Posts Tagged ‘women’
Posted on: September 17th, 2012 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
I wish this were a fairy tale but sadly, it’s all too true. Every so often my white bread world is, to quote a British friend, “gobsmacked” (shaken, astonished, shocked) and this was the case recently when I attended a workshop on the issue of human trafficking in Canada. The event was sponsored by the Downtown East Project and hosted by the Steps to Change Diversion Program. Mill Courtland Community Association in conjunction with the Waterloo Region Police Services, the Bylaw Enforcement Division of the City of Kitchener, along with other community associations, are partners in an attempt to alert the public and various levels of government to the prevalence and severity of human trafficking. It’s an issue that largely flies under the radar of most citizens though I hope this will change in the near future as its cost in human terms is incalculable. Human trafficking is different from human smuggling. According to the RCMP, human trafficking involves the recruitment, transportation or harbouring of persons for the purpose of exploitation (typically as sex trade workers for forced construction labour) whereas human smuggling is a form of illegal migration involving the organized transport of a person across an international border for money.
Timea Nagy – Photo Credit: www.walk-with-me.org
Timea Nagy is a survivor of human trafficking and speaks to audiences in Canada and internationally about her experience. It is harrowing to listen to. Timea first became a victim of trafficking when she lived in Hungary. She was looking for a way to make money to help pay debts and was approached by a woman who offered her an opportunity to come to Canada where she could work as a baby sitter. The woman seemed sincere and offered Timea a contract written entirely in English. Timea neither spoke nor read English but trusted the woman. Upon arrival in Canada she was kept at Customs and questioned by officers who were seeing many Eastern European women entering the country under false pretenses. The officers, through an interpreter, explained the contract to her. She was expected to work as an exotic dancer and Timea, disoriented, exhausted and confused was just beginning a saga that would forever change her life.
She was sent back to Hungary but not before meeting up with members of the crime ring sent to meet her. They informed her of her debt incurred through the plane ticket and how she was to pay it back. That night she was taken to a strip club and raped. This was the start of the intentional dehumanization process used to control her mind and her body. Threats to her family in Hungary were made and though she was returned to Hungary, the threats continued in her home country. Feeling trapped, she returned to Canada to work to pay off her debt to the criminal organization. This world was completely foreign to her, literally and metaphorically. Timea, in her own words, was a good girl, whose mother was a police officer and Timea lived a fairly sheltered life. She was completely unprepared for the life she was to face. As she tells it, it was almost impossible to pay the debt because she was charged for ‘expenses’ such as $360.00 for an oil change or $560.00 to replace the headlight for the car used to take her to the club. If she or any of the other girls was late being picked up for their work shift (11 am to 2 am the following day) they were charged $100. 00 per minute. Girls like Timea were afraid to go to the police as some had bad experiences in their country of origin. They were broken down psychologically, almost as one in a prison camp, their dignity was stripped away and they did whatever they were told for fear of retribution but also, because many had lost the will to fight back. They were strangers in a strange land and this sense of fear was used as a form of manipulation and control.
Police forces at all levels have joined together to pursue, capture and prosecute those who traffic in human slavery. This is an international battle as criminal gangs, organized for this specific purpose, generate huge profits that cross borders every day. Many countries are moving forward with legislation and police resources but it’s not easy to get convictions if the victims are too traumatized to come forward or are kept virtual prisoners in motel rooms across the country, driven to strip bars or construction sites where few questions are asked.
Locally, the hope is to create a task force including enforcement groups and those providing recovery and support to develop a comprehensive action plan and strategic approach to help victims and also reduce the instances of this criminal activity.
We often think that slavery no longer exists but, having spent a day learning about human trafficking, it’s clear this evil continues to thrive in societies around the world. If you’d like to learn more, visit some of the links listed below and help join the battle against human trafficking.
I think you’ll be gobsmacked as well. It doesn’t feel good does it?
Additional Resources
Author: Frank Johnson is a regular guest writer for Smart on Crime in Waterloo Region. Frank is a retired principal with the local Catholic school board, a dad, and sometimes runner who possesses an irreverent sense of humour that periodically gets him in trouble. He lives in Waterloo, Ontario.
Frank Johnson’s writing reflects his own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views or official positions of the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council.
