St. Leonard's Society of Canada

Today, we celebrate , honoring the legacy of a global icon who fought for justice, equality, and human rights. Mandela's resilience and dedication remind us of the importance of standing up for the rights of all individuals, especially those who are most vulnerable.

On this day, we would like to highlight the implementation and impact of Bill C-83, which aimed to introduce Structured Intervention Units (SIUs) as a replacement for solitary confinement in Canadian prisons. Bill C-83 was in part inspired by the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (known as the Mandela Rules), which we know are not being consistently upheld.

As advocates for humane and informed corrections, we are committed to bringing attention to the policies, practices, and responsible leadership needed to foster safer communities.

You can read our article on SIUs here: https://buff.ly/3W9b5Rl

Today is International Justice Day. This day reminds us that our ability and responsibility to contribute to a fair and just society is not limited to our borders.

Looking at standards, policies, and practices from around the world helps guide us in better understanding where our strengths are, and more importantly, where, and how we can improve.

At SLSC, we are proud to learn from and with an international community of people committed to transformative change within and beyond the criminal justice system.

Join us in celebrating and learn more about our purpose at stleonards.ca

"Justice involvement can impose barriers to employment and housing, even if it does not result in incarceration. More than 40% of survey participants indicated that their most recent experience of housing loss had been caused by justice involvement." - Locked Up. Locked Out. The Revolving Door of Homelessness and Ontario’s Justice System, by John Howard Society of Ontario.

SLSC is thrilled to share our 2023-2024 Annual Report! Learn about our latest achievements and milestones as we continue to champion humane and transformative policies, practices, and leadership. Some highlights include:
- Researching strategies for decolonizing and indigenizing our organization to contribute to reconciliation and improved practices
- Advocating for criminal justice legislation & reform
- Researching youth justice and homelessness in across Canada

You can read our Annual Report by clicking here:https://stleonards.ca/wp-content/uploads/Annual-Report-2023-24-1.pdf

If you have a little spare, it could go a long way in helping Iridian bring his lived experience to this important international conference!

Donate to Iridian speaks straight in Singapore 2024, organized by Iridian Grenada My name is Iridian Grenada and I just spent 10,399 consecutive days in the C… Iridian Grenada needs your support for Iridian speaks straight in Singapore 2024

June 19th was the NAACJ ANIJC's AGM...

SLSC is a long-standing member of the National Association's Active in Criminal Justice (NAACJ), and our Executive Director Anita is currently serving as their Board President. Alongside NAACJ colleagues, we unite our strength as national organizations to share experiences and take a collective approach to advocacy-related matters such as legislative reform, or consultation with government representatives. We look forward to another year of collaboration!

Here are a few of the NAACJ members at the Human Rights in Corrections Award presentation to Susan Haines, NAACJ's Executive Director, back in December 2023.

You can learn more about NAACJ at naacj.ca and read more about our collaborative partnerships with the link in our bio.

National Indigenous Peoples Day ☀️ Journée nationale des peuples autochtones

Today is National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada. Let’s recognize and celebrate the history, heritage, resilience and achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples across the country!

Since 2016, the Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples holds an annual event to hear the perspectives of Indigenous youth leaders. This year, youth aged 18 to 35 who inspire and motivate others through their work, art, academic achievements or actions are invited to apply to Voices of Youth Indigenous Leaders before July 21, 2024.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/h7Qr50Sjgz6
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Aujourd’hui est la Journée nationale des peuples autochtones au Canada. Reconnaissons et célébrons l’histoire, le patrimoine, la résilience et les réalisations des Premières Nations, des Inuits et des Métis à travers le pays!

Depuis 2016, le Comité sénatorial des peuples autochtones organise un événement annuel pour entendre les perspectives des jeunes leaders autochtones. Cette année, les jeunes de 18 à 35 ans qui, par leur travail, leur art, leurs réalisations scolaires ou leurs actions, inspirent et motivent les autres sont invités à poser leur candidature à Voix de jeunes leaders autochtones avant le 21 juillet 2024.

Apprenez-en plus : https://ow.ly/299K50Sjgz5

On June 15th, SLSC recognizes World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.

There are many challenges faced by the aging population in Canada, especially those in conflict with the law. It is crucial to provide support and community-based services for elderly people to have an effective and humane integration into the community. Let’s work together to advocate for elderly people’s rights and dignity.

