Registration open! Supporting Prisoners’ Mental Health
Conference Date: June 2, 2017 | Conference Location: Vancouver Convention Centre.
Supporting Prisoners’ Mental Health: Best practices and alternatives to solitary confinement
Register now!
This day-long collaborative conference will provide a forum for medical professionals to discuss ways that they can comply with the UN Mandela Rules and advocate for their patients’ mental health in a correctional setting, navigating the waters between ethical and professional obligations and the security concerns of the prison environment.
Confirmed speakers
Dr. Gabor Maté, Best-selling author and retired medical doctor Dr. Craig Haney, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, University of California, Santa Cruz Jennifer Wheatley, Assistant Commissioner, Health Services, Correctional Service Canada Dr. Diane A. Rothon, Medical Director, BC Corrections Dr. John Livesley, Professor Emeritus, University of British Columbia Dr. Ruth Elwood Martin, Clinical Professor, University of British Columbia Jean-Frédéric Boulais, Director of Investigations and General Counsel, Office of the Correctional Investigator
Conference topics will include: the harms of solitary confinement; trauma and addiction; current standards for accommodating and treating prisoners with mental health issues, including personality disorders; and implementation of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Mandela Rules).
We especially welcome doctors, nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, counsellors and other correctional healthcare providers, as well as correctional staff whose work overlaps with mental healthcare and policy development.
Presented by the West Coast Prison Justice Society with funding from the Law Foundation of BC.
Prisoners’ Legal Services 302-7818 6th Street Burnaby, BC
Tel: 604-636-0470 Fax: 604-636-0480
Email: info@pls-bc.ca
We are grateful for the funding provided by
How to Show Your Support
Help us to continue to fight for the human rights of prisoners in BC! PLS is currently litigating the important systemic issues of the segregation of prisoners with mental disabilities, access to health care, transgender prisoner rights, and access to religion and Indigenous spirituality. We need help to continue to do this important work. Donations to West Coast Prison Justice Society are non-charitable and are not tax deductible.
WHAT: Statement to United Nations Human Rights Council by Indigenous and prison rights organizations in response to Canada’s Universal Periodic Review
WHEN: March 25, 2024
WHERE: 55th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Geneva, Switzerland – live broadcast at https://webtv.un.org/en
Geneva, Switzerland – On March 25, 2024, Dene lawyer Jennifer Duncan is in Geneva to speak to the United Nations Human Rights Council on behalf of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, the First Nations Summit, the BC First Nations Justice Council and Prisoners’ Legal Services. Duncan’s comments focus on Canada’s mass incarceration of Indigenous people, and call for a redirection of resources and authority from colonial prisons to Indigenous governments and organizations to decarcerate Indigenous people and build alternatives to address harm based on Indigenous legal systems and the UNDeclaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Duncan will also call for an end to solitary confinement and solitary-like conditions and for Canada to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Ms. Duncan’s comments are in response to Canada’s Universal Periodic Review (“UPR”). The UPR allows United Nations member states to review the human rights records of their peers. Canada’s UPR took place at the meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council in November 2023, when Canada was questioned by several states about the mass incarceration of Indigenous people. At the meeting in March 2024, Canada’s Final UPR Report will be adopted, including which recommendations Canada will support.
Written comments from the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, the First Nations Summit, the BC First Nations Justice Council, the BC Assembly of First Nations and Prisoners’ Legal Services are available here.
On February 28, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, the BC First Nations Justice Council, the First Nations Summit and Prisoners’ Legal Services wrote to the Chief Coroner to request an inquest into the death of Kendal Campeau, of the Yellow Quill First Nation, who passed away while in the custody of the Correctional Service Canada. Mr. Campeau reported horrendous abuse in custody. We hope an inquest into his death will help to draw attention to the urgent need for alternatives to prison for Indigenous people that are culturally safe and based on Indigenous law.
Click here to read the letter requesting an inquest.
Click here to read a news release regarding PLS’ calls for CSC to consider systemic abuse of Indigenous people in its investigation into Mr. Campeau’s death.
