CREATING CHOICES:THE REPORT OF THE TASK FORCE ON FEDERALLY SENTENCED WOMEN

"I wish to take this occasion to renew the Government of Canada's commitment to social justice and economic equity for Canadian women. As a nation and a people strongly committed to social justice, we must all ensure that the women of Canada have the full range of choices to participate in all aspects of our society."

The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney
Excerpt from the Prime Minister's address
to the Annual Conference of First Ministers
November 20-21, 1986

APRIL, 1990

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• PREFACE
• SECTION A - THE WISDOM OF DIFFERENT VOICES
  • CHAPTER I THE VOICES OF WOMEN WHO HAVE BEEN FEDERALLY SENTENCED
    • PRISON IS
    • LISTEN TO US
  • CHAPTER II THE VOICES OF ABORIGINAL PEOPLE
  • CHAPTER III THE VOICES OF OTHERS WHO CARE
    • WHO ARE THE OTHERS WHO CARE?
    • THOSE WHO CARE WANT A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING
    • THOSE WHO CARE WANT FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE
    • THOSE WHO CARE ALSO WANT ACTION NOW
  • CHAPTER IV THE VOICES OF THE PAST
    • INTRODUCTION
    • PROBLEMS WITH THE PRESENT SYSTEM
    • BUILDING ON THE VOICES OF THE PAST CONCLUSION
  • CHAPTER V THE VOICE OF RESEARCH
    • INTRODUCTION
    • HIGHLIGHTS OF THE INTERVIEWS WITH THE WOMEN
    • HIGHLIGHTS OF THE OTHER RESEARCH STUDIES CONCLUSION
• SECTION B - ADAPTING THE WISDOM TO PRESENT REALITIES
  • CHAPTER VI UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM
    • THE SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM
    • PERENNIAL DILEMMAS
    • A CLOSER LOOK AT THESE DILEMMAS
    • CONCLUSION
  • CHAPTER VII THE BROADER CONTEXT OF THE PROBLEM
    • BEGINNING THE PROCESS OF CHANGE
    • THE BROADER ENVIRONMENT SUPPORTS ACTION
    • CONCLUSION
  • CHAPTER VIII THE TASK FORCE ON FEDERALLY SENTENCED WOMEN
    • THE CREATION AND MANDATE OF THE TASK FORCE
    • ORIGINAL WORKING PRINCIPLES
    • ORGANIZATION OF THE TASK FORCE
    • TERMS OF REFERENCE
    • CONSULTATIONS AND RESEARCH
    • THE MAJOR LIMITATIONS ON THE WORK OF TASK FORCE
  • CHAPTER IX ISSUES AND DILEMMAS
    • INTRODUCTION
    • ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS
    • OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT
    • PRE-RELEASE AND COMMUNITY OPTIONS
    • UNIQUE REALITIES
    • CONCLUSION
• SECTION C - USING THE WISDOM TO BUILD THE FUTURE
  • CHAPTER X PRINCIPLES FOR CHANGE
    • INTRODUCTION
    • PRINCIPLE #1: EMPOWERMENT
    • PRINCIPLE #2: MEANINGFUL AND RESPONSIBLE CHOICES
    • PRINCIPLE #3: RESPECT AND DIGNITY
    • PRINCIPLE #4: SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT
    • PRINCIPLE #5: SHARED RESPONSIBILITY
    • OVERALL STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLE
  • CHAPTER XI VISION FOR CHANGE
    • A FIRST STEP TOWARD OUR LONG-TERM GOAL
  • CHAPTER XII-MAKING THE VISION REAL
• APPENDICES
• FOOTNOTES

TASK FORCE ON FEDERALLY SENTENCED WOMEN

WORKING GROUP MEMBERS

Jane Miller Ashton (Co-chair)
Director
Native and Female Offender Programs
Correctional Service of Canada

Mary Cassidy
Warden
Prison For Women
Correctional Service of Canada

Sharon McIvor
Member-Executive Council
Native Women's Association of Canada

Rosemary O'Brien
A/Special Advisor
Female Offender Programs
Correctional Service of Canada

Diane Wilkinson
Executive Director
Central Okanagan Elizabeth Fry Society

Felicity Hawthorn (Co-chair)
Past President
Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies

Maureen Evans
Vice President
Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies

Patricia Monture
Professor
Dalhousie Law School
Member, Aboriginal Women's Caucus

Hilda Vanneste
Chairperson,
Working Group on Federal/Provincial Policy Review
Correctional Service of Canada

Sally Wills
Executive Director
Elizabeth Fry Society of Kingston

Mona Fox
Senior Social Services Officer
Social Development Branch
Indian Services
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada

Donna Howell
National Co-ordinator
Women's Correctional Programs
Salvation Army

Ingrid Leonhard
Section Supervisor
Vancouver North Area Parole Office
Correctional Service of Canada

Margaret MacGee
Chairperson
Special Committee on Women and Criminal Justice Issues
National Council of Women Canada

Louise Paquin
A/Director
Policy Development Section
Policy Directorate
Department of Justice Canada

Anita Pratt
Member
Aboriginal Women's Caucus

Michelle Simms
Co-ordinator and Executive Director
National Organization of Immigrant and Visible Minority Women of Canada

