Incarcerated Voters of Ontario

In preparing for Prisoners' Justice Day, we are collecting stories, shout outs, art work, anything that people want to share.

Share your voices below ❤️

https://kyapublishing.com/pjd

Kim Pate on Twitter “It is with regret that I share the following information regarding the untimely. passing of Coralee Cusack-Smith, beloved Mum of Ashley Smith and Dawna Ward.”

The panel said they noted “astonishing levels of non-compliance” among staff, and “were left to wonder [...] if perhaps too many of the policies cited are out of step with operational realities.”

The authors of the report said they question the effectiveness of these tools and the levels of willingness among staff to implement them.

Ontario jail staff exempt from contraband scanning as inmate overdose deaths rise: report Acute drug toxicity is currently the major contributing factor in the deaths of Ontario inmates, yet provincial correctional employees are exempt from regular scannings for contraband – a policy researchers said they were 'shocked' to discover while crafting a January coroner's report.

Let's be VERY CLEAR Michael Kerzner, you may not have changed allotment of funding, but you REDIRECTED the funds to the John Howard Society, an organization historically streamlined for men. Your REDIRECTION of funds resulted in the closing of services for WOMEN invovled in the INJUSTICE system.

Let's also be very clear Michael Kerzner, you have yet to acknowledge the alarming increase of deaths in custody, a direct result in overcrowding, staff shortages, lack of programming, community supports, housing, mental health and substance use supports. You have IGNORED the .

You preach, "it's about public safety", you will not achieve that with the lack of acknowledgement and accountability to the dehumanizing conditions that people are living in while incarcerated.

By DEFUNDING the Elizabeth Fry Society in Hamilton, you are putting many vulnerable women at risk of death sentences, whether it be incarceration or releasing women into a community that has so supports for them. This is the OPPPOSITE of evidence based models that contribute to reducing recidivism.

SHAME ON YOU Michael Kerzner

The Hamilton Spectator

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55-ILkzGQYU&feature=youtu.be

Questions continue to swirl around pending Elizabeth Fry Society closure Programming at local branch supports at-risk women not served by other organizations

Tracking (In)Justice is a law enforcement and criminal justice data and transparency project that tracks and analyze police-involved and carceral deaths across Canada.
Currently, we are working on releasing an updated report on deaths that are continuously happening inside our Ontario Jails. This was the first report we released in Dec 2022: https://ccla.org/.../Ontario-Deaths-in-Custody-on-the...
If you are someone who has been incarcerated, or a family/loved one of someone who has passed away while incarcerated, please fill out this form, and get involved! We want direction from those directly impacted, how to take our research beyond the numbers, and create social change!
https://forms.gle/N7XzMsDg9d5F7VT47

Join the No More Deaths in Custody Committee Fill out this form to prepare us for our April 18th Information Session

Rest in Power
Anthony Chatzimanolakis🕊🕊

‘Angry, upset, confused’: Family questions Toronto jail inmate’s sudden death Anthony Chatzimanolakis’s family says it has been told he died Saturday of a suspected overdose. They say he had been waiting months for urgent abdominal surgery.

https://trackinginjustice.ca/grieving-behind-bars-a-firsthand-account-of-punitive-practices-in-response-to-deaths-in-provincial-custody/

Grieving Behind Bars: A firsthand account of punitive practices in response to deaths in provincial custody - Tracking (In)Justice As part of our ongoing tracking work, we are moving beyond just numbers. Tracking (In)Justice is also documenting and sharing first-hand accounts and stories from family members and people who have been directly impacted by police-involved and deaths in custody. For our first post bringing the data....

Add your organization or collective to the Ontario Prisoner Resource Guide.

Contact information

Moving beyond the prison pandemic: Reducing the use and harms of imprisonment, working towards decarceral futures.

This online webinar featuring speakers with lived expertise of imprisonment, human rights advocates, and researchers will assess how this public health catastrophe has exacerbated the harms of incarceration, as well as the challenges associated with diversion and decarceration from custody.

Speakers will also address the possibilities and challenges that have emerged for organizing behind and beyond bars to reduce the use and harms of imprisonment, while working towards decarceral futures to enhance our collective well-being and safety.