Unceded Coast Salish Territories (Burnaby, British Columbia) / Unceded Algonquin Territory (Ottawa, ON) — Today, the Congress of Indigenous Peoples (CAP) and Prisoners’ Legal Services (PSL) wrote to Correctional Service Canada (“CSC”) to raise the alarm about the warehousing of Indigenous people in the federal prison system and CSC’s role in perpetuating the mass incarceration of Indigenous people.
The letter highlights the case of Joey Toutsaint, a Dene man who has spent approximately 18 years in custody. The letter explains the extensive harms done to Mr. Toutsaint by the prison system, including through physical violence and long-term solitary confinement, and how these harms have prevented him from reentering the community, contrary to the legislative purpose of CSC.
The organizations called on CSC to convene an independent, Indigenous-led investigation into allegations of staff misconduct and abuse against Mr. Toutsaint, including allegations that officers at Edmonton Institution allowed other prisoners into Mr. Toutsaint’s cell to rape him when he was still a teenager, shortly after he first entered the federal prison system.
“While the government trumpets the importance of reconciliation, its policies continue to fill prisons with our people while authorities ignore shocking allegations of abuse,” says CAP National Vice-Chief Kim Beaudin. “Canada’s justice system is concrete proof that the policies that attempted to steal our cultures and youth are still alive and well.”
“Joey and other Indigenous people in prison do not need more CSC ‘intervention’. They have the right to healing in a restorative and culturally-appropriate environment”, said Jennifer Metcalfe, Executive Director of Prisoners’ Legal Services. “Conditions in CSC prisons are not safe or humane, and CSC is not preparing Indigenous people for reintegration into the community – instead, they are causing further harm and disconnection. That is why Prisoners’ Legal Services has called on Canada to redirect $1 billion annually from CSC to Indigenous governments and organizations to provide alternatives to prison for Indigenous people. $1 billion represents one-third of CSC’s annual budget, and a fair proportion of funding given that approximately one-third of people in federal prisons are Indigenous.”
Victoria, BC (Lək̓ʷəŋən traditional territories) – From Monday, February 12 until Thursday, February 15, 2024 the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal will hear the case of Nick Dinardo (they/them), a formerly incarcerated Two-Spirit and transfeminine member of the Piapot First Nation. Mx. Dinardo will argue that Correctional Service Canada (“CSC”) discriminated against them on the basis of race, religion, gender identity, and disability during their time in federal prison.
While Mx. Dinardo was in prison, correctional officers used violent force against them over 45 times. These uses of force included breaking their arm, pepper spraying them when they self-harmed, and shooting them with a rubber bullet in the face. The video footage of officers breaking their arm, which was obtained through a Privacy Act request, is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4fceEaLZh8&t=5s. Mx. Dinardo also spent extended periods isolated in the Structured Intervention Unit, for periods as long as 181 consecutive days.
Further, Mx. Dinardo faced significant harassment and abuse as a transfeminine person incarcerated in prisons designated for men. CSC repeatedly refused Mx. Dinardo’s requests to transfer to prisons designated for women. In their case, Mx. Dinardo is seeking systemic remedies to improve the lives of gender diverse people and people with disabilities in prison.
Jennifer Metcalfe, Executive Director of Prisoners’ Legal Services, says: “Mx. Dinardo’s treatment in federal prison is a national disgrace. We are inspired by their courage to take on CSC and fight for change.”
Nicole Kief, Policy Director of Prisoners’ Legal Services, says: “No one should suffer the kinds of indignities and abuses that Mx. Dinardo experienced in prison. The injustices raised in this case are systemic, and CSC must change its policies to comply with the Canadian Human Rights Act.”
For details on how to observe the hearing, please contact the CHRT:
Mx. Dinardo is represented by David Taylor, Christopher Trivisonno, and Maritza Woel of Conway Baxter Wilson LLP and Jessica Magonet of Prisoners’ Legal Services.
