United Way of Bruce Grey (Photo by Nathan Shubert)
The United Way of Bruce Grey is looking at helping incarcerated people integrate back into society.
The organization released a new report on Tuesday detailing current gaps in the correctional system, as well as ways it and other local organizations can assist correctional facilities in offering support to people released from prison/jail.
The report, authored by Stuart D’Costa, says individuals leaving correctional institutions to Bruce and Grey counties face an array of systemic barriers which hinder successful reintegration.
“These include fragmented discharge processes, severe housing shortages, limited transportation, and widespread stigma. While community organizations are making significant efforts to fill these gaps, structural reforms are urgently needed,” says the report.
Some of the recommendations included in the report for systematic change, include having a centralized resource hub, expand housing models, enhance transportation infrastructure, and establish a personal property retrieval protocol.
Executive Director Francesca Dobbyn says one of the biggest barriers for incarcerated individuals is planning.
“When someone is at CNCC (Central North Correctional Centre) and their release date is coming up, or they are coming to court with the potential of being released at court here in Owen Sound, if they are released or in Walkerton even, their stuff can be back at CNCC, so what is the pathway for getting their stuff back,” says Dobbyn.
She says when an inmate is released from CNCC in Penetanguishene, they must arrange for their belongings to be returned to them, as it is not automatic.
“There is definitely gaps in the pathways of having the tools they need to reintegrate into society, to find a place to live,” says Dobbyn.
She adds when an individual is released, they might leave their ID at CNCC and would not be able to access their bank.
“The release documents that you get from the court are legal ID, but they are a little freaky for the banks, they don’t like it. Who wants to be a bank teller that gets presented with incarceration papers, it makes a person nervous, but it is legal. We have to do some training with the banks to say this is legal ID,” says Dobbyn.
She says this where the United Way is trying to bridge the gaps, as well as provide connections to primary care and substance use withdrawals services to set a path to getting clean.
“The primary concern is for the people who lack resources in the moment to get connected to resources and what they need in the moment so they can make a plan. We found out, because we did visit CNCC last week, and 70 per cent of people in the jail are currently waiting on trial, they haven’t been processed, they are still in that innocent until proven guilty stage, which is why a lot of them get released at the court house is because they got time served for whatever is going on because they have been inside for so long,” says Dobbyn.
She says these people could also leave court will all charges dropped, but by that point, they may have lot all of their personal connections and employment.
The ultimate goal for the United Way is to work with both CNCC and community partners like Safe ‘N Sound, Supportive Outreach Services, M’Wikwedong Indigenous Friendship Centre, and the YMCA’s Rural Housing and Homelessness Outreach to provide people with the support they need when they are released.
Dobbyn says now the report is out, it is up to the community to start having conversations and understand the barriers those released from prison face.
She adds while correctional system is broken, the United Way is an organization which steps in to fill the gaps.
“If we can get ahead of this and we can put protocols in place and we can say to someone, ‘you know what, we can help, we can fix this,’ then it is better in the long run,” says Dobbyn.