Kingston Prison for Women Inquiry – Louise Arbour Report

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Kingston Prison for Women Inquiry – Louise Arbour Report Commission of Inquiry into certain events at the Prison for Women in Kingston 8 Public Works and Government Services Canada, 1996 All rights reserved Printed and bound in Canada Catalogue No. JS42-73/1996E ISBN 0-662-24355-2 Publié aussi en français sous le titre : Commission d'enquête sur certains événements survenus à la Prison des femmes de Kingston. Available in Canada through: Canada Communication Group C Publishing Ottawa, Canada, K1A 0S9 CANADIAN CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION DATA Commission of Inquiry into Certain Events at the Prison for Women in Kingston (Canada) Commission of Inquiry into certain events at the Prison for Women in Kingston Issued also in French under title: Commission d'enquête sur certains évènements survenus à la Prison des femmes de Kingston. Commissioner: The Honourable Louise Arbour. ISBN 0-662-24355-2 Cat. no. JS42-73/1996E 1. Reformatories for women C Ontario C Kingston. 2. Prison violence C Ontario C Kingston. 3. Prison discipline C Ontario C Kingston. 4. Women prisoners C Civil rights C Ontario C Kingston. 5. Correctional institutions C Canada C Management. I. Arbour, Louise, 1947- . II. Title. III. Title: The Prison for Women in Kingston. HV9025.C65 1996365.9713'72C96-980136-X Care has been taken to trace the ownership of copyright material in the text including tables and figures. 1 The Honourable Herb Gray, P.C., M.P. Solicitor General of Canada Sir Wilfrid Laurier Building 340 Laurier Avenue West Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0P8 Dear Minister: By Order in Council PC 1995-608 dated April 10, 1995, I was appointed Commissioner to investigate and report on the state and management of that part of the business of the Correctional Service of Canada that pertains to the incidents that occurred at the Prison for Women in Kingston, Ontario, beginning on April 22, 1994. I have the honour to submit the attached report in both official languages. Respectfully submitted, The Honourable Louise Arbour Commissioner 2 Commissioner The Honourable Louise Arbour Commission Counsel Patricia D. S. Jackson Administrator Sheila-Marie Cook Associate Commission Counsel Chief Investigator Guy Gournoyer Dennis Olinyk (Ontario Provincial Police) Assistant to the Commissioner Research & Policy Advisors and to Commission Counsel Tammy Landau, PhD. Karen McFarlane Kelly Hannah-Moffat Legal Services Criminology Research Jana Mills Anne-Marie Singh Cheryl Waldrum Marnie Crouch Sandra Hargreaves Investigators Evidentiary Document Control Unit (Ontario Provincial Police) Deborah Anne Whittames Julie Cyr Barb Fiorentino Jenny Zapotoczny Sean Lytle Valerie Baun Leslie Wake Sylvie C^tJ Administrative Services Registrar Fern Anes Joyce Ihamaki Melissa Jarrett Angie McWaters Kingston Hearings Site Elizabeth Rolland Communications Suzanne Schryer-Belair Annette Snowdon Gillian Sadinsky Editor - English David Redgrave Editor - French Nicolas Joly 3 Commission of Inquiry into certain events at the Prison for Women in Kingston Terms of Reference Preface The Inquiry Process Glossary Abbreviations PART I THE EVENTS AT THE PRISON FOR WOMEN 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 The Structure and Organization of the Correctional Service of Canada 1.2 The Organization of the Prison for Women 1.3 The Physical Layout of the Prison for Women 1.4 Daily Life in the Prison for Women 1.5 The Correctional Investigator 1.6 Other Organizations 1.7 The Correctional Context: Creating Choices 2. FACTUAL FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE INCIDENTS UNDER INVESTIGATION 2.1 Overview Chronology 2.2 April 22, 1994 2.3 The Segregation Unit at the Prison for Women, April 22-26, 1994 2.4 The Strip Search of April 26-27, 1994 2.5 The Body Cavity Search on April 27, 1994 2.6Transfers to the Regional Treatment Centre 2.7Board of Investigation 2.8Segregation Post-April 26, 1994 2.9The Complaint and Grievance Procedure 2.10The Correctional Investigator 2.11Documents 2.12Measuring CSC's Performance Against its Mission Statement PART II POLICY ISSUES 3.GENERAL CORRECTIONAL ISSUES 3.1Developing a Culture of Rights 3.2Developing an Effective Sanction 3.3Managing Segregation 3.4Increasing Accountability in Operations 4.WOMEN'S ISSUES 4.1Federally Sentenced Women B A Current Profile 4.2Cross-gender Staffing 4.3Aboriginal Women and The Healing Lodge 4.4The Future of Women's Corrections PART III THE ROOTS OF CHANGE: AN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE 5.HISTORY OF THE FEDERAL WOMEN'S PRISON 5.1The Early Years 5.2Women Prisoners and Their Rights to Fair and Equitable Treatment 5.3Conclusion PART IV - SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS APPENDICES A. Contractors B. WITNESSES AT THE HEARINGS C. PARTICIPANTS IN THE ROUNDTABLES D. CONSULTATIONS BY THE COMMISSIONER AND STAFF E. RULING ON APPLICATIONS FOR STANDING E. RULING ON APPLICATION FOR STANDING F. RULES OF PROCEDURE AND PRACTICE G. INTERVENOR FUNDING: ORDER IN COUNCIL AND SCHEDULE ``A'' GUIDELINES H. SAMPLES OF UNDERTAKINGS I. SAMPLES OF S. 13 NOTICES 4 List of Illustrations Figures Figure 1 The Correctional Service of Canada Organization B Part I 6 Figure 2 The Correctional Service of Canada Organization B Part II 7 Figure 3 2nd Floor Layout Prison Cells 12 Figure 4 Mezzanine Layout Prison Cells 13 Plates Plate 1 Segregation Unit upper and lower tier of Dissociation side 14 Plate 2 Upper tier Dissociation side 15 Plate 3 Interior view of a cell 16 Plate 4 Exterior view of a cell 17 Plate 5 Cell with heavy metal treadplate 18 Plate 6 Cell with heavy metal treadplate 19 Tables Table 1 Persons Charged by Gender Selected Incidents, 1994 205 Table 2 Sentence Length of Incarcerated Federally Sentenced Women 206 Table 3 Current Region & Institution of Incarcerated Federally Sentenced Women 207 Table 4 Offences of Federally Sentenced Women in Custody 208 Terms of Reference HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR GENERAL IN COUNCIL, on the recommendation of the Solicitor General of Canada, is pleased hereby. 1. pursuant to Part II of the Inquiries Act, to authorize the Solicitor General of Canada (a) to appoint, by Commission under the Great Seal, the Honourable Louise Arbour of Toronto, Ontario, a judge of the Court of Appeal for Ontario, as a commissioner to investigate and report on the state and management of that part of the business of the Correctional Service of Canada that pertains to the incidents that occurred at the Prison for Women in Kingston, Ontario, of the Correctional Service of Canada thereto, in particular (i) the measures in place at the Prison for Women in Kingston, Ontario, in April 1994 to respond to incidents, (ii) the adequacy and appropriateness of the actions and decisions taken in relation to the seriousness of the incidents that occurred, (iii) the deployment of an all-male emergency response team, the mandate that was given to the team and the appropriateness of the team's conduct during its involvement in the incidents that occurred, and (iv) the subsequent confinement in administrative segregation of the inmates concerned, the reasonableness of their treatment while in segregation and the duration of the segregation; b) to authorize the Commissioner (i) to adopt such procedures and methods as she may from time to time deem expedient for the proper conduct of the inquiry, (ii) to sit at such times and at such places in Canada as she may from time to time decide and to have complete access to personnel and information in the Correctional Service of Canada and the Department of the Solicitor General and adequate working accommodation and clerical assistance, and 5 (iii) to engage the services of such staff and technical advisors as she deems necessary or advisable and the services of counsel to aid and assist her in the inquiry, at such rates of remuneration and reimbursement as may be approved by the Treasury Board; and c) to direct the Commissioner (i) to make independent findings of fact regarding the incidents that occurred, in view of different conclusions in the two reports, (ii) to recommend improvements, as may be required, to the policies and practices of the Correctional Service of Canada in relation to such incidents, (iii) to report in both official languages to the Solicitor General of Canada by March 31, 1996, and (iv) to deposit the records and papers of the Commission with the Solicitor General of Canada as soon after the conclusion of the inquiry as is reasonably possible; and 2. pursuant to section 56 of the Judges Act, to authorize the Honourable Louise Arbour of Toronto, Ontario, a judge of the Court of Appeal for Ontario, to act as Commissioner. 6 Preface The history of women and crime is spotted with opportunities most of which have been missed. We hope that history will not dictate our future. The incidents that gave rise to this inquiry could have gone largely unnoticed. Until the public viewing of a videotape which shed light on part of these events, and the release of a special report by the Correctional Investigator in the winter of 1995, the Correctional Service of Canada had essentially closed the book on these events. This was perceived as, by far, not the most serious series of events to have taken place in a Canadian penitentiary. Sadly, that is probably true. At the Prison for Women, loss of life and self-mutilation are among the many tragedies that occur, and that are largely unknown to the Canadian public. However, this inquiry was concerned not only with what happened at the Prison for Women in 1994, but with the response of the Correctional Service of Canada to these events. The shortcomings that have been revealed in the course of this inquiry are, in my opinion, of the most serious nature. Corrections is the least visible branch of the criminal justice system. Occasions such as this, where its functioning is brought under intense public scrutiny, are few and far between. This may explain the discomfort of Corrections officials in handling this level of public attention.
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