July 9, 2023 – Femicide…
CBC Ontario – Anam Khan
Ontario had 30 femicides in 30 weeks, new report says as ‘same gaps’ in support persist – ‘Every single week, we can expect another woman to be killed by a man closely known to her’: advocate
The stats on the cases of femicide in Ontario are coming from Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses (OAITH) and are alarming. “Ontario saw 30 femicides in 30 weeks from Nov. 26. to June. 30, according to a report by the Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses (OAITH) released Wednesday. Last year, the organization’s statistics showed 52 deaths in 52 weeks… “It’s very frustrating,” said Marlene Ham, executive director at OAITH. Five femicides occurred in June alone and there have been another three already in July, she said… It’s impactful and consuming to know that every single week, we can expect another woman to be killed by a man closely known to her.” https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-femicides-1.6899109
Ottawa man, 26, arrested on charges of terrorism, hate propaganda – “This case is the first in Canada in which an individual advocating a violent far-right ideology has been charged with both terrorism and hate propaganda,” the RCMP said.
26-year-old Patrick Gordon Macdonald of Ottawa is the first to be charged with offences involving aiding terrorists and hate propaganda. The RCMP alleges that MacDonald made propaganda material for the Atomwaffen Division (AWD), a US based group labeled terrorists in Canada since 2021. “According to the U.S.-based Southern Poverty Law Centre, AWD’s graphic designs are created by a Canadian known as “Dark Foreigner,” the online screen name allegedly used by Macdonald. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/ottawa-man-26-arrested-on-charges-of-terrorism-hate-propaganda
Prison Reform Trust (UK)
Prison Reform Facts 2023 Prison: the facts is our shorter summary of prisons in England and Wales and the people in them.
Once known as the Bromley Report, the Facts are issued twice annually – a comprehensive and worthwhile resource for prison advocates. The report is presented in fact sheet format and includes stats both on the incarcerated and the public views of the prison experience. England and Wales have the highest prison sentencing in Western Europe and yet only one in ten thinks that imprisonment is an effective solution to crime. Also, curiously, while the sentencing is now much longer than 25 years ago, two thirds of the respondents thought the sentencing not harsh enough. The report includes a section on safety in prison and a report on prison resources and staffing, as well as minorities incarcerated. The report also offers an assessment of those entering prison with various physical and mental health issues, immigrant, parole and indeterminate sentences. https://prisonreformtrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/prison_the_facts_2023.pdf Related article: Blogger Russell Webster 10 New Prison Facts From The Summer 2023 Bromley Briefing https://www.russellwebster.com/10-new-prison-facts-from-the-summer-2023-bromley-briefing/ Related article: The Canadian Lawyer – Michael Spratt Political posturing about Paul Bernardo’s case is undermining the rule of law – While revenge has an emotional appeal, it should not be motivating politicians’ public remarks https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/news/opinion/political-posturing-about-paul-bernardos-case-is-undermining-the-rule-of-law/377665
The Monthly (Australia) – Patrick Dodson
A firelight stick on the hill
Australia has arrived at the point of adopting a constitutional measure to assure a voice for Indigenous people, a step that also offer Canada perhaps a more respectful response to the historic injustices flowing from exclusion of Indigenous voices. What follows is a critical view of the historic development in Australia in a narrative essay, including what Dodson perceives as the shortfalls in various effort to confront the historic abuse of the Indigenous people. Much resonance here with the Canadian scene. https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2023/july/patrick-dodson/firelight-stick-hill?fbclid=IwAR1aKS6nsAg5regLBwOxq1y-aTNFKMryvgPsCGrsOD-nGSw2eZ3-njBY9pY#mtr
Wiley On-line Library – William J. Schultz
Correctional officers and the use of force as an organizational behavior
Schultz is a professor of criminology at the University of Alberta Centre for Criminological Research. This research paper may be an important contribution to the on-going issue of the guard perpetrated violence in Canadian prisons. “Abstract During the past 30 years, bureaucratic managerialism has reshaped how prison staff maintain order. Policies and graduated disciplinary models have replaced coercive methods, reducing disciplinary use of force by prison staff against incarcerated people. Managerialism, however, disguises deep problems in the interpretation and enforcement of use-of-force policies. Drawing on 131 semi-structured interviews with Canadian correctional officers (COs), I show how managers and prison staff interpret and negotiate policies to justify using force to maintain order. Although COs frame policies and management supervision as significant checks on their actions, they also suggest that inconsistencies in policy interpretation and implementation facilitate certain kinds of use-of-force decisions, which I define as “construction” and “outsourcing.” I conclude by discussing the broader organizational implications of these findings.” https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1745-9125.12346
The Marshall Project Life Inside (US) – Lauren Kent as told to Nicole Lewis
A Texas Jail Delayed My Prenatal Care to Keep Costs Down. Then I Had a Miscarriage.
The rationale was cost containment but the result was a miscarriage. Lauren Kent repeatedly asked for medical care but Texas’ Collin County Jail authorities refused to transport her to outside medical help. Kent is now pursuing a lawsuit. She describes her predicament: “Finally, a nurse told me to count the number of pads I was bleeding into. He told me I needed to saturate two pads full of blood within 30 minutes for them to feel it was necessary for me to go to the hospital. I told him that most of the blood was coming out when I was going to the bathroom. I even left the blood in the toilet and asked the girls not to flush it so the nurse could see how much blood I was losing. But he wouldn’t look.” https://www.themarshallproject.org/2023/07/07/texas-miscarriage-collin-county-jail-wellpath The Marshall Project – Jamiles Lartey Students Behind Bars Regain Access to College Financial Aid – Restored Pell Grant eligibility means about 760,000 people in prisons could eventually afford higher education. https://www.themarshallproject.org/2023/07/08/prison-education-college-financial-aid-pell-grant