by Web Master | Apr 21, 2026 | News, News Releases, Uncategorized
New York – Today, a coalition of Indigenous governments and organizations and allies are in New York at the 25th Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to draw international attention to Canada’s increasing mass incarceration of Indigenous Peoples. The Assembly of First Nations, BC First Nations Justice Council, Black Lake Denesuline First Nation, Prince Albert Grand Council, Union of BC Indian Chiefs and Prisoners’ Legal Services are urging Canada to end to the mass incarceration of Indigenous Peoples.
Indigenous people represent 5% of the population in Canada but 33% of people in federal prisons. Half of all women in federal prisons are Indigenous. Indigenous people also spend more of their sentences in custody and are disproportionately exposed to the most punishing and damaging aspects of prison, including solitary confinement, and are over-represented in self-harm injuries and deaths by suicide in prison. Legal provisions that would allow Indigenous people to serve their sentences in Indigenous communities are under-funded and rarely used.
Canada is called on to redirect one third of Correctional Service Canada’s approximately $3 billion annual budget – or $1 billion annually – to Indigenous governments and organizations to decarcerate Indigenous Peoples in a manner consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse-Nepinak states:
There is no justice for First Nations in Canada’s so-called justice system. First Nations are massively over-policed and over-incarcerated as a result of systemic discrimination. This reality has been confirmed by countless Canadian justice inquiries and by UN human rights reports, over decades.
First Nations continue to condemn this systemic discrimination, and insist on effective corrective action. Likewise, the massive apprehension of First Nations children under provincial and territorial child welfare laws is a part of this systemic discrimination as Chief Willie Littlechild has said many times. The so-called child welfare system is a pipeline that funnels our children into conflict with the law and often places their welfare at risk. Governments at all levels in Canada must follow the lead of First Nations to restore our ways of justice, healing, and reconciliation.
BC First Nations Justice Council Chair Hemas Kla-Lee-Lee-Kla, Kory Wilson states:
At the British Columba First Nations Justice Council – we know what works. Our Indigenous-led justice programs are preventing recidivism, supporting healing, and improving safety in communities. We know how to decrease the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the Criminal Justice System and how to move Indigenous people towards self-determination. The issue is not a lack of solutions; it is a lack of sustained investment and authority in Indigenous-led solutions. If Canada is serious about ending the overrepresentation of Indigenous Peoples in the Criminal Justice System, it must invest in and scale what is already working, and support Indigenous governments to lead.
Prince Albert Grand Council Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte states:
For decades, Canada has promised to reduce the overrepresentation of Indigenous Peoples in prison, yet today we make up just 5% of the population and one-third of those in federal custody, and half of incarcerated women. This is systemic racism rooted in colonialism, not individual failure. The case of Joey Toutsaint, a member of Black Lake Denesuline First Nation, held for over 3,000 days in intermittent solitary confinement in violation of the UN Nelson Mandela Rules, shows the profound harm this system continues to inflict on Indigenous Peoples. These conditions are driving disproportionate rates of self-harm and suicide and constitute a serious threat to the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Peoples. In accordance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Canada must work in true partnership with First Nations to support self-determined approaches to justice, community safety, and healing by transferring resources and authority to Indigenous governments. The solution is clear, respect our right to self-determination and end the mass incarceration of Indigenous Peoples.
Union of BC Indian Chiefs Women’s Representative Katisha Paul states:
The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs is calling out Canada’s mass incarceration of Indigenous Peoples as a continuation of colonial violence. From the ground at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, we condemn the overrepresentation of Indigenous women, men, youth, and Two-Spirit relatives in prison as unacceptable and reflective of deep systemic failures. Real solutions require the transfer of resources, jurisdiction, and authority to First Nations governments to lead restorative justice and healing in our territories with our own Nation-based, specific approaches.
For more information, see our information sheet and Prisoners’ Legal Services’ report Decarceration through Self-Determination: Ending the mass incarceration of Indigenous people in Canada.