Posted on: July 25th, 2012 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
For those interested in crime prevention the last couple weeks have certainly given many reasons for reflection. The recent shootings in Toronto at a neighbourhood party resulting in 2 deaths, the shootings at the Eaton Centre and those that are reported regularly in the press certainly make one think that violence and crime rates are on the rise. However, the release of the most recent crime statistics from Stats Canada show a decrease in the overall volume of crime, a decline of 6%, following a steady decrease over time. Sadly, there are increases in homicides (7%), a rise in sexual offences against children (3%) and a sharp rise in child pornography (40%), likely helped along by the ease of technology to traffic in illegal images. Still, the overall decline in crime rates has areas of concern that need be addressed. Organizations at all levels of government as well as several of those unrelated to government work each day to alleviate the common root causes of crime. Acts of unexplainable violence, heavily reported in the media cause fear and apprehension, if not confusion, for the public.
Unfortunately, into the mix come politicians like Mayor Rob Ford of Toronto who mused in a radio call in show about using immigration laws to keep criminals out of Toronto and to send them who knows where. He didn’t specify a location. I think he may have watched one too many John Wayne westerns where gun slingers were told to get out of town (no slight to the memory of the Duke intended). Aside from displaying a woeful lack of knowledge about the laws of Canada, he also seems to have a limited understanding of the powers of his office. Thank goodness our municipal leaders had the insight to create and support the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council several years ago. This body, made up of representatives from local government, the police, social agencies, community reps and volunteers, provides advice and input into policies related to social development issues regarding crime prevention in Waterloo Region. Maybe that’s something Mayor Ford might consider adopting. Instead, he rails at what he derisively terms “hug a thug” programs that deter youth from crime. Are the programs completely successful? Absolutely not. Are they helping many young people, fathers, mothers and agencies live a more productive life? You bet. Much has been written in the news media critical of Mayor Ford’s linking the recent shootings to immigration and his demand for more police for Toronto, “Money Talks, BS Walks”. This bullying bravado is hardly a model of reasoned leadership. It makes a great headline but governing responsibly is beyond headlines and captions. It’s actually hard work.
Then we have Public Safety Minister Vic Toews trumpeting his government’s crime agenda but noting that crime has significantly increased since 1962.
You may remember 1962. Many of you probably weren’t yet born. I was 10 years old. My favourite show that year was McHale’s Navy. I could buy a chocolate bar for 5 cents, I delivered the Pink Tely (Toronto Telegram) which scared me with headlines about the Cuban Missile Crisis, John Diefenbaker was the Prime Minister. Jann Arden was born that year. My parents bought their first house for $15,000. Great year…relevant to the debate? Perhaps, but I don’t see the connection. Many things have changed. For example, the criminal code has changed, laws have changed. The way crime statistics are reported and tracked has changed. And we didn’t have the Internet back then so electronic file sharing of child porn was impossible, it was just a very different time so to draw a comparison in regards to crime rates doesn’t seem to contribute to the debate. One of my favourite movies is “Back to the Future” but, fun as it was, even Marty McFly chose not to stay in the past.
Just this past week the horrific killings in Colorado give us further reason to reflect upon the scourge of violence in our society. There are fierce debates about gun control and the role of violence in the media as contributing factors in this tragedy. The victims all led productive lives up to this point and even the alleged perpetrator doesn’t necessarily fit our preconceived notion of a mass killer: loner, poverty-stricken, poor family attachment, uneducated and so on. It’s early days yet so we don’t know (and won’t for some time) what caused this person to take the actions he is alleged to have committed. What is certain is that there are no easy answers when it comes to crime and its prevention.
There are no “silver bullets”, just ugly copper ones that rip the hearts from people and communities. We can’t allow ourselves the luxury of trying to find the one answer, the quick fix. We can’t expect fully-funded social programs nor increased police budgets to be the one answer. It’s more of a “both and” than an “either or” approach. We can’t blame immigrants, colour, religion, economic status, educational levels or any one thing. Crime is a complex issue and its prevention therefore is equally complex. Rather than react to situations on an emotional level (which is completely understandable for victims and their families) and calling for tougher approaches to crime, as a society it’s important to look at the data provided in the most recent StatsCan report and target our interventions on closing the most obvious gaps. Working with community partners, the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council acts as a advocate for responsible policies, programs and legislation in order to help our Region be a safer place to live. The answer is not only with the government, the police or social agencies. It is the collective responsibility of each of us to do our part to build a community less likely to be violent and reactive.
