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Listen to Prisons Inside/Out, a podcast from Correctional Service Canada. Follow along as we take you beyond the walls of our institutions, highlighting the important work we do to protect Canadians and change lives every day.
Kirstan: Every federal prison in Canada has an inmate committee. But what do these committees actually do, and why does it matter? I'm your host, Kirstan Gagnon, and welcome to another episode of Prisons Inside / Out.
Kirstan: On today's episode, we're exploring a different part of life inside of federal prisons: inmate committees. These elected groups of inmates represent the incarcerated population, bringing forward concerns about daily life like food, programs or living conditions. Think of it like a student council in a high school, but inside prisons. The elected inmates don't deal with security or discipline issues, but they play an important role in maintaining an open line of communication between staff and inmates. And with Human Rights Day on December 10th, we'd like to explore this topic as a reminder that everyone is entitled to fundamental rights, including equality, life, liberty, and security. So how do these inmate committees work? To find out, our team visited Nova Institution for Women to chat with the Assistant Warden of Interventions and the elected Chair of the Inmate Committee. Here's our conversation with Denise..
Kirstan: Welcome to the podcast, Prisons Inside / Out, and thanks for joining me. I have with me Denise Farrell, who's the acting Deputy Warden.
Denise: That's right, yes.
Kirstan: And tell me a bit about what an inmate committee is.
Denise: An inmate committee is an organized and elected group of offenders. They elect one another, nominate and elect one another. It's a vote amongst population. It has to be a majority vote, even if there's only one candidate that is nominated for chair. Different institutions have different positions, some have chair, vice-chair, secretary, treasurer for larger populations. For Nova, because our population is relatively small in comparison to most sites, we often run with just a chair and a secretary/treasurer, we usually have two positions. Sometimes we run with three, but we normally the work can be managed by two, two or three people. So they represent the population for us. We try to get representation from all groups, so we'll try to have offenders - we have the elected roles that I talked about, like the secretary, the chairperson and all that, but we then have offenders who can volunteer their time to be a part of the committee. So once a month the Nova Institution management team meets with the inmate committee and in that meeting we would have those elected few that I talked about, but we would also have a representative from every housing unit - a representative from the minimum unit, a representative from the secure unit - and then any of the offender organized social groups. We have the Daughters of Tradition, which is our Indigenous population. We have the Black focus group, our ethnocultural offenders. We have a 2SLGBTQIA+ group, they're represented. We have a lifers group, so they can have a rep at that table, at the inmate committee table as well. And so we usually gather in this space that we're sitting in today and the room is usually full of people. Both sides can bring forward agenda items, most of the agenda items come from the inmate committee side, and it's essentially a place to, if they've tried to resolve issues at the lowest level and they can't resolve them, we would discuss it here, or if it's decisions that have to be made at a higher level, they would get discussed here. It's also a venue for which we can share information. So if we have a new Commissioner’s Directive coming out, if we have a new policy that's changing, something's changing in healthcare, we have staff changes, we try to share as much information as we can through that meeting with the committee members. And we do that once a month and at a minimum once every two months.
Kirstan: So there's democracy inside of prisons.
Denise: Absolutely.
Kirstan: And so management and the inmates get together to discuss issues of mutual interest or anything that's new, and what's your role in all of this?
Denise: Well, as the acting Deputy Warden, I would sit around the table with the other management team. The Manager of Programs, they are typically the manager responsible for the inmate committee and when there's different proposals being put forward by the inmate committee, whether it's fundraisers or special activities, family day gatherings, those sorts of things, those go through the program manager desk. I was the Manager of Programs for many years and worked directly with the inmate chairperson. So, on a regular basis, probably once every two weeks, I would meet with the inmate chair, sometimes more often if there was something that needed to be discussed, but I had a very open-door policy with the inmate chair where they could come and discuss concerns on a regular basis. They didn't necessarily need a scheduled appointment, you know, I kind of made a point of meeting with them and often the Social Program Officer (SPO) as well. We just find that the more open communication we can have with the inmate committee, with the offenders in general, but with the inmate committee, they are sort of the voice and we rely upon the inmate committee to communicate things back to the population. Whether they're putting up posters in the leisure area or notices in the housing units, we expect they make committee to take the messaging back-and-forth., just like they would bring concerns from the population to us, they would take our information back to them. So it's sort of a middle ground that provides that form of communication.
Kirstan: So it gives them a voice?
Denise: Absolutely.
Kirstan: It also empowers them and makes sure that there's good two-way communication. So if there's a major change upcoming, for example, the inmate committee can be a good group to go through to bounce off some new ideas on how to implement something, for example, and would you say that keeps the calm within the institution?