Prisoners’ Legal Service and the Criminal Defence Advocacy Society of BC presents
The Realities of Prison or Jail Time in BC
June 19, 2024 at 4:30 – 6 p.m. PT
Join Prisoners’ Legal Services and the Criminal Defence Advocacy Society (CDAS) for this free webinar to learn more about the realities of what it means to be sentenced to federal prison or provincial jail time in BC, the conditions in BC remand centres for people denied bail, and advice for lawyers advocating for clients in these situations. We will share helpful information and resources, including:
the likelihood of receiving parole before statutory release dates;
the availability of rehabilitative programs, treatment for drug and alcohol use, health care, mental health supports, and cultural and spiritual services, particularly for Indigenous people;
the kinds of human rights abuses that are common in prison, such as solitary confinement and violence, and issues faced by marginalized groups, including BIPOC, Deaf, trans, Two-Spirit and gender diverse people;
sources for statistics, reports, and other authoritative information about prison and jail conditions;
tactical considerations for lawyers when communicating with prison officials and advocating for a client’s rights in custody; and
steps lawyer should take before, during, and after a client’s sentencing hearing to protect their client’s interests and prepare them for federal or provincial custody.
Prisoners’ Legal Services administers prison related legal aid to people in federal and BC custody. We assist people with issue that affect their liberty rights under s. 7 of the Charter as well as human rights and health care issues. We assist people with about 3,000 legal issues each year. Find us online at: prisonjustice.org.
CDAS is engaged in advocacy, law reform, and education in matters relating to criminal defence work in the justice system. The Society was founded in 2015 by members of the BC criminal defence bar who identified a gap in the area of law reform for criminal justice issues specifically affecting criminal defence lawyers and their clients. Find out more at cdasociety.com.
Receptionist/Administrative Assistant Prisoners’ Legal Services, Burnaby, BC
Prisoners’ Legal Services is looking for a receptionist/administrative assistant who wants to use their skills to support the rights of people in prison.
We are a small non-profit society providing legal services to people in federal and provincial prisons in the province of British Columbia.
The receptionist/administrative assistant reports to the executive director. The position involves providing reception/intake, office and clerical services to support lawyers and advocates.
Duties include:
Answering calls from clients, entering information into our database, determining their legal issues, directing calls to the appropriate staff member and taking messages as appropriate;
Providing clients with referrals to other agencies, sending public legal education material and providing limited legal information in specific identified areas;
Answering other calls, taking messages, arranging couriers, sending and delivering faxes and mail;
Maintaining accurate database and filing system;
Drafting letters;
Track access to information requests and responses;
Arranging legal aid lawyers to represent clients at hearings;
providing advocacy and litigation support for advocates and lawyers;
may assist with IT and website; and
keeping the office organized and tidy, vacuuming and taking out recycling and garbage every other week.
Basic Qualifications:
grade 12 education and training in administrative assistance;
knowledge of computer systems; and
adequate typing speed.
Skills and Abilities:
able to be discreet and to exercise excellent judgment in matters of ethics and confidentiality;
ability to work well with others in a team setting;
must have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, in particular in dealing with people in prison, lawyers, prison and parole officials;
must be efficient;
must have ability to deal with distressed clients in a calm and respectful manner; and
must have a desire to assist those convicted of various crimes in a non-judgmental way, including those with mental health disabilities, those with low income, or those whose first language is not English.
Salary: $46,266 (benefits after 6 months) Closing date: October 30, 2023 Starting date: ASAP
Interested applicants should submit a covering letter together with a résumé outlining how their qualifications meet the position requirements to:
Jennifer Metcalfe, Executive Director Prisoners’ Legal Services Email: jmetcalfe[at]pls-bc.ca
We are committed to upholding the values of equity, diversity and inclusion and we welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who experience barriers to equity.
Unceded Coast Salish Territories (Burnaby, British Columbia) – Ed Speidel, an incarcerated person at Matsqui Institution represented by Prisoners’ Legal Services (PLS), was granted parole on September 28, 2023. In deciding to grant Mr. Speidel’s application, the Parole Board considered his serious health issues, including a diagnosis of end-stage lung disease, in determining that his release was warranted. PLS has spent the past 6 months fighting for Mr. Speidel’s release.