Author: Frank Johnson is a regular guest writer for Smart on Crime in Waterloo Region. Frank is a retired principal with the local Catholic school board, a dad, and sometimes runner who possesses an irreverent sense of humour that periodically gets him in trouble. He lives in Waterloo, Ontario.
Frank Johnson’s writing reflects his own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views or official positions of the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council.
Posted on: June 15th, 2012 by Smart on Crime
Walking into the prison for the first time was an experience I won’t soon forget. Heavy doors locked behind me one after the other. I got this strange feeling that there was no way out. I didn’t share the same fear as my family, who worried about my safety. And I didn’t really feel intimidated by the guards. What I did feel was worry – worry that the women inside would judge me for what I am – a (prissy) master of social work student.
I’m not talking about going to prison because of a crime I committed, I’m talking about being a participant of the Inside Out Prison Exchange Program and a member of the Walls to Bridges Collective.
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From the founder & director of Inside-Out, here’s what the program is NOT:
It is not research. Outside students are not going in to study inside students. Outside students are also not going inside to “help” the inside students. “That’s just not what we’re doing. We are learning together”. “
– Lori Pompa
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Basically the program looks like this: people in university (“outside students”) and people in custody (“inside students”), come together to take a course behind the walls of a correctional institution. The course can be anything from literature and history, to social work and criminology. So although the course content is usually pretty standard, the classroom and the students are anything but.
The purpose of Inside-Out (I-O) is to increase educational opportunities for people inside and outside of prison. In an I-O class, we emphasize dialogue and collaboration, and talk about social concern issues. We break down the walls that separate us.
Experiencing Inside-Out is often referred to as personally and professionally “transformative”. But what is it about the program that makes it so?
From my experience, it’s got a lot to do with recognizing and challenging assumptions and biases. It’s got a lot to do with questioning society and the powerful impact of oppression and privilege. It’s got a lot to do with building relationships and honoring individual lived experiences.
During our closing ceremony for the first Inside-Out course in Grand Valley Institution for Women, one of my colleagues articulated the transformation she saw and experienced:
“Pre-conceived notions. We are all guilty of harboring them. Notions of what we think things are supposed to be. Things like prison, and education. Of what and who the student is, and what and who the convict is… Today those lines are blurred. No, today they don’t exist. Today there is no distinction between student and convict and education and prison… because today, right here, we are all students. Learning. Evolving. Erasing. Celebrating”
– Inside-Out Alumni, currently incarcerated
The Inside-Out alumni group now meets bi-weekly to work on projects inside and outside of the prison walls. The “Walls to Bridges Collective” exemplifies “smart on crime” in action:
Through collaboration with people living inside and outside prison walls, we will strive to connect and build bridges by educating, informing and advocating about social justice for criminalized women and trans people.
As a passionate and engaged community, we’re being smart on crime together…. and, this is only the beginning.
To read the “Inside-Out Center Newsletter”, where the Walls to Bridges Collective is featured, click here.
Today the Inside-Out Program exists in 25 American states and growing fast. In September 2010, the Lyle S. Hallman Faculty of Social Work at Wilfrid Laurier University, and Grand Valley Institution for Women partnered to host this ground-breaking program, being one of the first ever Canadian Inside-Out Programs. The second WLU & GVI course just finished in April 2012 and two more will be starting in September 2012. We have also begun developing an Inside-Out Canadian Instructor Training Institute where all Canadian instructors interested in teaching Inside-Out courses will come to get trained in the Inside-Out pedagogy.
Author: Kayla Follet – Born in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Kayla studied at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick where she completed an honours degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice. Upon graduation she travelled and worked in different community settings. She is now working toward her Master of Social Work degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and happily fulfilling her Practicum Placement at the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council.
Posted on: May 31st, 2012 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
This week, I joined KidsLINK and community leaders from across Waterloo Region and the child and youth services sector in Ontario to talk about trauma – really, a conversation of hope and change, challenge and change…. and of course, prevention.
