d) Community Release Options

Relative to men, women pose a lower risk to the safety of the community upon release and lower rates of recidivism. Women are provided with far fewer opportunities for release especially on day parole, where a requirement for residency in a residential facility or halfway house is often imposed. There are no halfway houses for women in the Atlantic Region and only three in the Prairie Region. Overall, there are far too few spaces in women-only halfway houses across the country. The result is that many women have been released to halfway houses for men, which is inappropriate, not only for personal safety reasons, but also because they are marginalized and forced to adapt to the needs of the larger male population.

Relative to men, women pose a lower risk to the safety of the community upon release and lower rates of recidivism. Women are provided with far fewer opportunities for release especially on day parole, where a requirement for residency in a residential facility or halfway house is often imposed. There are no halfway houses for women in the Atlantic Region and only three in the Prairie Region. Overall, there are far too few spaces in women-only halfway houses across the country. The result is that many women have been released to halfway houses for men, which is inappropriate, not only for personal safety reasons, but also because they are marginalized and forced to adapt to the needs of the larger male population.

CSC. Community Strategy for Women on Conditional Release, 1998, p. 7

The lack of spaces for women in halfway houses and residential facilities also further prejudices women with mental health and/or cognitive disabilities or other special needs, who may require more support upon release to meet the challenges of reintegrating into the community. Conversely, many women do not require the structure of halfway houses and day parole releases to their own homes should be recognized as an appropriate option for them. Release to halfway houses on day parole, which is the norm for men, is not generally required for women because of their lower risk to the community and lower recidivism rates. Options include establishing satellite apartments and day parole to their own homes.

e) Exchange of Services Agreements

The current Exchange of Services Agreement (ESA) between the federal government and the province of British Columbia was executed prior to the coming into force of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA) and does not reflect the obligations of the Correctional Service of Canada to federally sentenced women. The CCRA provides for several checks and balances in the power of the correctional authorities vis-à-vis their obligations to and entitlements of federally sentenced prisoners.

Submission of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS) to the Canadian Human Rights Commission for the Special Report on the Discrimination on the Basis of Sex, Race and Disability Faced by Federally Sentenced Women