The Human Rights Research and Education Centre (HRREC) is pleased to partner with the Centre for Access to Information and Justice (CAIJ), the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the Criminalization and Punishment Education Project (CPEP) to present this online event

Moving beyond the prison pandemic Reducing the use and harms of imprisonment, working towards decarceral futures. Mar 6, 2023. The Human Rights Research and Education Centre (HRREC) is please...

During 2014, 19 persons died while in custody in Ontario facilities. In 2021, that number had risen to 46, and the cumulative number of deaths in that eight-year period had reached 192. In January 2022, the Chief Coroner for Ontario initiated the Correctional Services Death Review (CSDR) to examine the 186 of these tragedies where the manner of death was not deemed a homicide. With differences across age cohorts, deaths due to accidental drug toxicity and deaths by su***de featured heavily alongside accidental and natural causes.

Read the report below!

Incarcerated Voters of Ontario Let's make our community a better place!

Watch public deputations at the Legislation on the current state of our Bail System. The police have taken up 1 WHOLE day with deputations. Don't you think they have had enough media attention? Watch the police associations try to convince that we need to make Bail systems more harmful.
https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/video/committees-room-no-2

Inmate deaths almost doubled last year in Ontario. Here's what advocates want done about it | CBC News A spike in inmate deaths prompted a call this week from dozens of advocacy groups, academics and others to create an independent oversight body for correctional institutions in Ontario.

On Saturday Jan 28, 2023, join members of the Tracking (In) Justice Project for an URGENT meeting to discuss the proposed changes to the Canadian Bail System.

Hear from leaders in the community;

Tiina Eldridge, ED of RANV and PWLE
Justin Piche, PhD Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology and Director of the Carceral Studies Research Collective at the University of Ottawa
Aisha Benslimane, PWLE
Lorraine Lam, Criminalization of Homelessness
And many more!!
Q&A period
WRITE with US! We will provide a template to submit a written response to the so-called Bail Reform Study


Background on the proposed Bail Reform:

Earlier this week the Standing Committee on Justice Policy met to discuss bail reform in Ontario. The Committee moved to begin a study into bail reform that you can share your subject matter expertise with by either applying to present to the committee in person, or by providing a written submission to the Standing Committee on Justice Policy.

Apparently it was announced very quietly, with a very quick deadline and the only ones signed up to depute on this are police groups.

The Standing Committee on Justice Policy will meet to conduct a study on the reform of Canada's bail system as it relates to the provincial administration of justice and public safety with regard to persons accused of violent offences or offences associated with fi****ms or other weapons.

The Committee intends to hold public hearings in Toronto on Monday, January 30, 2023 and Tuesday, January 31, 2023.

Those who wish to send a written submission by 7:00 p.m. (EST) on Tuesday, January 31, 2023.

To register or send a written submission, please visit the following link: ola.org/en/apply-committees.

The Committee will stream live from location when available. For the link to the webcast, and to find times and availability, please visit the Legislative Assembly website at ola.org.

Join us for the : Tracking (In) Justice Bail Reform Webinar

Time: Jan 28, 2023 01:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://carleton-ca.zoom.us/j/93647258581

Meeting ID: 936 4725 8581

Find your local number: https://carleton-ca.zoom.us/u/a8tlmP6tx
Join by SIP
[email protected]
Join by H.323
69.174.57.160 (Canada Toronto)
65.39.152.160 (Canada Vancouver)

It just doesn't stop...This deaths sounds very similar to Soleiman Faqiri Justice For Soli.

"In an interview with Noovo Info, the head of the union representing Quebec corrections officers, Mathieu Lavoiesaid agents put a "spit mask" on Spring during the intervention to stop him from biting them.

A supervisor then ordered agents to spray Spring with pepper spray, while he was still wearing the mask.

"There needs to be an internal review and lessons need to be learned," said Lavoie."

Montreal correctional officer suspended after man, 21, dies from injuries in jail A correctional officer has been temporarily relieved of his duties after a detainee died following an altercation inside a Montreal jail on Christmas Eve. The Ministry of Public Safety confirmed in an email to CTV News that the man, 21-year-old Nicous D'Andre Spring, lost consciousness after an offi...

Michael Kerzner When are you going to SPEAK UP about the human beings that are dying inside our Ontario Jails???

this is what the article DOESNT tell you....reposted from a family member..