PLS will continue to represent Mr. Speidel in a Federal Court case against the Parole Board of Canada regarding the interpretation of s. 121(1) of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act with the goal of ensuring that all incarcerated people in Canada have the right to a parole review at any time if they are terminally ill, suffering excessive hardship, or if their confinement is seriously damaging their health. Currently, people in these circumstances may be subject to wait up to a year before the Parole Board will accept their application for parole, which is antithetical to the compassionate and humanitarian grounds underlying this provision.
Lisa Crossley represented Mr. Speidel at his parole board hearing as well as a previous unsuccessful application for parole by exception, before he was eligible for a regular parole review. “We are so relieved that the Board has finally recognized that Mr. Speidel does not pose a risk to the community. It shouldn’t have taken this long,” said Lisa Crossley.
Media contact:
Lisa Crossley, Staff Lawyer
lcrossley@pls-bc.ca
604-636-0470
Geneva – Today, Dene lawyer Jennifer Duncan is in Geneva leading up to Canada’s 4th Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Pre-Session to draw international attention to Canada’s continued mass incarceration of Indigenous people. Jennifer Duncan is voicing the calls of the BC First Nations Justice Council (BCFNJC), the BC Assembly of First Nations (BCAFN), the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) and Prisoners’ Legal Services (PLS) for an end to the mass incarceration of Indigenous people as part of the United Nations’ review of Canada’s human rights record.
Indigenous people represent 5% of the population in Canada but 32% 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.
The UPR allows United Nations member states to review the human rights records of their peers. Canada’s UPR pre-session is on August 31, 2023, in advance of the review in Geneva in November 2023 at the meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
The BCFNJC, BCAFN, UBCIC and PLS call on Canada 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 people in a manner consistent with the United NationsDeclaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Kory Wilson, Chair of the BCFNJC states, “The status quo is untenable. Study after study, commission after commission – the conclusions are the same: the Canadian justice system is failing our people at every turn. The BC First Nations Justice Council asserts, in no uncertain terms, that the mass incarceration of our people is a human rights crisis. We ask that all levels of government engage in work that will ensure systemic change, advance our First Nations Justice Strategy and to see Indigenous communities, Elders, children, and families thriving in peace and security, their dignity and well-being supported by a trusted and representative justice system grounded in traditional knowledge.”
BCAFN Regional Chief Terry Teegee states, “The Canadian criminal justice system is a colonial institution designed to extinguish First Nations peoples and our inherent rights. This framework continues to create and maintain violence against our communities. The over-incarceration and well-documented mistreatment of First Nations individuals in custody are pervasive issues, and must be urgently addressed at all levels of government. In alignment with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Canada must work with First Nations to support self-determined approaches to wellness, community safety, and justice. Support from the international community is essential to holding the Canadian government to account for its oppressive and discriminatory treatment of Indigenous Peoples. Together, we can work towards a future where equity, respect, and dignity prevail for all.”
UBCIC Grand Chief Stewart Phillip said: “Canada’s archaic and racist prison system is guilty of genocide by the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide which came into force at the UN in 1951; the year we were legally allowed to potlach again. Canada has yet to be held accountable for committing genocide against Indigenous peoples in Canada and the Canadian government are so far behind in human rights, that they continually pour money into decrepit buildings and train people to enforce inhumane and barbaric forms of punishment and don’t bat an eye. Ahead of Canada’s review, we will be watching, and we will be working together to ensure that our inherent and human Indigenous rights are respected in Canadian-owned and operated prisons.”
Jennifer Metcalfe, Executive Director of PLS said: “We have heard countless stories of warehousing and abuse of Indigenous people in prison. Our client Joey Toutsaint, a member of the Black Lake Denesuline First Nation, was held for more than 2,180 days in solitary confinement and has reported that prison officers have repeatedly encouraged him to kill himself. The solution cannot be to invest more money in Correctional Service Canada prisons and initiatives, but to recognize Indigenous self-determination and redirect funding and authority to Indigenous governments and organizations to address violence and harm.”
Prisoners’ Legal Services is looking for passionate, problem solving, empathetic and dedicated advocates for the rights of people in prison.
We are a small non-profit society providing legal services to people in federal and provincial prison in the province of British Columbia.
