Ethnocultural Initiatives: Presentations

Prairie Region Profile

MANITOBA

Institutions

• Stony Mountain Institution (Medium)
• Rockwood Institution (Minimum)

Community Parole Offices

• Winnipeg, The Pas, Brandon Parole
• Various Sub Offices

SASKATCHEWAN

Institutions

• Saskatchewan Penitentiary (Max and Med)
• Riverbend (Minimum)
• OOHL (Multi-level-med/min)
• RPC (Multi-level--max, med and min)

Community Parole Offices

• Saskatoon, Regina and Prince Albert
• Various Sub-offices

ALBERTA

Institutions

• Edmonton Institution (Max)
• GCI, Bowden, Drumheller, (Med)
• Grierson (Min)
• EIFW (Multi-level--Max, Med, Min)
• SDHC

Community Parole Offices

• Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer
• Various Sub Offices

Prairie Region Offender Profile

As of March 23, 2009

• 1798 incarcerated visible minorities
• 1443 aboriginal offenders (Native, Metis and Inuit)
• 325 ethnic minority offenders
• Arab, Asian, Black, Chinese, EI, Filipino, Hispanic, Korean, LA, SA, SEA

Top Four Ethnic Groups

• Black = 112; Bowden = 22
• South East Asian = 53; Drumheller = 15
• Arab = 23; Bowden = 8
• South Asian = 22; Rockwood = 7

Regional Ethnocultural Coordinator Activities

• Familiarized himself with the REAC Terms of Reference document.
• Reviewed National Global Objectives
• Facilitated REAC tele-conference to introduce self and re-establish committee roles and responsibilities.
• Attended the Ethnocultural internship training in Quebec. This included a site visit to Leclerc Institution where he participated in a number of activities related to cultural competency components. There was also a visit to the Jamaican and Haitian community to experience community programming available to these groups.
• Established a Toll Free number to remove the cost incurred by REAC members when initiating long distance communication with the Regional Coordinator.
• Facilitated translation services as needed (EIFW-Cantonese; RPC-Arabic and Edmonton Institution—Sudeanese Nuer).
• Is engaged in ongoing communication with community organizations with respect to the availability of ethnocultural services for offenders released to the community.
• Attended a face to face meeting with the Director of the College of Languages, University of Saskatchewan with the objective of accessing resources for offenders in terms of literature, language and culture.
• Participated in the interview process for the “Qualitative study on Gaps and Barriers to Program Access for Ethnic Minorities in the Federal Correctional System for the Prairie Region”.
• Encouraged active participation of all sites in celebrating Black History month (90% success rate). In addition, Dr. Jennifer Kelly, Associate Professor from the University of Alberta delivered an insightful presentation to RHQ staff.
• Expansion of REAC membership in the larger urban centres. To date, there are two (2) nominees for Calgary, three (3) for Winnipeg, and two (2) for Saskatoon.
• Along with the REAC chair, the Regional Coordinator completed a site visit of Saskatchewan Penitentiary and Riverbend Institution to identify the cultural needs and interests of the ethnic minority offenders. This information will be shared at the REAC meeting to generate discussion and development of a reasonable strategy to address those needs.
• Attended the Pacific Region REAC Meeting to establish an effective working alliance and network with the Pacific Coordinator on ideas for advancing the Ethnocultural corporate agenda.

REAC Meeting

• March 26 and 27, 2009 - Edmonton
• Theme
  • Building Bridges with Ethnocultural Communities
• AGEND
  • Enhancing Cultural Understanding - Hafsa Goma (Community Employment Coordinator, Northern Alberta/ NWT)
  • Communicating Effectively with Multicultural Communities - Balta Brar (Parole Officer, Edmonton Area Parole)
  • REAC in the Institution and in the Community - Marge Nainaar (Chair of REAC and CAC committee, Director, Prince Albert Multicultural Centre.
  • A Model of Partnership for Strengthening Harmony in the Community - The Caravan Against Racism and Discrimination -Ernest Eric Tundula (Coordinator Alliance Jeunesse-Famille de L’Alberta Society)
  • Panel Discussion- Moderator, Regional Ethnocultural Coordinator Dennis Aaron

GOALS 2009-2010

1. Renew REAC Commitment and Expand Membership

We expect that the March 2009 REAC meeting will be produce useful dialogue and provide long-term commitment and partnerships for addressing the needs of our ethnocultural offenders.

Finalize the recruitment of REAC members.

Re-instate quarterly teleconference calls with the REAC committee.

Strengthen the relationship between the institution and community coordinators with the REAC members.

2. Support the Role of the Institutional and Community Ethnocultural Coordinators

Provide cultural awareness training to Institutional and Community Ethnocultural Coordinators.

Encourage Institutional and Community Ethnocultural Coordinators in the delivery of cultural awareness for both staff and offenders.

Reinforce at RMC the significance of the Ethnocultural Coordinators.

3. Regional Committment

Raise Awareness of CD 767 and Recommendations # 45 and 46

Address the gaps identified by the Qualitative Study

Facilitate the “Train the Trainer” Model to improve and sustain Cultural Competency in the Prairie Region

THANK YOU!