This was my first experience hearing from Dr. Ann Jennings – an advocate for changing our social and human service systems to be equipped to deal with early childhood trauma. Dr. Jennings used the 15 year Adverse Childhood Experiences study to outline the impacts of childhood trauma and the long term consequences of unaddressed trauma. The parallels to “root causes” of crime and “risk factors” for crime that informs the work of the Waterlo Region Crime Prevention Council were not lost on me! I felt like Dr. Jennings was speaking our language!!
What spoke volumes was Dr. Jennings’ story of her daughter Anna.
“Anna Jennings was sexually abused when she was less than three years old. This was the first of several abuses that occurred over her lifetime, and put a confused, frightened child into a mental health system that neither recognized nor treated Anna’s real problem. Diagnosed “schizophrenic”.. she was institutionalized for more than 12 years from age 15 to 32. Although she attempted to communicate the “awful things” that had happened to her, there was no one to listen, understand or help her. She took her life on October 24, 1992, on a back ward of a state mental hospital.”
(http://www.theannainstitute.org/a-bio.html)
Dr. Jennings went on to outline the “wall of missed opportunities” that took place over the course of Anna’s life. The sheer number of dates, warning signs and professional involvements could have literally filled a wall. Had these opportunities not been missed, her daughter might have been helped and might still be alive today.
Why is it that we can pinpoint – after the fact – all the places in a person’s life where change could have made a difference, yet our services, systems, families, schools and communities can’t seem break through at those critical moments?
This got me wondering – what if our entire social support systems was equipped to recognize and deal with trauma in our children and youth. Dr. Jennings, quoting a colleague, suggested that if we could effectively do that, we could reduce the size of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) to that of a pamphlet. I suspect there might also be fewer people in the criminal justice system and in prison.
Research tells us that a high percentage of people in prisons, those with addictions and many who have mental health issues have stories of trauma such as abuse, witness to abuse, neglect, and early trauma in a household environment. Now, I’ve never been to prison, but I’ve visited enough of them to know that it is not a place where one could not effectively deal with the impact of trauma in a helpful way. Trauma-informed practices are showing evidence that another way is not only possible, but also practical and cost effective.
Through the ACE Study, it is estimated that the long term consequences of unaddressed trauma (disease, disability, suicide, chronic health problems and social problems) currently stands at $103,754,017,492.00. Yes, you read that correctly. That’s over 103 BILLION (US) dollars.
Now there’s a ” wall of missed opportunity”. Taking a prevention-based approach could save billions of dollars and help people in a healthier way.
Smart on crime, indeed.
Posted on: January 31st, 2012 by Smart on Crime
From Prison to a Place Called Home: A Forum for Federally Sentenced Women – Remarks given by Alison Pedlar at the event on Wednesday January 25, 2012.
Why is a housing forum especially necessary at this time? Not only necessary, but critical in terms of the kind of society we may become or indeed are becoming, and in terms of the wellbeing of our community, and all the members of it, including all of us here today and those we represent, ranging from criminalized women, to service providers, to ordinary Canadians everywhere.
So, again, the question, why this forum? Some background may be helpful. In a nutshell, in 1990 the government of Canada accepted the recommendations contained in a report entitled, Creating Choices, Changing Lives: The Transformation of Women’s Corrections in Canada. This landmark report was welcomed in Canada and indeed was hailed in many other parts of the world, for its insight and relevant recommendations around women’s corrections. It ushered in a major shift in how we addressed women who had come into conflict with the law, in ways that recognized gender and conditions that lead women to prison. The Creating Choices philosophy was embraced and honoured in practice in women’s corrections. It was recognized as the right thing to do, and it did indeed encompass appropriate approaches with positive outcomes.
Fast forward to 2011-12, and the advent of Omnibus Bill C-10 (the “Safe Streets and Communities Act“) which as we know has been met with lots of debate from many different perspectives, including crime prevention organizations, people with extensive knowledge in criminal justice and law, parole, correctional investigators, some police groups and others. There is widespread fear that the adoption of the Safe Streets and Communities Act very likely will dramatically reshape the Canadian criminal justice system with some pretty devastating outcomes, particularly for the most vulnerable members of our society. Equally though, there have been dissenting views expressed by those who believe the government is doing the right thing in bringing in this legislation, and indeed is doing what it promised to do when elected with a majority last May.
