Canada's Human Rights Commission Blasts Treatment of Women Prisoners

Rights commission blasts treatment of women prisoners
Last Updated: Wednesday, January 28, 2004 6:11 PM ET
CBC News

Canada's Human Rights Commission has blasted the treatment of women prisoners, saying the correctional system should be "tailored" to the unique needs of women.

In its report Protecting Their Rights, the commission came up with 19 recommendations to address "systemic human rights problems" that remain in the correctional services.
The treatment of "Aboriginal women, racialized women and women with disabilities" is a particular problem, the commission reports.

"Correctional Service Canada must accommodate women's differences, rather than treating inmates identically based on stereotypes and perceptions, or treating women prisoners the same as men," the report says.
Citing statistics, the commission says the "reasons women offend, their life experiences and their needs are unique."

Eighty per cent of women report prior abuse, women have high rates of mental and physical disability, experience significant poverty and have higher unemployment rates than their male counterparts, the report says.

In one of its recommendations, the commission says correctional officials must stop assessing women prisoners and their programming needs the same way they assess male prisoners.
"The same tool is used for both women and men despite a recognition that women commit crimes for different reasons than men."

The commission also criticizes the policy that automatically places a maximum security classification for two years on all prisoners serving a life sentence for murder.
It should be "rescinded immediately" for women because "it fails to reflect the differences between some women and men in why they commit serious crimes."

"More women are sentenced to life for crimes involving violent domestic partners or former partners," the commission writes.
The commission also recommends: a pilot needle exchange program in three or more correctional facilities; alternatives to long-term segregation for women offenders because "the effect of segregation on women can be significant"; and the building of more facilities to house minimum- and medium-security women.

The commission came up with the recommendations following concerns by the Elizabeth Fry Society and other human rights organizations about the human rights situation of federally sentenced women.

In July 2006, this year, Solicitor General of British Columbia, John Les acknowledged that the Alouette Centre where Nathalie Gettliffe is imprisoned with her infant son, Martin, is over crowded.
Although the prison is only supposed to house 112 inmates, it currently houses 120 inmates. He admits the need to expand the prison.

Ridge prison could be expanded
Double bunking at provincial prisons means expansion is afoot for Fraser Regional Correctional Centre and Alouette Correctional Centre.
Solicitor General John Les was in Maple Ridge Monday discussing council's concerns about lack of input into the development of these two facilities - both of which are housed in Maple Ridge.
"We have significant double-bunking in all of our institutions," Les told council, adding that double bunking doesn't present a higher security risk so long as "the inmates are appropriately matched."
FRCC opened in 1990 and was built to house 422 male inmates and, as of last month's count, is holding 468. Alouette is a medium security correctional centre and was opened in April 2004 to house 112 women. Figures show there are currently 120 women housed there.
But a result of the increasing number of provincial inmates, he indicated the province must 'give some thought to expansion.
"It's not my favourite option," he said, but there aren't many alternatives.
The reason the provincial facilities are rapidly filling, he said, is directly related to a slow-moving justice system.
Many of those being housed at FRCC, he added, have been remanded there to await a court date.
According to Les, there has been a seven or eight per cent annual increase in the number of people entering provincial prisons. The reason for that growth, he said, correlates with the length of time people are having to wait for their trial.
"We've got a bit of a problem in our court system," he said.
Les explained that because inmates are granted a "two for one" deal, whereby they receive credit for serving two days for every one that is spent behind bars awaiting trial, more are apt to want to stay longer to avoid spending much time behind bars should they be found guilty.
"There's an incentive there for offenders to spend as much time as they can in remand," he said.
"We need to look at that," he said, cautioning that "the justice system isn't something we can transform overnight."
Plans to increase capacity at Alouette Correctional Centre were made public in the spring and involved placing a couple of portable trailers at the facility to allow for 32 more spaces.
But as far as permanent construction, while Les said it is a possibility, it's not in the current budget, and he doesn't foresee it will be for at least a year.
"If I don't have to build these facilities I'd rather not. There's no return in these buildings."
Should the funds for expansion materialize, however, Les did indicate that it could provide for an opportunity to expand the municipal sewer system through the area. The sewer expansion, he said, sounded like something the province and the municipality could partner on.
published on 07/18/2006
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