CAEFS

CAEFS' Response to the 2022-2023 Annual Report of the Office of the Correctional Investigator

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, November 9, 2023
Correctional Service of Canada, Indigenous peoples, Woman, Record, Policy, Conditional release, First Nations, Annual report, CAEFS, Atrocity, TRC, Dry cell (prison), Elder, Dive (Belgian band), CSC, Trauma, Pathway, Truth, OCI, Corrections, Government, Nursing

In the previous year's report, the OCI released the first update to "Spirit Matters: Aboriginal People and the Corrections and Conditional Release Act" since 2013.

Key Points: 
  • In the previous year's report, the OCI released the first update to "Spirit Matters: Aboriginal People and the Corrections and Conditional Release Act" since 2013.
  • This year's annual report also features thematic investigations and updates on ongoing national inquiries, aligning with CAEFS' unyielding advocacy efforts.
  • These records reveal that the issues flagged in this year's OCI annual report persist, with minimal progress.
  • In light of the findings of this annual report and previous annual reports, CAEFS continues to advocate for proactive community investments aimed at preventing criminalization and incarceration.

Coalition calls for Senators to recognize the real crisis facing Canada’s bail system instead of making bail more difficult to obtain

Retrieved on: 
Monday, October 2, 2023
Survivor, LEAF, Poverty, Violence, Senate, General counsel, State Affairs Commission of North Korea, Woman, Research, Canadian Association for Equality, Committee, Organization, Canadian Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, CAEFS, Health, Trauma, Safety, Risk management, Drug, Nursing, Indigenous

However, they emphasize that responses like Bill C-48 push Canada’s bail system in a direction that will harm rather than protect the public.

Key Points: 
  • However, they emphasize that responses like Bill C-48 push Canada’s bail system in a direction that will harm rather than protect the public.
  • This will not end gender-based violence or make survivors of intimate partner violence safer.
  • “The real crisis in Canada’s bail system are the appalling conditions in our overcrowded provincial and territorial jails,” says Emilie Coyle, Executive Director of CAEFS.
  • This includes the funding of appropriate research; the implementation of an external, independent evaluation of Canada’s bail system; and the funding of community supports and social services.

CAEFS’ Response to the Repeated Postponement of the Inquest into the Death of Terry Baker

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 11, 2023
Correctional Service of Canada, GVI, CSC, Woman, Grand Valley Institution for Women, Death, Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies, Coroner, Seizure, CAEFS, Grand Valley, Coroners Act 2006

This is the second postponement of the inquest into the death of Terry Baker.

Key Points: 
  • This is the second postponement of the inquest into the death of Terry Baker.
  • In the ruling confirming the adjournment, dated April 5, 2023, the Presiding Coroner expresses his disappointment in the lack of response to his demand by CSC.
  • The demand seeks disclosure of certain relevant documents, in particular documents surrounding two Boards of Investigation that CSC conducted before and after Terry Baker’s death.
  • An inquest is mandatory under the Coroners Act when a person dies of non-natural causes while in custody.

CAEFS and Elizabeth Fry Northern Alberta Call for a Systemic Response to Sexual Violence or Coercion Perpetrated by the Staff of Correctional Services of Canada 

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, March 7, 2023
Edmonton Institution, OCI, Prisoner, Coercion, CAEFS, Correctional Service of Canada, Federal, Correction Officers' Benevolent Association, Violence, Trauma, Federation, Prison, Documentation, Capital punishment by the United States federal government, Research, Rape, Survivor, Assault, Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies, Nova Institution for Women, CSC, News, Commission, Public security, Canadian Human Rights Commission, Corrections, Nursing, Financial adviser, Woman

The Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS) and the Elizabeth Fry Society of Northern Alberta are calling for action from the federal government to address the persistent – and well known – systemic issue of sexual violence and coercion in federal prisons.

Key Points: 
  • The Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS) and the Elizabeth Fry Society of Northern Alberta are calling for action from the federal government to address the persistent – and well known – systemic issue of sexual violence and coercion in federal prisons.
  • Incarcerated people are isolated from external systems of support and must contend with the power imbalances between CSC staff and prisoners.
  • What is worse is that upwards of 90% have survived extensive histories of trauma and sexual violence prior to their imprisonment,” shared Toni Sinclair, Executive Director of Elizabeth Fry Northern Alberta.
  • “We are here to help, and we believe survivors.”
    If you are in Northern Alberta and have experienced sexual violence, please contact Elizabeth Fry Northern Alberta’s Independent Legal Advice Project for Survivors of Sexual Violence for information and support at 780-421-1175.