So, at the end of the day, whatever one thinks about Bill C-10, it is pretty clear that we as a community have to deal with ensuring availability of housing as more and more women end up incarcerated for offenses that will increasingly, I fear, not be examined or dealt with at their root cause, namely poverty, abuse, and neglect.
And as more and more women end up in prisons that were never intended to house these sorts of numbers, so too more and more women will eventually, God willing, return to our communities. And this is the challenge we face now and for the indefinite future – we must find ways of supporting and accommodating women on release. Right now, as you have heard this morning, the options are not huge, in fact they are dreadfully limited. And if we want to help keep our communities safe, and part of that is helping criminalized women return to some kind of decent existence with decent and safe housing, then we have work to do.
Presumably, most if not all of us are here today because we recognize that housing is essential to a healthy environment that can foster reintegration. Housing on release ought to come in a range of shapes, forms, and sizes, such as halfway houses, such as rental apartments, such as private home placements, such as shared family homes and so on – but none of this can happen without appropriate resources and funding. Resources and funding ought to be a no-brainer when one considers that today to house a woman in prison for a year costs over $210,000 and the cost to taxpayers will inevitably increase with the anticipated increases in prison populations and staffing. I have a hunch, and in fact research likely indicates, that these dollars would go a long, long way in supporting and housing a woman in community. So it is astounding to realize that as recently as a year ago we failed to get a halfway house for women off the ground in this community because the funding available was so unrealistically low it was destined to have the initiative fail. Other options like private home placements as well as other halfway houses have had similar experiences with funding struggles, and indeed critical support and outreach services that support Aboriginal women have met insurmountable funding challenges.
However, today we have an exciting opportunity to revisit and explore possible alternatives and options that we as a community can work toward in the development of the sort of housing landscape that needs to be available for women coming out of prison. It’s time we got with the program, and as I suggested a moment ago, with the arrival of Bill C-10, we absolutely have no alternative but to move forward with housing and resource services for women who will ultimately move out of GVI into community. So that’s why we are here today.
In summary, then,
- What we have heard this morning indicates to us that, with 75% of women in prison being mothers, we need to address the issues around reuniting mothers with their children;
- There are women with nowhere to go, how do we end that situation?
- Alternatives like halfway houses and Private Home Placement programs need to be funded realistically.
- Do we need to do better around issues of addiction and mental health?
- How do we ensure women have sufficient $$ to live a decent life?
- How do we ensure women have access to resources and support services, including housing, that are essential aspects of healthy and safe community life?
Alison Pedlar is a Distinguished Professor Emerita, University of Waterloo. Prior to retirement she conducted extensive research with federally sentenced women examining reintegration. Some of her work can be accessed at Uncertain Futures: Women Leaving Prison and Re-Entering Community. She currently serves on the Citizens Advisory Committee of Grand Valley Institution for Women.
Posted on: November 24th, 2011 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and the Safe Streets and Communities Act – Part Two
While The Safe Streets and Communities Act may tie together disparate pieces of legislation the government could not pass when it was in the minority, it does little to proactively support prevention through increased “front end” support for mental health services, choosing instead to “back end” this by increased incarceration. It’s interesting that parallels exist between education systems and the criminal justice system, and not just because many students see school as a form of jail. No, where they are similar is in the belief, backed by years of research, that the more proactive services put into place, at the earliest possible time, the greater the benefit. The Toronto Star has reported on a study known as “Early Years Study 3” authored by Dr. Fraser Mustard, Kerry McQuaig and Margaret Norrie McCain where the case is made for starting school at the age of two. Why? Because the sooner support is provided, the more successful we are at addressing social and mental health barriers. In the case of Bill C-10, if amendments could be made that would increase government investment in providing support early on, not only with those with FASD, but with other mental health concerns, the costs of having to address these issues later, when it is much more difficult and costlier, will be reduced.