The legal advocate position involves providing advocacy regarding prison legal issues involving liberty rights, health care and human rights. This work is primarily done by telephone, fax and email. Advocacy on behalf of people in prison may involve summary advice, informal advocacy, providing written submissions and personal representation at tribunals.
Legal advocates have conduct of client files and are responsible for ensuring day-to-day tasks are scheduled and performed within relevant timeframes. The job involves reviewing and determining the legal merit of cases and determining the level of service to be provided. Legal advocates work under the supervision of a lawyer.
Legal advocates have a great deal of contact with people in prison, prison administrators and parole authorities.
This position may require frequent travel to prisons in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley. Access to a vehicle is essential. A CPIC clearance is required to visit prisons.
Basic Qualifications:
Post-secondary education in Law, Criminology, Social Work, Paralegal training or equivalent;
Strong verbal, written and interviewing skills; and
Experience in a legal environment or advocacy an asset.
Skills and Abilities
ability to be a strong advocate for disadvantaged clients, including those with low income, those with mental health disabilities, and those whose first language is not English;
ability to work well with others in a team setting;
ability to negotiate and find creative solutions to prisoners’ legal problems;
ability to exercise excellent judgment in matters of ethics and confidentiality;
ability to identify systemic issues and think strategically;
must have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, in particular in dealing with people in prison, lawyers, and prison and parole officials;
must be familiar with general software applications (e.g. MS Word, Outlook);
must be willing and prepared to assist those convicted of various crimes in a non-judgmental way; and
second language or demonstrated awareness of the cultural diversity an asset.
Salary: $60,975 (two and a half-year term with possibility of renewal) Closing date: September 1, 2023 Start date: ASAP
Interested applicants should submit a covering letter and résumé outlining how their qualifications meet the position requirements to:
We are committed to upholding the values of equity, diversity and inclusion and we welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who experience barriers to equity.
[Warning, this post includes graphic violence that may be disturbing to some readers/viewers.]
Unceded Coast Salish Territories (Burnaby, British Columbia) – Today, Nicholas Dinardo, a Two-Spirit Indigenous person in federal custody, makes public a video of Correctional Service Canada (CSC) officers breaking their arm in an excessive use of force. You can watch the video here (there is no audio to the video):
Mx. Dinardo obtained this and other use of force videos after filing Privacy Act requests for them, and taking CSC to Federal Court when they failed to release them well after the expiry of legislative time limits.
The video depicts an incident from May 30, 2021 at Port-Cartier Institution, where guards broke Mx. Dinardo’s arm by twisting it violently behind their back, after kicking and pushing them into their cell. Mx. Dinardo did not receive an X-ray until several days after this incident, which confirmed their arm was broken. CSC’s own internal review of this incident characterized this force as unnecessary and disproportionate. CSC Commissioner Anne Kelly has convened a National Board of Investigation to investigate this incident.
Throughout Mx. Dinardo’s imprisonment, CSC officers have repeatedly used force against them. Mx. Dinardo has been attempting to obtain the videos depicting these incidents for years, placing their first Privacy Act request for use of force records in December 2019. In September 2022, they filed lawsuits in Federal Court to force CSC to grant access to their personal information, arguing that CSC’s delays and refusals have violated their rights under the Privacy Act and the Charter.
Mx. Dinardo has also filed two human rights complaints against CSC for discriminating against them on the basis of their Indigenous identity, gender identity, religion, and mental disability. These complaints are ongoing.
Mx. Dinardo says: “I am relieved to finally have these videos so the world can see the violence and injustice I have experienced in prison. But the struggle is far from over. CSC has only released a fraction of the records I requested and am entitled to. Our court case continues.”
Jennifer Metcalfe, Executive Director of Prisoners’ Legal Services, says: “Access to information and videos regarding the government’s use of violence against people in prison is essential if we are going to have a prison system based on transparency and accountability. These rare glimpses of state violence behind prison walls should outrage the public.”
Mx. Dinardo is represented in their Federal Court litigation by Adam Goldenberg and Connor Bildfell of McCarthy Tétrault LLP and Jessica Magonet of Prisoners’ Legal Services.
You can read more about Mx. Dinardo’s Privacy Act case and human rights complaints here:
