5. Challenging Stereotypes and Encouraging Proactive Action

We need to strategize and collaborate to organize public events to enhance public awareness and education regarding the circumstances of women involved in the criminal justice system. We must challenge and gradually break down the negative stereotypes that exist about women who come into conflict with the law.

In Canada, we have National Elizabeth Fry Week, which is always the week preceding Mother's Day. The majority of women who come into conflict with the law are mothers. Most of them were the sole supporters of their families at the time they were incarcerated. When mothers are sentenced to prison, their children are sentenced to separation. We try to draw attention to this reality by ending Elizabeth Fry Week on Mother's Day each year.

By focusing on initiatives to keep women in the community and facilitate their integration after prison, our 24 member societies strive to encourage the Canadian public to examine some productive and responsible means of encouraging community responses to addressing criminal justice matters from coast to coast. Particularly in this time of fiscal restraint, our aim is to retain a proactive focus in order to encourage the development of, and support for, community-based alternatives to human and fiscal expenses of our increasing reliance on incarceration. We focus on increasing public awareness of the myriad issues facing women in prison and gradually break down the stereotypes of women in conflict with the law. In addition, we initiate and respond to media awareness and coverage of the myriad relevant issues on an ongoing basis.

6. The Challenges of Economic, Social and Political Forces

Throughout the world, we are seeing a backlash against women’s progress. In Canada, we will have our federal election on November 27th, at which time we face the prospect of a government comprised of vicious little misogynist white supremacists. Just recently, we had several tastes of their tactics.

One incident involved the highest profile woman prisoner that we have in Canada -- a woman who, with her husband, was involved in the sexual torture and killing of three young women, one of whom was the woman’s 14 year old sister. Understandably public revulsion was and remains great. The victims were middle class white women. The significance of this is no doubt obvious to all. In Canada, we have also experienced significant state-funded and seemingly state- sanctioned abuses of power, particularly by the police who cry for regressive criminal justice responses fueled by their own bungling of two of the highest profile cases in recent history (past two decades – Olson and Bernardo). The results have been media and political circuses that have resulted in longer and more punitive carceral sanctions.

Yet, although we are in this time of right wing sentiments and neo-conservative social, economic and political war on the poor, women, children, racialized -- and especially those who are criminalized, we also have courageous women like yourselves who are challenging the status quo.

We all need to continue to challenge each other to reach behind the walls and welcome women into our, and their, communities, so that they may take responsibility and account for their actions in ways that enhance our international, national, and local commitment and adherence to fundamental principles of equality and justice.