About Us, Elizabeth Fry & Female Offenders
About the Elizabeth Fry Society of
Saskatchewan
We are a woman-centered, nonprofit organization
committed to assisting women in conflict with the law:
in the community and in the criminal justice
system.
We develop and maintain programs to help women
dealing with the criminal justice system at all
stages—before, during and after they are in
conflict with the law, i.e. women:
- at risk
- in court
- in prison
- after release.
Our Mission Statement
We are committed to working with women in conflict
with the law. Recognizing the unique problems derived
from their position in society, we strive to provide
programs and services that ensure fair treatment and
encourage an end to repeat offending. We offer humane
solutions from the community, and in the community.
Our Structure
The Elizabeth Fry Society in Saskatchewan was
incorporated in 1981. There is currently one society
office in the province, which is located in Saskatoon.
A Board of Directors, elected at an Annual General
Meeting, guides the programs and activities of the
agency. Membership is open to the public. The society
is affiliated with the national body, the Canadian Association
of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS).
Our Philosophy
We are committed to assisting young and adult women
in conflict with the law, and to the development of a
humane and egalitarian justice system for women.
- We believe that justice for women in conflict
with the law cannot be separated
from the larger issue of the equality of
women in society. To effectively prevent
crime committed by women and fully integrate women
offenders in the community, the socioeconomic
conditions under which women live must be
remedied.
- The community has a responsibility to
become actively involved with
offenders—it is only through citizen
support and involvement that offenders can become
contributing members of the community.
- Ideally, people in conflict with the law
should be handled within the
community. We should strive for a society
that handles offenders through alternatives to
incarceration.
- The role of the volunteer is
crucial—the citizen who volunteers
brings a willingness to aid the community.
- It is our responsibility to inform the
public of issues affecting women involved in
the criminal justice system.
- We are committed to being open and
accountable to the public.
- We have the responsibility to encourage
change in the criminal justice system and in
society and to alleviate conditions,
which cause women to come into conflict with the
law.
- We believe special action is needed to
increase services for women and
ensure equivalent programs and
services for men and women in conflict with
the law based on individual
needs.
- As women constitute a small minority of
offenders, programs specifically for their needs have
been slow to develop as compared with those for men.
An innovative means of addressing this disparity must
result in equal opportunities.
- We must foster relationships and work
with other organizations to encourage change
through development of common goals and
strategies-aboriginal groups, women's groups and
groups in the justice system.
- Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies
(CAEFS) should work together toward common goals and
philosophy of helping women in conflict with the
law.
- We seek to ensure input from
women in all aspects of the criminal justice
system in Canada. Presently, the justice system is
largely run by, and for men. It is vital that women
participate in the development of policy, programs
and legislation. As ours is the only organization
involved with female offenders, it is our
responsibility to foster this input.
- We are committed to involving inmates and
former inmates in the development of
policies for the criminal justice system; all persons
should actively participate in the control of
services that directly impact their lives.
- We are opposed to any form of
discrimination. All persons should be as
free as possible to make decisions regarding their
own lives and to have those decisions respected by
society.
- We believe it is the right of the federal
female offender to be housed in an adequate
provincial institution when the offender requests
such housing.
- We acknowledge that Aboriginal
women may have needs specific to their
experience within the criminal justice system and it is the
responsibility of CAEFS to address these needs.
Who was Elizabeth Fry?
Elizabeth Gurney Fry was born in
England in 1780. Although raised in a wealthy
influential Quaker family, at 17 she chose to work with
those less fortunate members of society. In Elizabeth's
time, methods of handling women in conflict with the
law had altered little since the Middle Ages:
- Women prisoners were still whipped
in public until 1817 and in private until 1820.
- The ducking stool was used in the
north of England until 1809 to punish "scolding"
women.
- Branding was not abolished until
1799 and in its last years was done on the face, not
on the hand or breast.
- The last woman was burned at the
stake in England in 1789.
Prison conditions at that time were
also deplorable:
- In some of the smaller prisons, the women were
not separated from the men and in others, men who
were labeled "lunatics", or in danger from other men,
could be placed in the women's section for the
jailer's convenience. Consequently, many babies were
born to the inmate mothers, who then lived in the
prison.
- In some smaller prisons, female prisoners were
kept for the domestic or sexual convenience of the
jailer.
- Prison fees were hard on women because they were
often friendless and penniless.
- In some prisons, the doors between the men and
women's sections were unlocked at night. Prostitution
was often the only way a woman could supplement the
meager prison diet.
These were the conditions in existence at the time
of Elizabeth Fry's first visit to Newgate Prison in
1813. Appalled by the circumstances of the women
prisoners, Elizabeth immediately organized a sewing bee
to make baby clothes for the Newgate children. Soon
after, she returned to the prison with food, hampers,
soap and bibles.
Elizabeth Fry's Achievements
She:
- introduced reforms by encouraging women to care
for themselves and their children.
- convinced authorities to set up schools inside
the prison so the women and their children could be
provided with basic education.
- provided material so the women could knit and do
needlework and found a market for their goods.
- insisted that women prisoners be kept in separate
quarters from male prisoners and that they be
supervised by other females.
- helped open the first halfway house for female
ex-convicts in 1882.
