Smart Justice Network:

Dec 6, 2023 – Lift me up?

MOMS of Ottawa resist CSC latest Public Relations campaign –

The Mothers Offering Mutual Support (MOMS) have taken exception to the Corrections Canada campaign for a rosier image and penned this letter to Commissioner Anne Kelly: 

We are writing to express our consternation about the Corrections Service Canada public relations campaign known as “Lift Me Up”. The scenarios presented in the video series do not accurately reflect our lived experience of federal correctional institutions. This misleading PR campaign could generate a sense of complacency among the general public… As a volunteer-based organization, we primarily provide mutual support for family members of people currently in the justice system. We frequently participate in advocacy efforts for people experiencing incarceration and justice involvement… We value research that provides evidence and informs solutions in our continued effort to enhance and improve experiences of our members and their loved ones. We are actively involved with academic research and community justice-seeking groups who work tirelessly for justice and human rights in Corrections.

Our lived experience of the reality that our loved ones face while incarcerated is dramatically different from the ideals and attitudes depicted in the video series.   These videos stand in stark contrast to our actual experience – we and our loved ones have frequently experienced CSC’s failure to uphold the duty of care owed to individuals in custody.  It seems that these videos point out what should be ideally done in Canadian prisons, rather than what is being done.

We applaud all demands to create a more humane justice system, support the implementation of positive programs for inmates, and enthusiastically encourage culture change within CSC staff and administration… While the Lift Me Up campaign points out a few select highlights, it paints a facile and misleading picture of the grim reality of daily life for more than 12,000 people incarcerated in Canadian federal prisons.

MOMS Advocacy Committee:

Anne Cattral, Pauline Budd, Gail Bury, Lorraine Berzins, Mary Crawford, Marge Jestin, Farhat Rehman

Tweet from Jeffrey Bradley on heating in Hamilton Wentworth prison:  “Incarcerated people are treated like garbage in @ONsafety jails. The heating issue is just one of many including abuse by guards, medical negligence, discrimination, inedible food, no programming, constant lockdowns, and a culture of dehumanization.”  https://x.com/Jeffrey_Brad/status/1731754493048426865?s=20

Toronto Star – Mahdis Habibinia

‘He’s not fighting back’: Ontario jail inmate describes Faqiri beating in OPP interview…  “I’ve seen some vicious stuff in my life and I’ve never seen something like that before,” inmate John Thibeault told the OPP in 2019. 

The inquest into the death of Soleiman Faqiri at the Central East Correctional Centre heard from the first person to witness the beating on Faqiri at the hands of correctional guards.  “ (John) Thibeault, whose cell at the Central East Correctional Centre was directly across from Faqiri’s, recounted what he witnessed under oath, detailing that he saw four officers continuously punch, kick and hit Faqiri despite him not fighting back… Faqiri, who had diagnosed schizophrenia, spent 11 days in segregation while experiencing a psychiatric emergency.   https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/hes-not-fighting-back-ontario-jail-inmate-describes-faqiri-beating-in-opp-interview/article_70764928-9315-11ee-9988-f7e9eff16c13.html   Related article: Globe and Mail – Canadian Press – Another inmate dead at notoriously harsh N.L. jail, officials confirm… https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-another-inmate-dead-at-notoriously-harsh-nl-jail-officials-confirm/ Related article:  The Alberta Worker – Kim Siever    54 inmates died in Canadian prisons during 2022 – This is down from 63 in 2021.  https://albertaworker.ca/news/54-inmates-died-in-canadian-prisons-during-2022/

Tweet from Vivic Research on Ottawa Police $13.4 million budget increase and political stance:  “Ottawa city council votes tmr am on the 2024 budget and once again the police are asking for more money. They want an extra $13.4 million, bringing their total budget to $415.5 million and costing each household $700 a year. 1/…)  https://x.com/VivicResearch/status/1732252562408222967?s=20

ABC News – Annie Ma, Associated Press and Meredith Kolodner , Hechinger Report Associated Press

