The John Howard Society of Saskatchewan

We know that 91 per cent of the women serving federal sentences have histories of abuse. But, in particular and we’re talking about Indigenous women they would have an opportunity to be heard and to have the story understood, put in context. https://www.aptnnews.ca//senator-says-new-liberal-sentenc/

We’ve been here before, seeing significant outbreaks in our correctional institutions. It’s even more risky now with variants and our inmate remand numbers continuing to be high. Vaccine rollout is complicated, with many groups deserving priority. We get that. But we must take all necessary steps to mitigate the risk, and this is a high level of risk. We cannot leave inmates and corrections officers behind. They should be included with other essential workers and clients who ...are receiving the vaccine, and our remand numbers must continue to be lowered. Not only for them, but for the families who care for them. http://leaderpost.com//5a9ce231-b59c-46bc-8583-c8241b99aabd

Many of those who are incarcerated have had some sort of trauma in their life which is a contributing factor to why they are incarcerated. If Saskatchewan correctional facilities provided programming rather than investing in the building of another remand center, we would find less people returning to these institutions." https://panow.com//provincial-budget-lacks-supports-for-i/

"Prisons were given little in the way of direction, support, or funding on how to beat back cases by federal authorities. They struggled with archaic infrastructure. They relied on solitary confinement cells and punishing lockdown orders to try and keep case counts low: And it didn’t work." https://www.vice.com//plastic-sheets-pencil-crayons-cheese

"When tests started coming back positive, corrections officers offered up the best plan they could muster: Plastic sheets draped around the prison. As inmates b...egan hunger strikes to protest the conditions, even threatening a suicide pact, the prison gave them a $5 phone credit and pencil crayons." https://www.vice.com//plastic-sheets-pencil-crayons-cheese

Great news! So thankful for the important work Elizabeth Fry Society of Saskatchewan is doing. Great work, Kayleigh!

Urgent community request*** PLEASE SHARE*** As described in the letter below, we have an urgent need to support our client who has been displaced into Emergency... Shelter with her 5 children. This letter has been emailed wide to Social Services as well as other local housing agencies and advocates. with this letter we request for there to be a deeper understanding of the difficulty in securing housing while a person is in crisis. The hope is that someone in our city can help align this family with a new residence so they can continue to live together, as they heal, grow and adapt to having a new born baby who is currently in hospital. Prairie Harm Reduction Quint Development CorporationCLASSIC - Community Legal Assistance Services for Saskatoon Inner City Central Urban Metis Federation 1993 Inc Métis NationSaskatchewan Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Partnership Station 20 West Community Enterprise Centre Camponi Housing Ryan Meili Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC)

Here is another #RJ event for you to attend virtually Care Over Punishment: A Global Call To Action is a virtual conference that focuses on Restorative Justice implementation in various parts of the world. April 21 - 22, 2021 | 2:00 - 6:00 p.m. EST.

Ian Manuel spent 18 consecutive years in solitary confinement after he was sentenced to die in a Florida prison for a crime that happened when he was just 13 ye...ars old. He was released from prison in 2016 and is now using his story of survival to advocate for ending solitary confinement for children. See more

"While costs of treatment are high, Fox said they don’t come close to what it costs to house inmates behind bars. In Luke’s case, the total costs for prison could have reached the $200,000 to $350,000 range. Instead, Luke received a conditional sentence and a chance to continue his recovery." https://leaderpost.com//family-found-drug-treatment-in-sas

Happy Easter, everyone!

Great news. We need to protect people first and foremost, while at the same time doing everything we can to address the underlying issues of intimate partner violence. https://ca.news.yahoo.com/rcmp-able-participate-clares-law-

Appreciate the great work done by our friends at Elizabeth Fry Society of Saskatchewan. More housing and support is desperately needed in our Province. https://globalnews.ca//calls-for-more-transitional-homes-f

Kindness inspires kindness Yesterday we had the pleasure of taking part in surprising Terry Van Mackelberg with his day job team at Federated Co-op. The...ir management team decided to do a fundraiser amongst their colleagues on behalf of Terry without him knowing for Lulu’s Lodge and were able to deliver him a $850 cheque. This money will go towards furnishing and sustaining a special separate suite that we have in the house. We are so grateful to Terry for walking alongside us since the beginning and to Federated Co-op for supporting Lulu’s Lodge and their dedication to having an accepting & inclusive workplace.