Denise: Well, I think it gives them an opportunity to feel as though their voice has been heard. Lots of times when we are asked to review changes to the Commissioner’s Directive, for example, some of those that directly impact the offenders, they will ask for inmate committee review, so our Social Program Officer will share with the offenders versions of those documents and get their feedback on proposed changes to the Commissioner’s Directive so they would have that input. So that's one avenue. And then we've also, you know, when you have a good working relationship with the committee where you feel there's a mutual respect and an open communication, it can be advantageous in the sense that, you know, we've had different scenarios over the years where we've relied on the inmate committee to assist us. So, for example, one particular time we had a missing tool in the population. Nothing, you know, really concerning, you know, when you think about tools, but there is tool control and institutions and everything to be accounted for. So when we had that missing tool, we utilized the image here to go with the Operations Manager around the institution to meet with every house and they offered sort of an amnesty for that tool to be turned over. If we're having issues with, you know, illicit drug use in the population or brew making and things like that, we'll fall back on the chair to sort of speak with the population. I find it’s a good avenue when you have a manager standing side-by-side with an inmate chair and you're giving the same message to the population because it shows that you're united on the matter and that you both have the same goal in mind, which is to resolve whatever issue it is you're dealing with. So, they can be a huge asset and yeah, having a healthy relationship with them can be invaluable when we need them.
Kirstan: I like that concept that you brought up of “nothing about me without me.” Because, you know, if they have a stake in informing something or giving feedback on it, they'll be perhaps more likely to help implement it if it involves them, right? So I thought that was really neat. Could you leave us with another example of something successful you worked through with the Inmate Committee where there was a huge reward?
Denise: For a lot of the offenders that I've worked with, you know, for a long period of time in that role, you see them develop not only like, you know, the employability skills, being on time, you know, writing, they have to write proposals, you know, there's all those hard skills that can come, but it's also negotiation, communication. It's all the soft skills that they can gain by being in that role, whether they're negotiating, communicating with management, whether they're doing that with the other population members, it can build upon those skills as well and I've seen offenders grow in that chair where they've started out in the position and overtime they've become a more well-rounded skilled individual because of the opportunity they had is inmate chair. So, a very important employment position within the institution that they also, because they're working hands on with staff, whether it's a Social Program Officer, the Manager of Programs, there's a lot of role modeling that can happen there, like hands on role modeling. So a huge opportunity for offenders to learn and to grow and for us to learn and grow as well from our conversations that we have with them and the time that we get to spend with them.
Kirstan: Well, thank you so much for your time, Denise, and for your insight on Inmate Committees.
Kirstan: Next, let's hear from an incarcerated woman at Nova Institution for Women. She's also the elected chair of the inmate committee.
Kirstan: And tell me a bit about yourself.
Inmate committee Chair: Okay, so, I grew up in Halifax, NS, my whole life. I've been incarcerated since I was 19 and I got here when I was 22. This is my first federal sentence and I'll be here for a long time. I'm a spoken-word artist and I like to call myself an activist for the Black offenders here within Nova Institution for Women, and now I'm also enrolled in school. I just did a finished my youth justice, I studied social justice, black injustice and I got a B, I did really good.
Kirstan: Wow, congrats!
Inmate committee Chair: Yep, now I'm at Mount Saint Vincent, I just finished black culture and politics in Canada. Yep, I got the sweater on and now I just wrote a letter because I want to take sociology of defiance to study defiance, especially in youth, because I want to be a youth advocate support person for my community when I get out to work with at-risk youth, and so like, that's my goal.
Kirstan: So that your way of giving back?
Inmate committee Chair: Yeah, it's my way of giving back to the community. I want to be the role model that I never had.
Kirstan: Wonderful.
Inmate committee Chair: And it sucks that I had to come to jail to figure that out and be the person that I want to be today. but I want to be able to change lives, you know?
Kirstan: Absolutely. And so you have a voice, a strong voice, and you're representing other inmates here as the Inmate Committee chair, tell me a bit about that, how does it work?
Inmate committee Chair: So, I got elected in a couple months ago and so I'm like the voice of the institution. So when people have issues or they're looking forward to something like proposals for socials or fundraisers or activities, that's what I'll do. Or if they need a voice for someone to advocate for them, I do that as well. I'll meet with management, I'll meet with the SPOs regularly every day. If I need to have a meeting with the Warden or if I go to the Nova management team, I bring up issues surrounding inmates and what needs to be addressed, stuff like that.
Inmate committee Chair:But for another thing, we have been experiencing more cultural stuff here, which is really nice, that's exciting. So, we did like a hair workshop and stuff like that and then we had Tara Paris come in and do some things with us every week for about two months. So we have been seeing more things for the Black offenders and more Black staff, which is really nice.