Media contacts:
Jennifer Duncan
Barrister & Solicitor
JDuncan@duncanco.ca
778-840-8212
Cherish Francis
Press Secretary
Office of the National Chief
Assembly of First Nations
(343) 630-1372 (mobile)
cfrancis@afn.ca
Natalie Martin
Director of Communications
BC First Nations Justice Council
natalie.martin@bcfnjc.com
Katisha Paul
Women’s Representative
Union of BC Indian Chiefs
womensrep@ubcic.bc.ca
Nicole Kief
Executive Director, Prisoners’ Legal Services
nkief@pls-bc.ca
by Web Master | Feb 24, 2026 | News, News Releases
Federal Court application alleges Charter violations in withholding results of internal investigations
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 24, 2026
Burnaby, BC – Unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) and qiqéyt (Qayqayt) Nations
Today, two individuals with lived experience of incarceration filed a case in Federal Court against Correctional Service Canada (CSC), challenging the agency’s practice of withholding the results of internal reviews when prison officers use force against incarcerated people.
When CSC officers use force, an internal directive — Commissioner’s Directive 567-1 — requires a review to determine whether the officers’ actions complied with the law and with CSC policy. However, the person subjected to force is not informed of the outcome of that review, even when violations are identified.
As a result, the only way an affected person can access CSC’s findings is by filing a request under access to information or privacy legislation. These requests are frequently delayed, sometimes for months or even years, due to chronic backlogs. In practice, this makes it extraordinarily difficult for incarcerated individuals to challenge the use of force, assert their legal rights, or hold CSC accountable.
The litigation, filed in Federal Court, is an application for judicial review of CSC’s use-of-force directive. The applicants will argue that withholding the results of these reviews from the individuals directly affected violates their rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The applicants are represented by Conway Baxter Wilson LLP, with support from Prisoners’ Legal Services.
Media Contacts:
Nicole Kief
Executive Director
Prisoners’ Legal Services
nkief@pls-bc.ca
604-636-0470
Siobhan Morris
Associate
Conway Baxter Wilson LLP
SMorris@conwaylitigation.ca
613.369.2000
by Web Master | Jan 20, 2026 | News
The Board of Directors of West Coast Prison Justice Society is pleased to announce the appointment of Pierre Hawkins as Director of Legal Services at Prisoners’ Legal Services (PLS). In this role, Pierre will oversee the legal work of the organization, including direct legal services, legal information, and strategic litigation.
Pierre established and has led the Public Legal Counsel Program at the John Howard Society of Saskatchewan (JHSS) since 2019, following his tenure as Programs Director at Pro Bono Law Saskatchewan. He brings to PLS significant experience in legal program leadership, strategic litigation, and public policy advocacy.
As Senior Public Legal Counsel, Pierre successfully represented JHSS at the Supreme Court of Canada in John Howard Society of Saskatchewan v. Saskatchewan, a case which advanced constitutional protections across the country for people facing prison disciplinary proceedings. Pierre has also represented incarcerated people and public interest organizations before superior and appellate courts, most notably in R. v. Wilson, 2025 SCC 32; UR Pride v. Saskatchewan, 2025 SKCA 74; R. v. B.J.M., 2024 SKCA 79; and Kupsar v. Regina Provincial Correctional Centre, 2020 SKCA 142.
Pierre joins Nicole Kief, Executive Director, in co-leading the work of PLS to enforce the rights of incarcerated people and advance strategic litigation and advocacy to achieve systemic, anti-carceral change.
by Web Master | Aug 12, 2025 | News, Uncategorized
Prisoners’ Legal Services is a non-profit society providing legal assistance to people in federal and provincial prisons in British Columbia. We also engage in strategic litigation and advocacy on the prison justice issues brought forward by our clients to achieve systemic, anti-carceral change. We are a team of lawyers and non-lawyers who believe that no one is disposable, and who work alongside and in solidarity with incarcerated people. We witness some of the harshest forms of state violence, and use the legal system’s tools to protect our clients from the abuses and degradations of prison.
We are currently hiring for the following positions:
Director of Legal Services
Human rights and healthcare staff lawyer
Applications due by September 15, 2025.
Prisoners’ Legal Services is located in Burnaby, BC, on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) and qiqéyt (Qayqayt) Nations.
by Web Master | Jul 10, 2025 | News, Uncategorized
LEGAL ADVOCATE – RACIAL JUSTICE PROGRAM
Burnaby, BC | Prisoners’ Legal Services is located on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) and qiqéyt (Qayqayt) Nations.
Title: Legal Advocate – Racial Justice Program
Location: Primarily in-person at our office in Burnaby, with some remote work opportunities
Employment type: Full-time (approximately 35 hours/week)
Salary: $66,402/year
Application deadline: August 1, 2025 or until filled. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis.
