Advocates join together to call for change inside Sask. prisons

Saskatchewan advocates and non-profits are joining together to call for the prevention of in-custody deaths as part of a national solidarity movement.

Prisoners' Justice Day began on Aug. 10, 1974, in Millhaven, Ont. when inmate Edward Nalon took his own life after a series of frustrations and mistreatment while in prison.

The day has since gone on in support of prisoners’ rights and to remember all the people who have died while incarcerated.

"We need to remember that people that are in provincial institutions are there for having broken the law, but none of their sentences should be more than two years less a day," John Howard Society of Saskatchewan CEO Shawn Fraser said.

"So everyone in provincial custody, in theory, will be back in society someday."

According to the John Howard Society, there have been six deaths in provincial or federal institutions so far in 2024, and 48 dating back to 1997. Fraser and other advocates say future deaths could be prevented as long as both governments implement the recommendations that come from coroner's inquests, which is required by law after an in-custody death.

"We believe that there should be consequences, but no one is in there for a death sentence," he said.

• Get the CTV News app for Saskatoon area breaking news alerts and top stories 

Fraser and other advocates who work with inmates and the criminal justice system are raising a number of issues that could be changed or improved upon to help create a human and just prison system that benefits all.

Chantelle Johnson is the executive director of Community Legal Assistance Services for Saskatoon Inner City (CLASSIC), which aims to break down barriers in the justice system. It's best known for programming that pairs people needing legal representation with law students, who are supervised by lawyers.

She says frontline services are difficult to navigate for incarcerated people because there aren't many options.

"In Saskatchewan, CLASSIC is the only community legal clinic outside of the regular legal aid system," she said. "Whereas in Ontario, there are 78 clinics like CLASSIC."

"That gives you a snapshot of what we're up against and what the folks who need services are up against."

Fraser and Johnson say there should be dedicated detox beds in remand centres, additional healthcare staffing, and mental health supports.

While those concerns could require plenty of time and resources to execute, Johnson says even more straightforward solutions aren't met with much enthusiasm.

Johnson says right now, inmates need to have money and pay for a phone card to make outgoing calls to family and friends. She said the rates inmates are forced to pay are higher than what the general public pays, which puts a barrier to communicating with anyone outside of prison and leads to negative experiences.

"There's a number of them on that list that are somewhat frustrating because, I mean, it's called corrections— it's not called punishment," Johnson said.

"There's all kinds of data-based evidence out there that we know works with staying in touch with your family, getting the medical care that you need, getting the medication that you need is all going to make this person much healthier when they get out."

Fraser understands that some wholehearted changes within the system are difficult to achieve, and that's why Prisoners' Justice Day serves as an annual reminder to keep these issues top of mind.

"By the time someone's committed a crime, it's already too late, you know? What we really need to see is investing in issues that keep people out of prison in the first place. Or certainly, if people have been in prison, we have an excellent opportunity to invest in people that when they leave prison they don't come back," he said.