In a recent Juristat Article on Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2010, it is reported that these types of very serious crimes have declined substantially. If the intent of “The Safe Streets and Communities Act” is to reduce crimes of this nature, its work is already done. And done, by and large, by recognizing the complexity of motive and opportunity, as well as mitigating factors that Bill C-10 ignores. Few people would argue that there are some individuals who need to be incarcerated. Murderers, serial killers, terrorists, those who kill police while in commission of a crime, those who kill corrections officers while incarcerated, pedophiles whose crime and behaviours put children at continued risk easily come to mind. These are the easy ones and we could likely argue about other crimes for which jail time might not be the best consequence. What we don’t see reflected much, if at all, in the proposed legislation is an appreciation of the difference between the actus reas (the criminal act) versus mens rea (premeditation) and how mental illness, poverty, addiction and, more specifically, FASD impair decision making prior to the crime itself. The unintended consequence is that, without preventative measures that address the root causes of crime, we won’t be able to differentiate and provide appropriate interventions and consequences such that recidivism isn’t guaranteed as soon as the person is released. And, by and large, they will be released having learned lessons in prison that don’t include the ability to make a smarter decision next time the opportunity for crime presents itself.
My background in education causes me to come at this problem from an alternative frame of reference. For example, teachers use ‘differentiated education’ because they recognize that not all students learn in the same way. Some students are able to understand abstractions while others learn better through ‘real world’ applications. Some can see the picture in their minds whereas others have to see a model to understand the concept. In other words, education has to start where the student is at. Increased graduation rates have come about because schools have recognized that one approach won’t work for everyone. Should this any different from criminal justice? Can a ‘one size fits all’ model like that of Bill C-10 work? While crime victims may want retribution, do they really want the criminal to come out more damaged, more able to do harm to others? I doubt it. We shouldn’t hope for institutions to solve problems created at the human level. How can we be ‘smart on crime’ if we dismiss what common sense (as well as reams of research) tells us?
Where does this leave us? We have some obvious decisions to make. We need to continue to educate young people about the risks of alcohol use, particularly during pregnancy. There is no safe amount of alcohol use during pregnancy. There just isn’t. We could call this initiative RIPE (Reduce Impaired Pregnancy Everywhere) if we were terrible at marketing. But, we do need to develop a higher awareness among educators (and all who work with youth) about FASD and create more timely interventions and support. Collaborative partnerships between school boards, police, agencies, Crowns and Corrections could help identify the extent of the issue and determine effective interventions. Additional qualification courses at Faculties of Education as well as Police Foundation courses at community colleges could help inform and instruct their students about the issues. Advocacy and awareness about FASD with governments at all levels is necessary for financial support for collaboration, research and programs.
We can’t ignore what we know about the relationship between mental health and criminal behaviour. We have to work to see that people in need get the help they deserve. It is not only more economical in the long run, it appeals to our “better angels”. Lastly, and here’s the kicker… when Mark Kelly and Gabby Giffords were interviewed recently by Diane Sawyer on 20/20 about the shooting in Arizona, Mr. Kelly said this about the accused: “If he received the help he needed, this probably wouldn’t have happened”.
What more needs be said?
Author: Frank Johnson is a regular guest writer for Smart on Crime in Waterloo Region. Frank is a retired principal with the local Catholic school board, a dad, and sometimes runner who possesses an irreverent sense of humour that periodically gets him in trouble. He lives in Waterloo, Ontario.
Frank Johnson’s writing reflects his own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views or official positions of the Crime Prevention Council.
Posted on: November 23rd, 2011 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and the Safe Streets and Communities Act – Part One
The Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council is an organization with links to several community agencies interested in creating a safer community. Its mandate is to develop and encourage a new approach, a ‘smart’ approach to crime prevention and to create more awareness in the community about issues related to crime prevention. The proposed “Safe Streets and Communities Act” has generated much discussion among Council members. As a guest blogger here on Smart on Crime, I’ve had the opportunity to attend various meetings and events to learn about the impending legislation and its consequences for our communities.