Start date: As soon as possible.
Prisoners’ Legal Services (PLS) is looking for a passionate, strategic, reliable and empathetic person to join our efforts to protect the rights and dignity of people in prison as a legal advocate focusing on racial justice. The Racial Justice Advocate position is an opportunity to help advance systemic change while also providing direct legal support to racialized incarcerated people.
About us:
Prisoners’ Legal Services is a non-profit society providing legal assistance to people in federal and provincial prisons in British Columbia. We also engage in strategic litigation and advocacy on the prison justice issues brought forward by our clients to achieve systemic, anti-carceral change.
We are a team of lawyers and non-lawyers who believe that no one is disposable, and who work alongside and in solidarity with incarcerated people. We witness some of the harshest forms of state violence, and use the legal system’s tools to protect our clients from the abuses and degradations of prison. More information about our work is available at https://prisonjustice.org/.
About the position:
PLS’ Racial Justice Program combines individual legal services with litigation and advocacy on issues of systemic racism, including the mass incarceration of Indigenous people, the over-classification of Black and Indigenous people to higher security prisons, barriers to community release for Black and Indigenous prisoners, race-based harassment and discrimination by prison authorities, investment in prisons over community-based and Indigenous-run alternatives, and more.
The Racial Justice Advocate assists incarcerated clients, primarily by phone, with prison legal matters, focusing on issues that engage anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism. Advocacy may involve summary advice, informal advocacy with prison authorities and others, written submissions, complaints to oversight bodies, representation at administrative hearings (such as Parole Board hearings), and more. Legal advocates have conduct of client files and are responsible for determining what services will be provided to a client and ensuring tasks are completed, deadlines are met, commitments to clients are honoured, and accurate records are kept. Legal advocates work under the supervision of a lawyer.
The Racial Justice Advocate works closely with the Racial Justice Staff Lawyer to identify trends, develop and pursue systemic litigation and advocacy, and promote the integration of individual client representation with systemic change work.
Qualifications & skills:
- Post-secondary education in law, criminology, social work, or related discipline, or equivalent education and experience;
- Strong writing, research, interviewing and negotiation skills;
- Ability to be a strong advocate for marginalized clients, including people with high mental health needs and people convicted of various crimes;
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to work with people in prison, lawyers, prison and parole officials, community partners, and others;
- Knowledge of colonialism and anti-Black and anti-Indigenous systems of oppression; strong commitment to social justice and anti-oppression work;
- Excellent judgment in matters of ethics and confidentiality;
- Interest in law and legal approaches;
- Intellectual curiosity and creativity, and an ability to think strategically;
- Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team and to partner effectively and compassionately with incarcerated clients;
- Familiarity with concepts of cultural safety and humility;
- Self-directed and attentive to detail, with the ability to set goals and meet deadlines;
- Critical and anti-colonial approach to carceral systems;
- Ability to care for yourself and colleagues amidst challenging work;
- Knowledge of French an asset.
Working Conditions:
This is a primarily in-person position based at our office in an elevator building in Burnaby, BC, with some opportunities for remote work. Office hours are approximately 8:30-4:30 Monday – Friday, with periodic work outside these hours. Each advocate has their own office within our communal office space. There is a gender-neutral accessible washroom. Staff are unionized.
The position requires extensive phone communication, in-person and virtual meetings and hearings, and travel to prisons in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley. A driver’s licence and as-needed access to a vehicle strongly preferred. A CPIC clearance will be required to visit prisons.
This position is dependent on grant funding.
Salary: $66,402/year, plus a comprehensive benefits package. Additional benefits include 20 paid vacation days, wellness days and professional development opportunities.
How to apply:
We are committed to upholding the values of equity, diversity, inclusion and social justice. We welcome and encourage applications from members of marginalized communities or communities that experience structural discrimination, including but not limited to Indigenous people, racialized people, people with (dis)abilities, and people of minority gender identities and sexual orientations.
As an employer, we strive to create an inclusive and barrier-free recruitment and selection process; please contact info@pls-bc.ca to request accommodations.
Interested applicants should submit a covering letter and résumé to:
Nicole Kief, Executive Director
Prisoners’ Legal Services/West Coast Prison Justice Society
info@pls-bc.ca
Please note “Racial Justice Advocate” in the subject line.
Closing date: August 1, 2025 or until filled. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis.