Handcuffed and sent to the ER – for misbehavior: Schools are sending more kids to the hospital…

The school-to-prison hotline is undergoing some modification in Salisbury, Maryland.  Instead of prison, this school seems to be opting for amore immediate resolution by calling police and sending school children to emergency room at the hospital for psychiatric assessment.  “Over the past eight years, the process has been used at least 750 times on students. Some are as young as 5 years old…  But advocates say schools across the country are sending children to the emergency room for psychiatric evaluations in response to behaviors prompted by bullying or frustration over assignments. The ER trips, they say, often follow months, and sometimes years, of their needs not being met.”  Who is more likely to be a candidate for the ER?  Black and disabled students.  https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/handcuffed-er-misbehavior-schools-sending-kids-hospital-105378294

Prison Policy Initiative (US) – Aleks Kajstura and Wendy Sawyer

Women’s Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2023  

Given that data about the US prison system is hard to find and harder to break down by gender, this report from Prison Policy Initiative offers considerable information.  “This report provides a detailed view of the 172,700 women and girls incarcerated in the United States, and how they fit into the even broader picture of correctional control. We pull together data from a number of government agencies and break down the number of women and girls held by each correctional system by specific offense.” The report examines the type of offense, the jails – where women are disproportionately held even after conviction – as well as the state and federal prisons, youth facilities and mass incarceration impact on women and girls.  There is also a rare background examination for women and girls in jail or prison.  “By almost any measure, women in prison are worse off than men, both leading up to and during their incarceration. Furthermore, the underlying causes of women’s criminal behavior are distinct from men’s and show that they would be better served in treatment programs in their communities than by criminal legal system punishments.”  https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2023women.html   Blogger Russell Webster (UK) Prison Equalities information – HMPPS Offender Equalities report shows an aging population which includes more transgender prisoners.  https://www.russellwebster.com/prison-equalities-information/   Ministry of Justice (UK) – Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service Offender Equalities Annual Report 2022/23  (Full statistical Report)  https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65675a9d312f400013e5d5f3/HMPPS_Offender_Equalities_2022-23_Report.pdf

The Conversation (Canada) – Tracy Smith-Carrier

Implementing a basic income means overcoming myths about the ‘undeserving poor’ 

Smith-Carrier identifies three typical explanations about why people are stuck in poverty: individuals are lazy, the structure or system is counter-productive and the fatalistic explanation – ‘as it was in the beginning, is now and shall be forever.’   She includes a little history of these ideas and offers a contrast of seven popular myths about poverty and the opposing reality of these myths which she documents liberally, and which supports a basic income. “These myths are incredibly damaging and hinder us from advancing policy solutions proven to work. Cash-transfer programs, like basic income, have a solid evidence base, showing they’re effective.”  https://theconversation.com/implementing-a-basic-income-means-overcoming-myths-about-the-undeserving-poor-218577?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20December%205%202023&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20December%205%202023+CID_75273e3bff426cba692793c47c074bf7&utm_source=campaign_monitor_ca&utm_term=Implementing%20a%20basic%20income%20means%20overcoming%20myths%20about%20the%20undeserving%20poor

The Goble and Mail / John Howard Society – Catherine Latimer

Canadian prisons need international oversight to prevent human rights violations…

Latimer is the national Executive Director of John Howard Society and given its advocacy for prisoners  for so many years deserves an attentive ear by Canada’s public and politicians, especially in the face of so many justice and corrections struggles that go without ever correcting the wrongs.  Latimer references the UN assessment of Human Rights in Canada and Canadian Human Rights (CHRC) submission to the UN Committee:  “Ultimately, the CHRC recommended that Canada ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT), which would enable “ongoing and enhanced independent oversight, monitoring and reporting in all places of detention” to ensure that Canada meets its human rights commitments in facilities such as jails and prisons.”  Says Latimer: Canadian prisons “are not only punitive and violent but also secretive.”  https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-canadian-prisons-need-international-oversight-to-prevent-human-rights/

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