One of the major disadvantages of the proposed Act is its failure to look at mitigating factors for crime, as opposed to only ‘aggravating’ factors. Mitigating factors can include any number of issues, from addiction, poverty, lack of educational achievement, poor impulse control or a range of mental illnesses that act as barriers for a person fully appreciating the nature of their behaviour and how it contributes to impinging on the rights of others. We can see this in several ways but, for example, we are now becoming more aware of the number of people with FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) who either commit crime or are victims of it. On behalf of the Crime Prevention Council, I attended a recent forum on FASD presented by KidsAbility’s Centre of Excellence The audience was primarily educators and social work professionals (you can see highlights of the forum by going to their website) though there were others of us in the audience who were curious about possible connections between those with the disorder and the justice system.
FASD is an umbrella term and can include other disorders on the spectrum such as Alcohol Related Neuro-Developmental Disorder (ARDN), Alcohol Related Behavioural Disorder (ARBD), partial FAS (pFAS) and others. FASD is permanent brain damage related directly to alcohol use during pregnancy and is characterized in those with no concept of right vs wrong, no sense of consequences, impulsivity, poor judgment, difficulties in school (often suspended, expelled or early school leavers), socially inappropriate behaviours and trouble with the law. We know it is caused by alcohol use during pregnancy, particularly in the early stages. We also know that no amount of alcohol use during pregnancy is safe. None.
FASD is difficult to diagnose and, while it is believed that many in the corrections system in Canada have the disorder, diagnosed cases are underrepresented in the prison population. Full FASD comes with certain physical characteristics so it may be a little easier to spot. However, there are those with pFAS whose facial features do not give any external clue that they may be operating somewhere on the spectrum. Because of this our initial reaction to them and their behaviours is the same as we might have towards those who are not affected by FASD. This is not unknown in the education system as well.
As a secondary school principal I often dealt with students who were repeatedly brought to my attention for being late (no concept of time), inappropriate behaviour (no sense of time, place and personal space), theft and swearing, failure to follow class rules and so on. Almost like the movie “Groundhog Day”, I could see these students every day for the same behaviours because their neural brain damage was such that they would repeat the same behaviours over and over again. There was very little or no remorse or new learning. Our simple solution, borne from legal requirements as well as a lack of alternatives, would be repeat suspensions. On the face of it they just seemed non-compliant. Upon reflection, I think that many of these students likely had partial FAS. They bore none of the physical characteristics ascribed to those with full FAS. Not only that, because there is a high degree of co-morbidity with FAS many students on the spectrum may also have had Conduct Disorder (CD), Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and so on. FASD would not be the first thought I would have in seeing one of these students.
At the KidsAbility Forum I learned it should have been more on my radar than it was. It’s interesting that some students on the spectrum actually have high IQ’s but can’t process information correctly. More simply, what goes in and is then processed, does not match what should come out as a product. This only adds to the frustration they feel in regular classrooms. They have real problems with transitioning from one situation to another because they have such a hard time with change. School staff have had little to no training in working with students with FASD and most boards don’t have the number of Social Workers and Psychologists needed to support interventions for these kids. That’s just the financial reality. Plus, because their behaviours could be any one of a menu of “alphabet” disorders, it’s hard to get a good handle on them. There’s a caution here too: we don’t want to fall victim to assuming students demonstrating these behaviours are all on the FA spectrum. That’s reminiscent of the old saying that “If your only tool is a hammer, then every problem is a nail”. Educators need more support and training in working with these kids to help them navigate a pretty tough system and to differentiate students presenting with learning issues so that we can, in turn, differentiate the learning process for them.
Now, put on your crime prevention hat and look at the population I’ve just described. Impulsivity, lack of control, no appreciation of consequences, lacking remorse etc. Do they not seem like those who populate our court system? A chart created and adapted by Mary Cunningham, one of the speakers at the KidsAbility Forum, links typical FASD behaviours with possible implications for those caught in the justice system. Given Bill C-10 and its failure to recognize the role mental health plays in the commission of a crime, what can this population expect except incarceration? Though Crowns, Defence, judges and correction officers do their best to recommend consideration and treatment, without a solid diagnosis and available interventions, these men and women will be released only to fall back into the corrections net. Because of the neural impairment connected to FASD, there is a greater likelihood people on the spectrum can be more easily led into crime, can be more easily induced to make confessions to crimes they didn’t commit and be inaccurate in making a witness statement. This only adds to their victimization. With the harsher sentencing under the proposed legislation and a blind eye to mitigating circumstances, we will have a problem on our hands. We will have compounded a mental health problem with a legal one.