Read our policy on Aging and Elderly People in Conflict with the Law with the link in our bio.

Last week, the SLSC team attended Professor Irvin Waller's event on how to significantly reduce violent crime, which was hosted by Senator McPhedran and the Canadian Centre for Safer Communities. It was great to hear perspectives from panelists Leena Augimeri from Child Development Institute, Heidi Illingworth from Ottawa Victim Services, Devon Jones from YAAACE, and community activist Jeffery Bradley.

Advocating for humane and informed research and policy is a big part of our mission. To learn more about SLSC’s stance on reducing violent crime, read our policy on Crime Prevention with the link in our bio.

To get yourself a copy of Prof. Waller's book, 'Science and Secrets of Ending Violent Crime', go to: https://www.amazon.com/Science-Secrets-Ending-Violent-Crime/dp/1538118068

We've signed our name in opposition of plans to expand immigration detention into federal prisons. Use this link to add yours too!

Register for the free event hosted by Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies this Friday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/abolition-in-action-public-webinar-tickets-879535623727

Check out this free webinar, hosted by Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies for Elizabeth Fry Week!

Great video explaining some of the challenges related to healthcare in correctional settings!

Prison Health 3

This past Friday, Circles of Support and Accountability-Ottawa (CoSA) held their 'It Takes a Village' fundraising gala, which Anita and Danielle were pleased to attend. CoSA is a reintegration program inspired by restorative justice principles that reduce victimization by assisting people who have committed sexual offences to lead a responsible, constructive, and accountable life in our community.

The gala was a wonderful event to raise funds and awareness, as well as connect with others. To raise money, attendees were able to bid on more than 40 items in the silent and live auction, in which Anita & Danielle were both successful. They each walked away with new pieces of art, and Anita even managed to get a photo with the artist of her piece, !

This fundraiser comes at a critical time as the loss of their funding from the federal government has jeopardized their sustainability, and there is a risk that CoSA Ottawa and the other 13 sites across the country may have to close or dramatically reduce capacity.

To learn more, donate, and find out how else you can support CoSA Ottawa, visit their website: https://cosa-ottawa.ca/

Recently, we were able to join a couple fellow members of the Community Adult Justice Network of Ottawa (CAJN) for a hybrid meeting at the John Howard Society of Ottawa's (JHO) newest location. Each month we learn from different speakers about the services they offer in the area, share organizational updates, and discuss how we can support each other to enhance community capacity to address adult justice issues.

Thanks to Wendy from JHO for hosting and providing a tour to the SLSC team and Farhat from Mothers Offering Mutual Support!

P.S. Don't miss the beautiful mural painted by in the background!

Looking for something to read over the summer? Check out the 'Screwed Up: Penitentiary Poetry' series!

Published by our friend at , the collections feature poems written by people within the federal prison system. 1% of all sales of the 2nd book will be donated to charities that support people that have been impacted by crime.

Order your copies & leave a review at:
Book 1: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09P34CWR7/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=U80ZFUCEPHBY&keywords=screwed+up%3A+penitentiary&qid=1640225303&sprefix=screwed+up+penetentiary+%2Caps%2C129&sr=8-1

Book 2: https://www.amazon.com/Screwed-Up-Penitentiary-Poetry-2/dp/B0CPM8GJ2T/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=1QIUHVPAHEWED&keywords=screwed+up+penitentiary&qid=1703259525&sprefix=screwed+up+penitentiary%2Caps%2C121&sr=8-1

Evidence-based suggestions for reducing violence!

Canada Can Halve Violent Crime in the Next Five Years Violent crime harms too many people in Canada, but this can be changed. This short video explains how prevention focused on addressing the root causes of cri...

For folks in the BC area who are reintegrating into the community or those that work with population, check out this cool initiative!

We can't wait to hear about the results.

Today we launched an app to support reintegration in the pilot region of British Columbia.

https://youtu.be/h79AMT4QF9g

Thanks for this great article, Michael!

Poilievre and Caputo ignore the truth about prisons when they resurrect the Bernardo transfer debate Saying conditions are like university campuses is the highest level of absurdity

We were so proud to get to watch Rick and Catherine speak in front of the Senate on Monday! If you missed it, check out their testimony using the link below!

