sodaigakko
04-09-2003, 06:05 PM
More 'meaningful work' urged for women in Canadian prisons
Toronto Star, Wednesday April 9 2003
The 810 women in federal prisons deserve better than a handful of jobs sewing men's underwear or learning embroidery, Canada's auditor-general says.
With only 33 jobs open to them across the country, female offenders have "minimal access to meaningful work", Sheila Fraser said yesterday. And without job skills, inmates tend to revert to their former lifestyle once released, leading them back into criminal behavior, she said in her annual report.
...while Canada's 13,000 male [federal] inmates have access to vocational programs that allow them to become certified in trades ranging from wodworking to auto mechanics, the courses open to women are largely confined to such areas as cosmetology, home maintenance, horticulture [gardening], and guide-dog training, she said.
...
The report comes at a time when Canada's female [federal] prison population is growing. The number increased from 646 in 1995 to 849 in 2000 ... About one in four female inmates is aboriginal.
Fraser also concluded:
* The correctional service needs to develop substance-abuse programs tailored specifically to the needs of female offenders. More than 69% of women inmates have a history of substance abuse.
* Delays in getting into existing programs in women's prisons are often so long that inmates are unable to complete them by the time they are eligible for a parole hearing, which in turn results in them spending more time behind bars.
* The correctional service needs to examine whether its method for assessing the risk posed by female offenders is accurate. The test that's carried out when they enter prison doesn't take into account ... a history of being physically abused. Women offenders may be inaccurately assessed ... and sent into maximum security prisons more than necessary.
Kim Pate, executive director of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies, said yesterday that Fraser's conclusions prove that women are "a correctional afterthought"...
Toronto Star, Wednesday April 9 2003
The 810 women in federal prisons deserve better than a handful of jobs sewing men's underwear or learning embroidery, Canada's auditor-general says.
With only 33 jobs open to them across the country, female offenders have "minimal access to meaningful work", Sheila Fraser said yesterday. And without job skills, inmates tend to revert to their former lifestyle once released, leading them back into criminal behavior, she said in her annual report.
...while Canada's 13,000 male [federal] inmates have access to vocational programs that allow them to become certified in trades ranging from wodworking to auto mechanics, the courses open to women are largely confined to such areas as cosmetology, home maintenance, horticulture [gardening], and guide-dog training, she said.
...
The report comes at a time when Canada's female [federal] prison population is growing. The number increased from 646 in 1995 to 849 in 2000 ... About one in four female inmates is aboriginal.
Fraser also concluded:
* The correctional service needs to develop substance-abuse programs tailored specifically to the needs of female offenders. More than 69% of women inmates have a history of substance abuse.
* Delays in getting into existing programs in women's prisons are often so long that inmates are unable to complete them by the time they are eligible for a parole hearing, which in turn results in them spending more time behind bars.
* The correctional service needs to examine whether its method for assessing the risk posed by female offenders is accurate. The test that's carried out when they enter prison doesn't take into account ... a history of being physically abused. Women offenders may be inaccurately assessed ... and sent into maximum security prisons more than necessary.
Kim Pate, executive director of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies, said yesterday that Fraser's conclusions prove that women are "a correctional afterthought"...