other social enterprise. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/oswald-touts-social-enterprises-287885181.html Related article: Winnipeg Sun – David Larkins More community development needed: Oswald http://www.winnipegsun.com/2015/01/07/oswald-talking-job-creation Related article: Truth Out: Eddie Conway – Do Prisons and Mass Incarceration Keep Us Safe? (Part One) http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/28489-do-prisons-and-mass-incarceration-keep-us-safe Part Two – http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/28520-part-two-do-prisons-and-mass-incarceration-keep-us-safe
(Ed note:
communiqué does not usually promote individual studies for organizations. We make this exception at the request of Susan Haines, Executive Director, The National Associations Active in Criminal Justice (NAACJ) and we acknowledge the critical importance of understanding the impact of crime on all the victims.)
Canadian Families and Corrections Network
Please help us – Louise Leonardi, Executive Director, Canadian Families and Corrections Network / Regroupement canadien d’aide aux familles des détenu(e)s (1-888-371-2326 / www.cfcn-rcafd.org and Dr. Stacey Hannem from Wilfrid Laurier University) – research the impact of crime on those who have a loved one in the criminal justice system!
We want to hear their stories. We want to know the impact of crime on family mental, physical and emotional well-being.
Canadian Families and Corrections Network and Dr. Stacey Hannem from Wilfrid Laurier University are researching experiences and the impact of crime on families and friends. Please help us by:
1. Taking the survey yourself if you have a loved one in the criminal justice system
2. Forwarding this email to your networks, clients and family members who may have a loved one in the justice system. Survey input will help us create awareness around the effect incarceration is having on families in Canada and learn about the needs of families in order to develop more effective and sensitive support services and resources. If you or your clients are over the age of 16 and are a family member or friend who has someone involved in crime, please see the confidential and anonymous online survey, at www.cfcn-rcafd.org – we need your voice!
Participants may enter into a draw for a $100 gift card by providing contact information at the end of the survey.
For more information about this research or for assistance in filling out the survey, please contact Dr. Stacey Hannem (Wilfrid Laurier University) at shannem@wlu.ca or (519) 756-8228 ext 5785 or CFCN at the contact information below.
Please help us get the word out! If you could forward this email onto other family members (or organizations that work with families who have a loved one in the criminal justice system) we would appreciate it! Follow us on Facebook or Twitter (#crimeinfamily) for all the latest updates on this project.
Global News – Joel Senick
How is a Gladue report used in criminal sentencing of Aboriginals
Blaine Taypotat has pleaded guilty to killing conservation officer Justin Knackstedt while driving drunk. An Aboriginal, Taypotat is undergoing a full Gladue report prior to sentencing. Fully-fledged Gladue reports are rare in Saskatchewan, with only a handful having ever been commissioned. Gladue requires consideration of the Aboriginal offender’s history and upbringing in the sentencing, due in April 2015. http://globalnews.ca/news/1761262/how-is-a-gladue-report-used-in-criminal-sentencing-of-aboriginals
ThinkProgress – Sam P.K. Collins
Pennsylvania Overhauls Health Care for Mentally Ill Inmates
Pennsylvania has been engaged in a yearlong lawsuit over the treatment of the mentally ill and the use of solitary confinement. The settlement involves hiring more mental health staff, training guards and ensuring that inmates are out of their cells for at least v20 hours a week. The state picks un $750,000 in legal fees for the Disability Rights Network who brought the suit and the state agrees that the Network can return to lawsuit mode if the state fails to implement the provisions involving 4,000 – and growing – inmates. http://thinkprogress.org/health/2015/01/07/3608971/penn-prison-mental-health
Flanders Today – Alan Hope
Flemish prisoner will not be euthanized
Frank Van den Bleeken who has been in jail for over 30 years and suffers from severe mental illness had sought and received permission for euthanasia, a legal option in Belgium. Van den Bleeken, who claimed imprisonment was “intolerable psychological suffering” due to receiving no mental health care in the prison system for 30 years, will now be transferred to a mental hospital and ultimately to Holland, his home country. http://www.flanderstoday.eu/current-affairs/flemish-prisoner-will-not-be-euthanised