In-Reach Worker and Advocate Rick Sauve and Executive Director Catherine Brooke had the honour of testifying on the Government's Response to the Senate's Report on the Human Rights of Federally Sentenced Persons.

Video Link: https://senparlvu.parl.gc.ca/Harmony/en/PowerBrowser/PowerBrowserV2/20240319/-1/13158 (18:07 mark)

The full report can be found here: https://sencanada.ca/en/info-page/parl-43-2/ridr-federally-sentenced-persons/

the Homelessness Learning Hub has over 675 free resources?

Discover practical training tools and resources specially designed and curated for frontline agencies, service providers and others working to prevent and end : https://bit.ly/3ThirSA

✨Happy Monday from the SLSC team! 😀

Last week, we appreciated hearing about the Black Justice Strategy from the Department of Justice at the monthly National Youth Justice Network meeting. As Black History Month 2024 comes to an end, we remain committed to educating ourselves so we can meaningfully support and contribute to humane and evidence-based policies, practices, and legislation that are grounded in an antiracist lens all year long.

If you haven't already read it, the Black Justice Strategy Framework explores the history of Black people in Canada, the current status of Black people in relation to the justice system, gaps in data, the pillars of the strategy, and recommendations.

View the Black Justice Strategy Framework:https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/cj-jp/cbjs-scjn/framework-cadre/pdf/Framework_for_Canadas_Black_Justice_Strategy.pdf

View SLSC's policy on racism in the justice system:https://stleonards.ca/wp-content/uploads/SLSC-Policy-on-Racism-in-the-Criminal-Justice-System-FINAL.pdf

Bridges Out Of Poverty -- March 26. SEATS STILL AVAILABLE. Please join us for a full day with Suzie Johnson-Smith and learn about ways to effectively address and reduce poverty in our community.

We are excited to share that is hosting a webinar with their 2023 Youth Homelessness Prevention Awards winners and honourable mentions Niginan (Keri Cardinal), Canadian Mental Health Association, Kelowna (Mike Gawlick), Youth Opportunities Unlimited YOU and Lawson Health Research Institute (Matt Forget), and Wyndham House (Kristen Cairney).

Register for this webinar to learn more about these award winning initiatives: https://bit.ly/4bzme53

The impact of incarceration extends far beyond prison walls. Behind every person serving time in prison, there are loved ones who remain in the community.

As today is Family Day, we're highlighting Canadian Families Corrections Network (CFCN) (Cfcn Rcafd) and Mothers Offering Mutual Support (MOMS), two organizations we admire. They are strong advocates and excellent supports. They both share many informative resources for incarcerated people and their loved ones... among much else! Thank you for all your work.

To learn more about these great organizations, check out their websites:

CFCN: https://www.cfcn-rcafd.org/
MOMS: https://momsottawa.com/

Today, Marley 🐱 was helping Danielle read up on research about . One of our amazing volunteers, Rayan, prepared a brief that explained developments made related to its use in Canada since we published our original policy on electronic monitoring in 2013. Next week, our Board’s Policy Review Committee will be discussing this research as part of our efforts to make sure the policy positions we take as an organization are informed and up to date.

Leave any resources about electronic monitoring we should consider in the comments! 👇👇

You can read all of our policies at any time on our website: www.stleonards.ca/our-policies/

As part of the placement opportunities SLSC provides, Anita presented at the SOC480 class for placement students at the University of Toronto Mississauga. It was a unique chance for her to share details about her training, education, and experience, and how she came to work at SLSC. Thanks to Prof. Nathan Innocente for coordinating this opportunity for us!

Students learned more about what SLSC does and how placement students typically engage with us. The students asked some really insightful questions, like "From your perspective, what are the biggest challenges and opportunities facing organizations working in the field of criminal/social justice and reintegration today?" and "What do you think are the biggest obstacles when trying to enact change in law and policy?"

How would YOU answer this question if you were asked?

To learn more about placement opportunities at SLSC, visit:

Volunteer Your Time And Help Us Build Stronger Communities, Together! Become a Volunteeror Placement Student As a national voluntary sector agency, SLSC offers opportunities to learn about working within the fields of social and criminal justice, with a particular emphasis on community corrections and integration issues. Volunteers SLSC appreciates the contributions o...