There is a fear that Bill C-10 reduces the current flexibility in making sentencing decisions that take into account the neural damage FASD creates. For those looking to learn more about the relationship between FASD and the justice system I’d suggest reading a study by Dr. Julianne Conry, “Interrelationships among Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Cognition in Youth with FASD in the Justice System” as it provides an instructive look at this very serious issue.
Stay tuned for Part Two, tomorrow.
Author: Frank Johnson is a regular guest writer for Smart on Crime in Waterloo Region. Frank is a retired principal with the local Catholic school board, a dad, and sometimes runner who possesses an irreverent sense of humour that periodically gets him in trouble. He lives in Waterloo, Ontario.
Frank Johnson’s writing reflects his own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views or official positions of the Crime Prevention Council.
Posted on: March 16th, 2011 by Smart on Crime
Each month we focus on research, blogs and news from around the world addressing smart approaches to crime prevention. We’re always on the lookout for websites and resources to draw from. March kicked off with International Women’s Day earlier this month. It seems only fitting that we share some items related to women.
- [International] In 2007, the world’s population of people living in cities reached 50% and half of that number is women and girls. In many cities, women and girls remain particularly vulnerable to violence and crime. Women in Cities International (WICI) uses participatory research methods with groups of women in Argentina, Russia, Tanzania and India to produce the baseline findings in “Learning from women to create gender inclusive cities“. WICI doesn’t mince words when they say ensuring women’s safety should be of primary concern for urban governance and city development.
Download the Report | My City! My Safety! | WICI website
Download the Report | ICPC Website
- [United States] The state of Oklahoma sends more women to prison (per capita) than any other U.S. state. The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse aims to change that with its own “smart on crime” plan. Their proposal includes alternative interventions and programs at 17 different points between an arrest and incarceration. Their aim is to reduce prison costs, provide more rehabilitative options and reduce the impact of incarceration on families.
- [International] And of course, there are all the resources from the UN Women program for gender equality and the empowerment of women. They have pan-national studies, statistics and best practices beyond your imagination.
What additional resources would you recommend related to women, violence and crime? Have your read anything thought provoking that you care to share? Post a comment to let us (and other readers) know about it!
Posted on: March 8th, 2011 by Smart on Crime
International Women’s Day has come and gone 100 times and still, much remains to be done to address the inequitable status experienced by women and girls in all societies. Why does this matter for crime prevention?
Well, two World Health Organization (WHO) reports outline clearly that inequality can and does lead to violence: sexual violence, physical violence and emotional violence. All forms of violence are disproportionately experienced by women and girls in all countries across the world. The WHO advocates for an approach that addresses ALL aspects of violence where inequality is manifest; at home, in our communities, and finally in society at large.
Violence prevention: the evidence
Preventing intimate partner and sexual violence against women: Taking action and generating evidence
The WHO reports also show that in all areas, a direct connection can be made between experiences of inequality and experiences of violence. Women and girls remain less valued, less paid, less powerful than their male counterparts. When coupled with issues of problematic substance use, easy access to weapons, differential value based on gender and a family history of abuse and neglect, the consequences are all too visible in the lives of so many.
But not all is lost. And that is what makes the WHO reports so SMART. They show, through research, that as we make changes to the inequitable status of women and girls, violence decreases. School based programmes that challenge the perceptions that girls are inferior have been shown to be particularly effective. I encourage you to read the reports and look for areas where you can strive to implement more equal practices in your places of work, the community, at home and your places of faith.
Author: Christiane Sadeler, ED, Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
Posted on: January 25th, 2011 by Smart on Crime
Individuals with a criminal record can face significant barriers to gaining employment upon release from prison. One of the single most important factors for reducing recidivism is finding a job.This week, the Waterloo Region Record talked with Jessica Hutchison about the upcoming Employment Forum for Federally Sentenced Women. Being smart on crime means “finding good, sustainable jobs to ensure that women leaving the prison have a successful change at reintegrating into the community”.
We couldn’t agree more.
The forum is open to community members and takes place from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Feb. 7 2011. For more information or to register, contact Jessica Hutchison at jhutchison[at]regionofwaterloo.ca or 519-575-4757 ext. 5260.
