September 21, 2021
Toronto Star – Noor Javed
‘It came out of nowhere’: Residents in the small town of Kemptville don’t want a prison. Doug Ford’s government says they’re getting one anyway
A prison is often a welcomed development in small town Ontario. But in Kemptville, an hour south of Ottawa, a town of 4,000 with no courts, no social services and no public transit, the Coalition against the Proposed Prison (CAPP) says a loud no thanks. Kemptville resident Colleen Lynas, chair of the CAPP group says: “There’s been no consultation — it’s an imposition, and a sense that no facts will sway them to change their mind.” The plan is for a 235 bed maximum security prison, partially replacing the Ottawa Carleton Detention Centre. https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2021/09/19/it-came-out-of-nowhere-residents-in-the-small-town-of-kemptville-dont-want-a-prison-doug-fords-government-says-theyre-getting-one-anyway.html Related article: Ottawa City News – Douglas Boyle North Grenville residents speak out against proposed Kemptville prison – Two new jails, including a complex in Kemptville, were announced last year by Premier Doug Ford, along with upgrades at three other correctional facilities https://ottawa.citynews.ca/valley-news/north-grenville-residents-speak-out-against-proposed-kemptville-prison-3572816
CBC News –
Lawsuit alleging ‘systemic negligence’ of bullying, harassment claims in RCMP moves ahead – Federal Court rejects Crown arguments in favour of ending the lawsuit
A class action lawsuit for bullying and harassment of members of the RCMP by the RCMP over the years seems to have overcome a Crown effort to dismiss and de-certify the class action. Justice Mary Gleason said: “The Federal Court accepted that the proposed class action was an attack on the RCMP processes, including the grievance system as a whole, and was not convinced that the internal options provide an effective remedy for the claims sought to be advanced through the class proceeding.” Something is wrong with the grievance process and needs to be remedied by the courts – “a system of dysfunction.” https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/rcmp-negigence-bullying-lawsuit-1.6185298
Edmonton Journal – Jonny Wakefield
Group calls for criminal probe after Edmonton Institution prisoners allegedly ‘cut off’ medications, thrown in solitary
John Howard Society Executive Director Catherine Latimer is asking Edmonton Police Chief Dale McFee to look into reports that prisoners are subject to denial of medications and arbitrary solitary confinement as punishment. The Edmonton Institution houses about 300 prisoners and has a long history as a toxic workplace, including sexual assault on women staff by male staff. https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/group-calls-for-criminal-investigation-after-edmonton-institution-prisoners-allegedly-cut-off-medications-thrown-in-solitary Related article: Globe and Mail – Sarah Smellie, Canadian Press St. John’s inmate who died by suicide needed mental health care not incarceration, family says https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-st-johns-inmate-who-died-by-suicide-needed-mental-health-care-not/?utm_medium=Referrer:+Social+Network+/+Media&utm_campaign=Shared+Web+Article+Links
CBC News – Tess Girard
Scenes from a prison farm: these inmates raise cattle, grow vegetables, make maple syrup and keep bees – Ontario’s prison farm program was revitalized in 2019. How farm work and rehabilitation go hand-in-hand.
Farms had long been a part of the Canadian prison scene, raising food both for the prison itself and marketing the rest. The rationale of job training fell to the technological needs of the marketplace. Now, the farms are coming back. “Officially, the prison farms are a job skills program. As I visited the farms and got to know the men, it was clear that their work helped them feel more human. It gave them something to focus on as they strived to make changes.” Girard highlights some of the prison farm workers and suggests the real benefits. https://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/cbc-docs-pov/scenes-from-a-prison-farm-these-inmates-raise-cattle-grow-vegetables-make-maple-syrup-and-keep-bees-1.6163019
The Catalyst 2030 (International) –
The People’s Report
The Catalyst surveyed 17,000 in 43 languages across the world to find out how people are coping with Covid-19. The focus is the potential for achieving the sustainable development goals (SDG’s) of the UN. The dateline -2020 – leaves us 9 years already with a deficit in the goals. The report offers six messages our leaders need to hear and a commentary on getting the ASDG’s back on track. https://catalyst2030.net/wp-content/uploads/TPR-Report-September-2021-v4.pdf
ACLU Delaware – Smart Justice Training
The first time offer is scheduled for Oct. 2-3 when 20 applicants will go through training on skills deemed necessary to be community advocates for reformed justice around issues like legislation, policies and initiatives to reduce imprisonment. The program, organized by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is searching out people impacted by the justice system and will pay trainees both expenses and a stipend. https://www.capegazette.com/article/community-briefs-92121/227070
The Sentencing Project (US) – Ashley Nellis, Ph.D.
In the Extreme: Women Serving Life without Parole and Death Sentences in the United States
“One of every 15 women in prison — amounting to more than 6,600 women — is serving a life sentence and nearly 2,000 of these have no chance for parole. Another 52 women in the U.S. are awaiting execution. Many women serving extreme sentences were victims of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse long before they committed a crime.” The headline is startling. In spite of an accustomed and hardened view towards males and long sentences, few have looked at the record for women and extreme sentences. “The report is a joint publication of The Sentencing Project, National Black Women’s Justice Institute and the Cornell University Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide who together in 2020 formed the Alice Project. The collaboration seeks to highlight the experiences of incarcerated women and girls, to eliminate extreme sentences, and to reduce the influence of racial and gender bias in the criminal legal system.” https://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/in-the-extreme-women-serving-life-without-parole-and-death-sentences-in-the-united-states/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=24529b69-e51e-404e-be0c-873ca5ccdfa3 Full Report (17 page downloadable PDF) https://www.sentencingproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/In-the-Extreme-Women-Serving-Life-without-Parole-and-Death-Sentences-in-the-United-States.pdf