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Aging and dying in detention
Around the world, the number of older prisoners is on the rise. Like many countries, Canada is experiencing a demographic shift with an aging prison population. While 5% of the overall federal custody population is 65 years of age and older, there has been a substantial increase in the number of older prisoners over the age of 50, from 21% in fiscal year 2012-13 to 25% in fiscal year 2017-18.
How restoring vehicles is helping Canadians inmates
What do power tools, military trucks, and teamwork have in common? They are all part of the average workday for inmates working in the vehicle shop at Warkworth Institution in Campbellford, Ontario.
How a CSC team is helping improve the conditions of incarcerated women across the globe
In 2017, a team of Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) staff launched the gender-responsive training program for incarcerated women in Liberia. Two years and several international trips later, the team is gearing up once more to share its best correctional practices for the care and management of women offenders.
Establishing partnerships, building hope
Last summer, the Ethno-Cultural Brotherhood Association at Dorchester Penitentiary established a community partnership with the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Amherst, Nova Scotia. The goal of the partnership was to help restore the church manse (Minister’s residence), with the guidance and supervision of several community volunteers who are experts in construction.
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Giving back - Lifer’s Group donation to Emma’s Acres
On May 21, 2019, the Mountain Institution Lifer’s Group donated a bench grinder and cheque to a few special volunteers for their efforts and work through Emma’s Acres/LINC. Emma’s Acres is an agricultural social enterprise managed by the Long-Term Inmates Now in the Community, better known as LINC, which was founded in 1992 by Glen and Sherry Flett in Mission, BC.
Writing for Personal Growth
In order to encourage Donnacona Institution students to write beyond the scholastic context, I invited them to participate in the Ma plus belle histoire writing contest for adult students in Quebec.
Lookout Garden at Mission Institution
It was a long, hot summer. Usually this type of statement in a correctional facility is an indicator that things are not going well and trouble is brewing, but at Mission Minimum, it was a sign that good deeds were on the horizon.
The positive impacts of CORCAN work experiences on reintegration
A new CORCAN project began in the Quebec Region in the summer of 2018 to support offenders on conditional release with their social and occupational reintegration. This initiative allows them to work as installers on a transitional basis to develop and apply technical and job-related skills prior to entering the job market.
Nova Institution, the new Smartpods Pulse assembly and testing site
Tucked away at Nova Institution in Truro, Nova Scotia offenders are hard at work at the new Pulse assembly and testing site. This site is operated by CORCAN as part of the offender employment and employability program.
How the Correctional Officer Uniform Has Changed Throughout Canada’s History
What is the significance of a uniform? For community agents like police, firefighters or paramedics, a uniform is not a frivolously designed garment: It’s a visually distinct identifier that signifies a social purpose. After all, having an easily recognizable signifier allows citizens to determine the community agent’s purpose.