I don’t think they should go to the front of the line, but I certainly don’t think they should be denied their rightful place in the priority line simply because they’re prisoners. Being in prison does not negate your value. You matter. https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2020/12/24/prisons/

We were honoured to join and support mothers and their families calling for additional support for loved ones in prison. This situation is tragic and challenging to manage, but more MUST be done. Remember, every inmate is somebody's son or daughter. Father or mother. Brother or sister. They are loved by their families, and they are scared and fearful. We stand with them all and continue to call for further steps towards safety and care for their family members. https://www.cbc.ca//regina-correctional-centre-protest-cov

Happy New Years to everyone! Have you listened to our podcast yet? We’re working on episode 2, scheduled to come out later this month. In the meantime, have a listen to episode 1 and send us any feedback or story ideas you have to help us keep improving. ... Let’s keep fighting for a more just world in 2021! https://podcasts.apple.com//podc/know-justice/id1543757399

We are so grateful for the opportunity we have been given to do this work in supporting the LGBTQ2S+ community, and the support we’ve receive from the community throughout has been immeasurable. We are proud of the incredible work done by Tanna, our Mentors and Caseworkers. If you’d like to make a year end donation to our work at Lulu’s Lodge, you can do so here: https://www.canadahelps.org//john-howard-society-of-saska/... https://leaderpost.com//lulus-lodge-provides-safe-space-fo

Maier said whenever media organizations post stories that address inmates’ COVID concerns, people make comments like if they didn’t want to get COVID-19, they shouldn’t go to jail. The government doesn’t care. Society doesn’t care. Do we care? If so, let’s make sure we say something. Because we can do better. https://www.cbc.ca//covid-cases-sask-jails-november-24-1.5

The medical implications of solitary confinement can be extreme. Tune in at 2pm to hear our ED chat with Dr. Ruth Elwood-Martin about the implications of solitary confinement on prisoner health. https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/by-any-other-name-the-medical-i

A true legend. You will be missed, Fred. Thank you for being a trailblazer and bringing joy into the world.

During Restorative Justice Week, we want to highlight community champions that embody the principles and practice of restorative justice in our Province. Edna Bruce has lived in Prince Albert her entire life. She has been married to her husband Jim for 43 years, and has 3 children that are all grown up, along with 13 grandkids and 2 great grandkids! She has worked at the YWCA Prince Albert for 32 years and has been managing the Our House program the past 13 years. Edna is s...uch an asset to the community of Prince Albert. She works with those living in homelessness and offers her support and guidance to those in need of housing. Edna is kind, caring, and fair. She is a generous soul who has a heart of gold, and shares this with everyone she meets. Thank you for being a champion for Restorative Justice, Edna! You are very deserving of this recognition, and are grateful to call you a partner of the John Howard Society of Saskatchewan!

"Our project demonstrates a different approach by enabling Aboriginal stakeholders...to become involved in providing culturally responsive programs within a prison to help prevent reoffending and provide effective reintegration into society. https://www.miragenews.com/new-approach-to-aboriginal-rest/

"We're all in fear that ... if it gets in here and spreads to us that some people can never see the light of day again. This could be their dying days, sitting in a facility for fines or petty crimes." We must do everything we can to protect inmates. https://www.cbc.ca//saskatchewan-justice-corrections-covid

Great description here from our very own Lindsay Wilcox on what Restorative Justice is all about! Check out our website as well for info on various related programs across Saskatchewan. https://www.moosejawtoday.com/l/restorative-justice-2885927

As cases rise across our Province and the rest of Canada, we need only look south to see the consequences of not handling this right in our prison system. To be in prison should not mean being forgotten. We cannot ignore our incarcerated citizens.... https://www.nytimes.com//su/coronavirus-prisons-jails.html

Turn on The Morning Edition on CBC Sask and hear fr Eric Butler right now! He’s speaking tonight for us on a zoom call. Still time to register! https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/jhss-restorative-justice-week-e