Kay Stanley
Co-ordinator
Status of Women Canada

Betty Hopkins
Board Member
Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies
Prairie Region Representative

Betty Lee
President
National Organization of Immigrant and Visible Minority Women of Canada

Sandra Lyth
Co-ordinator
Programs Task Force
Atlantic Regional Headquarters
Correctional Service of Canada

Debbie Meness
Executive Director
Native Women's Association of Canada

Karen Paul
Member
Aboriginal Women's Caucus

Janice Russell
Chief of Planning
Quebec Regional Headquarters
Correctional Service of Canada

Beth Stacey
Board Member
Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies
Ontario Region Representative

Fran Sugar
Member
Aboriginal Women's Caucus

Romola Trebilcock
Project Manager, Special Initiatives
Prairie Region
Correctional Service of Canada

Susan Williams
Director General
Social Development Branch
Indian Services
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada

Sharon Waddell
Executive Member
Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies
B.C. Region Representative

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TASK FORCE ON FEDERALLY SENTENCED WOMEN

STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Bonnie Diamond (co-chair)
Executive Director
Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies

Rob Adlard
A/Director
Operational Planning and Resources Analysis
Corporate Management
Correctional Service of Canada

Louise Biron
Secrétaire du Comité exécutif
Association Canadienne des Sociétés Elizabeth Fry
Représentante de la region du Québec

Barbara Byers
Board Member
Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies
Atlantic Region Representative

Don Clark
Assistant Deputy Commissioner
Pilot Projects
Regional Headquarters Ontario
Correctional Service of Canada

John Evans
Director General
Corrections Research and Strategic Policy
Corrections Branch
Ministry Secretariat
Solicitor General Canada

James A. Phelps (co-chair)
Deputy Commissioner
Correctional Programs and Operations
Correctional Service of Canada

Louise Bellefeuille
Directrice
Etablissement Monté St-François

Adrienne Brown
Chairperson
Citizen's Advisory Committee
Prison for Women

Hélène Chevalier
Executive Secretary
National Parole Board

Susan Christie
Senior Policy Analyst
Policy Development Section
Policy Directorate
Department of Justice Canada

Lana Fox
Member
Aboriginal Women's Caucus

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The members of the Task Force on Federally Sentenced Women gratefully acknowledge the significant contributions of the following individuals and organizations. We appreciate the assistance, advice and support that each of them provided.

• All. federally sentenced women who made verbal or written submissions to the Task Force or who participated in research commissioned for the Task Force;
• All other individuals and organizations who made verbal or written submissions to the Task Force;1
• All individuals who assisted with the planning and organization and/or recording of the Task Force consultations;
• Bob Cormier, Director, Correctional Program Research and Development, Ministry Secretariat of the Solicitor General, who sponsored some of the research projects for the Task Force;
• The Researchers:

­ Lee Axon,
­ Johanne Blanchette,
­ Karen Lee Cannings,
­ Lana Fox,
­ Tina Hattem,
­ Karen Rogers,
­ Lee Seto-Thomas,
­ Margaret Shaw,
­ Fran Sugar,
­ Lada Tamarack;

• Correctional Service of Canada Secretarial Support Staff:
  ­ Marian Price,
  ­ Pauline Montreuil,
  ­ Claire Newton,
  ­ Sheila Percival,
  ­ Monique Sabourin,
  ­ Marg Walsh;
• Stan Fields, Director of Finance; Vern MacLean, Accounting and Contracting Clerk; and staff of the Finance Branch, Correctional Service of Canada;
• Mista Hiya, Shaman;
• Claire Kearney, A/Supervisor, Printing, Correctional Service of Canada, and staff.
• Jean-Guy Lamothe, A/Supervisor, Mailroom, Correctional Service of Canada, and staff.
• Joan Lavalee, Elder;
• Linda MacLeod, Task Force Consultant, Writer and Editor;
• Jennifer Abbott, Assistant Editor;
• Aline Manson, Annik Boutin, Therese Dion-Renauld and staff, Translation Department, for the French translation, and Louise Biron, Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies, Quebec Region, and Anita Pratt, Aboriginal Women's Caucus, for reviewing the French translation.
  
• Pamela Mayhew, Executive Assistant, Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies;
  
• Ted Pender, Director, Material Management Branch, Correctional Service of Canada. and staff;
  
• Provincial and Territorial Heads of Corrections and their staff who facilitated the research and consultations at provincial/territorial facilities;
  
• Thomas Townsend, A/Director General, Offender Programs, Correctional Service of Canada;
  
• All Organizations who supported their members or staff to participate on the Task Force Steering Committee or Working Group:
  
  ­ Aboriginal Women's Caucus,
  ­ Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies,
  ­ Citizen's Advisory Committee,
  ­ Prison for Women Correctional Service of Canada,
  ­ Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada,
  ­ Department of Justice Canada,
  ­ Ministry of the Solicitor General Secretariat National Council of Women,
  ­ National Organization of Immigrant and Visible Minority Women of Canada,
  ­ National Parole Board,
  ­ Native Women's Association of Canada,
  ­ Salvation Army,
  ­ Status of Women Canada,
• The spouses, partners and families of Task Force members.