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Volunteers on the Inside

Safe transition of offenders into the community

BY Djamila Amellal, Communications Officer, Communications and Citizen Engagement

Photos: Bill Rankin

On a Thursday evening, volunteers—both men and women—arrive in the activity room, as eager as the inmates to start the work that has brought them here. They quickly settle down to their tasks. Seated next to an offender named Lynda is Agathe Beaudry, a member of the Saints-Cœurs de Jésus et de Marie religious order. She is very busy explaining, step by step, how a beautiful shawl can be crocheted using an outsized Tunisian crochet hook. Her voice is soft but assured. “I have been coming here twice a week since the institution opened in 1997. I lead the singing during religious ceremonies, I teach knitting and crocheting. Volunteering is part of my life and women’s causes are particularly dear to my heart. The women who are with me here tonight have had problems in their lives; it doesn’t mean they are all bad.”

Earlier on that same day, around 5 pm, Warden Loretta Mazzocchi of Joliette Institution, Thérèse Lemieux, acting team leader in charge of volunteers, and Danielle Berthiaume, Volunteer Coordinator, Elizabeth Fry Society of Quebec, are still at the institution, making arrangements for the volunteers’ activities. Joliette Institution accommodates almost 85 women offenders in living units, the secure unit and the structured living unit for offenders with mental health problems.

“Having volunteers in the lives of the offenders is vital. It facilitates transition back to the community,” says Ms. Lemieux. “These volunteers are great support in the offender social reintegration process. They share their talents and their knowledge of the community support network. So they do not feel they are on their own. Volunteers help offenders serving long sentences to maintain contact with the community.”

Volunteer Recruitment

According to Ms. Berthiaume, a total of almost 120 volunteers work at various times and in various ways with the offenders at Joliette Institution. “I don’t have to advertise,” she says. “I have a good network of contacts in the community. I began volunteering myself at age eight with my parents.

“The institution maintains good relations with the community thanks to open houses and tours that often attract volunteers. The citizen advisory committee helps us, too. And the media can play a crucial role. For example, following the broadcast of a segment on the program Enjeux, we received a lot of calls from people who want to offer their services.”

Volunteer Selection and Training

Ms. Lemieux and Ms. Berthiaume add that the process of finding and retaining volunteers is geared to the needs of offenders. The two women work closely together, consulting each other when interviewing, selecting and training volunteers. “When we meet prospective volunteers for the first time, we always assess them against CSC’s Mission If we decide that they match what we are looking for, we begin the security clearance procedure and provide the necessary training.”

According to Ms. Berthiaume, volunteers at Joliette come from many walks of life. Their network includes a farmer, a teacher, a businessman and a nurse so activities available to offenders are varied. They range from pastoral care to ceramics courses, academic tutoring, Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, animal therapy and many others. In the structured living environments, a meditation course is also available. “The volunteers have a range of experience. That is important because each volunteer has his/her own way of getting through to offenders.”

Faces of Hope

The arrival of the volunteers in the institution is eagerly anticipated by the offenders who take part in the activities. According to Sister Agathe, they manage to communicate and talk about things that are most important to them.

The volunteers are not there to judge anyone’s past lives. “I bring them something,” says Sister Agathe, “but they teach me a lot of things, too, like courage and determination to better their lot. And when they do make it, I’m happy.”

For offender Lynda, Sister Agathe’s presence is a blessing. “I like her a lot,” says Lynda. “She and I have developed trust; her help is unconditional, and she understands my concerns. I always look forward to these sessions. I’ll soon be out on parole, but I won’t forget what she has done for me.”

Martin Racette, retired after 35 years of teaching mathematics, believes it is everybody’s duty to help when they can. “We have to let other people benefit from our knowledge. I have been working for the past year now with an offender who is trying to achieve a long-term goal. She is preparing for her high school level in mathematics. We interact a lot as we work. I also enjoy talking to my own friends about my enriching experiences with CSC.”

Another volunteer, Nicole Bourgeois, is knitting and talking softly with an inmate. She says she chose to work with women because she can identify with their needs. Her initial approach is special. “I always wait for them to talk to me first. They will do so when they are ready. I do not try to force the conversation.”

Ms. Bourgeois has been involved in a number of projects at the institution, including working with children in the daycare, escorting inmates, and soon the Maman me raconte stories project.

So, day after day, the volunteers bring new hope to offenders. For those who have been apart from life on the outside for a long time, the volunteers act as their link with the community. Their efforts go a long way to prepare them for safe and timely transition into society. ♦