- visited prisons in other parts of the United
Kingdom and Europe where she set up "Ladies
Committees" so the work could continue in her
absence.
Elizabeth Fry advocated:
- total abolition of capital punishment.
- work for prisoners paid at standard rates and
deposited in prisoners' accounts, available upon
release.
- classification of prisoners.
- classes to teach reading and writing, in
preparation for life after prison.
Elizabeth Fry's influence was evident in the British
Prison Act of 1823, which ordered jailers to separate
the sexes and hire female guards for female prisoners.
Her philosophy towards prison reform was innovative and
far ahead of her time. She advocated as much freedom
for prisoners as possible. She wrote:
" As man is a social being, and not designed
for a life of seclusion, such a system of prison
discipline should be adopted as may be best to prepare
those under its corrections for reentering active life
and all its
consequent exposures and temptations."
Origins of Elizabeth Fry Societies in Canada
The first Elizabeth Fry Society was formed in
Vancouver in 1939. Appalled by the conditions for women
prisoners, a group of women formed a society, taking
the name of the famous prison reformer, Elizabeth
Fry.
Today, 25 Elizabeth Fry societies exist across
Canada, with new societies in various stages of
development. Each society is autonomous and deals with
issues relating to women in their province.
In 1969, the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry
Societies was formed and incorporated in 1978. CAEFS is
the national voice for the organization and operates as
an independent body through which autonomous societies
can communicate regularly.
Primary Objectives:
- to expedite communication and cooperation among
member societies,
- encourage reforms at all levels of the criminal
justice system,
- develop public awareness of programs, problems,
and the need for changes in the criminal public
system.
General Aims of all Elizabeth Fry Societies:
- implementation of programming to assist women in
conflict with the law,
- increase public awareness and understanding of
problems faced by women offenders,
- encourage participation of community members and
associations in the criminal justice system to
improve correctional services and facilitate
reintegration of ex-offenders in the community.
The Female Offender Profile in Canada
The Elizabeth Fry Society contends there are
systemic reasons why women come into conflict with the
law. Women commit crimes due to the combined forces of
chronic poverty, sexism and racism.
The Female offender is more likely to be:
- poor
- a single mother
- undereducated
- Aboriginal
- unemployed or unskilled with little or no work
experience
- a substance abuser
- a survivor of physical, sexual and/or emotional
abuse and racial discrimination.
For many of these women, conflict with the law is a
survival response. Property crimes such as shoplifting
or bad cheque writing are common.
10 % of violent crimes are committed by women and
are usually reactive in nature, in response to abusive
situations. For many women, involvement in the criminal
justice system is a culmination of poverty, physical
and sexual abuse, racial discrimination, family
breakdown, unemployment and drug or alcohol abuse.
Although other groups in society face these issues,
they constitute a unique set of circumstances for the
female offender.
Unofficial statistics indicate that among
incarcerated women:
- at least 80% have been sexually abused or
physically abused as children or adults
- 50% are single parents with children under 12
years of age
- 70% are under 30 years of age
- 85% are poor, unemployed and unskilled
- in Saskatchewan, 90% are of Aboriginal
ancestry
- of Aboriginal women incarcerated, 90% have been
victims of sexual, physical and/or emotional
abuse.
As women make up only 17% of the total offender
population in Canada and only 2.3% of federally
incarcerated offenders are women, the criminal justice system has
been slow to address the unique needs of women
offenders.
Timeline: the History of Corrections for Women in
Canada
- Pre 1800's: various forms of
corporal punishment and public whipping were the
punishments for women in conflict with the law
- 1835: construction of Kingston
Provincial penitentiary for men: it was now possible
to incarcerate women but their welfare was secondary
to space needs of male convicts. Women were housed
there until 1934.
- 1848: Brown Commission
recommended a separate facility for women
- 1913: a separate facility for
women was erected within the men's penitentiary
- 1914: Macdonnell Report
reexamined entire penal system, results called for
federally sentenced women to become responsibilities
of the provinces
- 1921: Nickle Report was the
first inquiry to exclusively review situation of
female offenders
- 1925: Construction of the Prison
for Women in Kingston was begun
- 1934: Kingston Prison for Women
officially opened in January 1934. The prison was
surrounded by 16 feet of barbed wire. The women were
confined to their cells and no provision was made for
education or recreation.
- 1938: Archambeault Commission
called for closure of the Prison for Women and the
inmates to be transferred to their home provinces.
The commission also called for education for
prisoners and a new classification system.
- 1939 to 1989: No fewer than 13
major government commissions, investigations and
private sector reports reviewed conditions of federal
women offenders and each recommended closure of the
Prison for Women and decentralization of
facilities.
- 1990: Government Task Force,
Creating Choices recommended opening of five regional
facilities as well as a unique healing lodge for
Aboriginal women. This approach emphasized
self-sufficiency and the ability of federally
sentenced women to live in dignity and respect.
- 2000: Closure of P4W Prison for
Women
Currently, in Saskatchewan:
- provincially sentenced women on
remand: Pine Grove in Prince Albert
- minimum and medium security:
Okimaw Ohci Healing Lodge in Maple Creek
- maximum Security:
Regional Psychiatric Centre in Saskatoon
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