"Tyler Mccue member of Beausoliel First nations died a slow painful death while incarcerated at CNCC. My brother is his cell mate and even though he pressed the emergency button 3 times 1 time they said he could wait till the nurse did her rounds, second time they didnt even come to the cell and the third time they came Tyler barely was able to crawl out of the cell, the guards prompted him up against the wall then he fell over on his face vomited and then they called the nurse, by the time they started CPR he was dead. The last words he said was uncle I"m dying I cant breathe. I am planning a peaceful sit in at CNNC and would appreciate any suggestions on how one might promote it so that people can come out and support the right for inmates to be taken to the hospital when THEY!!! say they need to go. I am waiting for the official autopsy which will be in tuesday"

32-year-old inmate from Beausoleil First Nation dies at Penetanguishene's Central North Correctional Centre The death occurred on Dec. 22.

Dear Michael Kerzner

In the spring of this year, community groups wrote to the Solicitor
General outlining their concerns about deaths in custody at institutions across the province. Community members, including prisoners and their families, have also raised concerns.
In February, for example, community advocates and family members of provincially incarcerated
people heard that four people had died at Maplehurst Correctional Complex within a week and a half. Prisoners then began to report that there had been a very alarming number of deaths at
Maplehurst in previous months. Little to no official information was available to prisoners or community advocates because the Ministry does not release information about deaths in custody
in a timely manner. We understand that 11 prisoners from that institution died between December 2021 and April 2022; five more people have died since April. Two recent deaths at Elgin
Middlesex Detention Centre have also prompted significant public concern; at least 21 individuals
have died in connection with that institution since 2009.

What are you doing about this Michael Kerzner??

Read the full letter below!

New Report Released: Ontario Deaths in Custody on the Rise - CCLA Despite a declining provincial custody population, deaths in custody in Ontario are increasing at an alarming rate. CCLA has sent a letter to the Solicitor General of Ontario urging immediate action to improve transparency, accountability, and provide trauma-informed support for prisoners and famili...

77 COVID-19 cases reported as part of outbreak at Kitchener women’s prison Correctional Service Canada (CSC) says 77 inmates at Grand Valley Institution for Women have tested positive for COVID-19 as part of an outbreak that began last month.

I'm sorry to bug," the inmate wrote in a health services request form on Jan. 1, 2021.

"I know I'm on the waiting list but I've been here four months and soon I'll be back on the streets, surrounded by drugs and hopeless addicts.

"Please let me start my Suboxone treatment. I won't abuse this privilege."

Ten days later, McConnell, who went by TJ, was found unresponsive in his cell. An autopsy confirmed his death was a su***de.

Negligence in medical care led to inmate's su***de at Edmonton jail, lawsuit alleges | CBC News A 23-year-old man took his own life last year inside his cell at the Edmonton Remand Centre after repeatedly asking for medical help to manage his pain, mental illness and addictions.

Watch how Corrections "manage" Overdose deaths in custody!

Inquest into the Death of Murray James Davis | First Class Conferencing Facilitation Inc. Inquest into the Death of Murray James Davis Mr. Davis, 24, died on August 17, 2017, while in custody at the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre. An inquest into his death is mandatory under the Coroners Act. The inquest will examine the circumstances surrounding Mr. Davis’ death. The jury may make r...

Michael Kerzner SPEAK UP!!! You are the new Solicitor General, and you have YET to make any public statement about the deaths that are happening in your provincial jails.

'He suffered and died alone': Partner seeks answers in jail inmate's death Attacked before his arrest, confused and unable to walk or talk, Jamie Briggs “suffered and died alone in a dark jail cell,” his tearful partner says.

Rest in Power Shamus

Donate to help Shamus O’toole, organized by Danielle Cosgrave Hi, my name is Danielle my husband Shamus O’toole has recently passed unexpectedly on… Danielle Cosgrave needs your support for Donate to help Shamus O’toole

Currently incarcerated people are asking for HELP to bring awareness to the ALARMING increase of people dying while in custody.

They have reached out to the news, the previous and the new Soliticotr General , Ontario Ombudsman, human rights Tribunal, and NOBODY will help them.

Please HELP those who have died and those who are left the heartache of the preventable deaths inside.

Take a quick minute and send a tweet, this IG post, or a DM stating

NO MORE DEATHS IN CUSTODY

Rest in Power 💔

Inmate dead, investigation underway at London's provincial jail A male inmate of Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre (EMDC) died Tuesday, The London Free Press has learned.

“The prison…functions as an abstract site into which undesirables are deposited, relieving us of the responsibility of thinking about the real issues afflicting those communities from which prisoners are drawn in such disproportionate numbers. This is the ideological work that the prison performs – it relieves us of the responsibility of seriously engaging with the problems of our society, especially those produced by racism and increasingly, global capitalism” . – Angela Davis

Of course, the individual who is unfortunately awarded these labels of ‘Dangerous’ and ‘Long-term Offender’ have proven to display a history of repetitive violent behavior, yet the main question is whether or not as a collective society, are more concerned with retribution that rehabilitation? Despite both, there exists an overrepresentation of racialized and Indigenous groups facing these harsh punishments within the prison system. It can be utterly ironic and contradictory in nature for our system of justice to opt for life imprisonment for those suffering from what has been termed “post-incarceration syndrome (PICS), which are understandable responses to living in an oppressive, restrictive, violent, and dehumanizing environment” (Gorski 2012). Also, “prisoners who have experienced long periods of time in solitary confinement and significant abuse while in prison are most severely affected” .

Gorski outlines five clusters of PICS (definitions can be found in glossary):

“ 1. Institutionalized Personality Traits

2. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

3. Antisocial Personality Traits

4. Social-Sensory Deprivation Syndrome

5. Substance-Use Disorders ”

Reposted by and for Bryan G Hood

Have you seen this petition yet? 47 signatures are needed! -LifeImprisonmentMovement

Why this man is fighting for access to books while incarcerated for murder | As It Happens | Live Radio | CBC Listen An award-winning writer who's incarcerated in the U.S., says prison staff shouldn’t have so much power when it comes to banning books. Christopher Blackwell tells As It Happens guest host Susan Bonner there can be a desire to 'punish' prisoners, when education should be the goal.

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Human Rights and Federally Incarcerated Human Beings.

The committee found human rights were too often sacrificed in the name of security or budgets.

Among the troubling evidence the committee heard and observed were dirty and cramped living conditions; inadequate or inappropriate meals; cells inaccessible to wheelchair users; prohibitive pricing and limited choices when purchasing basic personal items; and cancelled family visits. The committee also heard from federally-sentenced persons who: did not have timely access to doctors; had their teeth pulled due to irregular dental care; were denied the opportunity to practice their religious or spiritual beliefs; and experienced racism and discrimination, among other human rights concerns.

Recent evidence indicated the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated some of the human rights challenges inside federal penitentiaries, as public health restrictions led to more frequent lockdowns, restricted visits, less access to health care and a reduced capacity in programs.

The report’s recommendations address a wide range of concerns raised during the study, including the root causes of incarceration and the over-representation of Indigenous, Black and other racialized persons in penitentiaries, the provision of basic needs and health care and the need for diverse rehabilitation and reintegration programs, as well as strengthened oversight and accountability for use of force and segregation-like practices. The report calls for CSC and other relevant government departments to respond to the recommendations without delay.

The committee concludes that the country’s correctional system must be grounded in the respect for and enforcement of human rights, both to keep our communities safe and to better equip incarcerated persons – a diverse and complex population – with the right tools to successfully rejoin society.

Read the Report and Recommendations in link below!

sencanada.ca

Over 150 human beings have lost their lives at the hands of our Ontatio Jails between 2014-2021!!



Michael Kerzner Sylvia Jones FordNation

More and more inmates are dying. Ontario's coroner wants to know why | CBC News Ontario’s chief coroner is reviewing the cause of deaths in correctional facilities over the past seven years as the number of fatalities continues to rise.

This is the 5th death at Pine Grove since 2020. Enough is enough! This institution has been plagued with deaths, carbon monoxide poisoning and violence.

Provincial authorities probe death of female inmate at Prince Albert prison | CBC News A female inmate at the Pine Grove Correctional Centre was declared dead Friday morning. The Prince Albert Police Service, Saskatchewan Coroners Service and the Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety are investigating.