Kirstan: Nice, I wanted to talk through a bit about how a typical day looks like for you, because you sound incredibly busy and I'm sure you have other programs and activities that you're also busy with. This is a job for you though, right?
Inmate committee Chair: Yes.
Kirstan: So how does the typical day look like?
Inmate committee Chair: So my first job is as the Inmate Chair, so my job day looks like either when I get surprise calls to go to meetings with management, I check in with the SPO every day. I have to write proposals for activities, so I just wrote a proposal for an art and poetry contest and then whoever the first two winners for the art and the first two winners for the poetry will be submitted in the Elizabeth Fry Society newsletter, so that will be published in there. And then I just wrote a proposal for coffee creamers to be purchased for the entire population as a fundraiser for the inmate committee. If I need to write back institutions that have written me, I'll do that. I've also subbed in for canteen. So, when canteen has a missing worker, I'll go and help out, especially on the day that they distribute, I'll go and help them with their canteen. I also work at food services, so I work down there as a volunteer and then it's like kind of like a mini grocery store. So I'll help with distributing, selling, stocking of the groceries within Nova Institution for Women.
Kirstan: And do you think you have good relationships inside here?
Inmate committee Chair: I do. I can say that I have a good relationship with CSC, especially with my case management team like my Primary Worker, my Parole Officer, I do.
Kirstan: And what about the other women? Do you, when you work at the canteen, is that another opportunity to, you know, develop relationships, get to know them, get to know kind of what's important to them and what would help them while they're here?
Inmate committee Chair: I think more of my inmate committee role, I get to do that because I meet with a lot of offenders that have issues or like I meet with a lot of offenders who have ideas and they want to be able to share them, but some are more timid and shy to do that so I'll do that for them and be a voice for them. Through canteen is another way where I can see everybody's face and ask them how they're doing and stuff like that or even if they have anything, they can bring it to me there. Or even if they just see me on the loop, they can bring up their ideas and their issues and stuff like that and I have no problem sharing it.
Kirstan: Do you find that sometimes the solutions are you have to take a step back and kind of work with them to make it a bit more manageable or more feasible?
Inmate committee Chair: Sometimes their ideas are very big and not achievable and I have to break that down to them because they don't really see it. And like, inmate chair can be a thankless job because a lot of people want to see a lot of things, but they're not graspable. So like, I can't really, I can't achieve some of the things that they want and it sucks because you do get a lot of backlash in this position from offenders because they want to see more, but they just don't understand the role that there's only so much that I can actually do and advocate for and be able to provide.
Kirstan: You're trying to manage those expectations too, it’s like, okay, well, let's see what we could do, but make this a bit more manageable. I wanted to ask you about, you know, the things you're proud of in the past years in terms of you said you made a lot of progress and that you've really found yourself. I just like to know if there's a few things that you want to leave us with in terms of what you're most proud of.
Inmate committee Chair: I think I'm most proud of my education and then the relationship that I do have with CSC because I am blessed to have a really good one. Because I struggled a lot, was getting into a lot of trouble, and CSC stood by me and they helped me navigate who I wanted to be and where I wanted to go and gave me goals and help me set those goals and achieve those goals. Like, I was just meeting my Parole Officer and he's like, ‘did you know that in one of your programs your goal was to be inmate chair? And I did, I remembered it vaguely, and we went over those goals and I've achieved a lot of those with my education and stuff like that. So, I can say that I am very happy that it, sucks that I had to come to jail to become the person that I am today, but I can say that because of CSC I am becoming a better person.
Kirstan: And in your future self, what will you tell the youth that you work with?
Inmate committee Chair: I think I'd say that I've been there, I have struggled, and you don't want to go where I have gone to be the person that you want to be, that you can do it. And that I'm going to help them every step of the way to become that better person and I'm going to show them and share my experiences of growing up, my experiences in prison, why they do not want to go there. It's not a cool place and it's not this big place where you see on TV. It's nothing like the TV. No, but they can be a better person and I'm going to help them through that and that they do have people out there that will support them, that will stand in their corner and that will be by them and help them on their journey. And it will be hard, but it is achievable.
Kirstan: You gotta find those people.
Inmate committee Chair: Yes.
Kirstan: Great. Well, thank you so much for your time.
Inmate committee Chair: Thank you.
Kirstan: That's all for today's episode. Thanks again to all our interviewees and Nova Institution for Women for helping with our interviews. This has been a production of the Correctional Service of Canada and I've been your host, Kirstan Gagnon. Thanks for listening.