Documents and Reports

Reintegration for [women] prisoners matters

Denise McLaren sheds the 'armour' she uses to get through life outside of prison.

Reintegration for [women] prisoners matters

by Ileiren Byles

Edmonton — Denise McLaren wears her clothing in layers, as armour against the world around her. She shed that armour in front of a University of Alberta classroom full of students, faculty, staff and other listeners Tuesday.

"For those of you who came here today to see a criminal, I did bring a criminal with me," said McLaren, assistant to Reverend Coleen Lynch's Women's Reintegration Chaplaincy. As she removed her dark business blazer and bright red shirt, McLaren said, "This is my armour. This is what I wear to get me through the real world. I had a hell of a lot easier time getting through it while I was in jail, let me tell you." Finally in faded jeans and an army green tank top, she spread her tattooed arms wide. "There. You've met your criminal. Now, do you want to hear a story about a person?"

McLaren and Lynch were on campus to talk about their mission, opening the hearts and minds of the community to help women who are leaving prison. The two women were guests of U of A sociology student Georgie Jarvis, who met them while volunteering through the university's Community Service Learning program. McLaren didn't shy away from her past. She revealed to the audience that she had been sentenced to 14 years in prison for two counts of armed robbery and one count of manslaughter. She said she didn't want to blame a brutal childhood filled with fear, sexual abuse, drug addiction and isolation.

"I am partially responsible for taking a person's life. I am absolutely responsible for scaring the living s--- out of the people behind the counter when I wanted their money. I take full responsibility for that," she said. "For who I am today, however, I'm forced to share some of that responsibility. I'm standing here today because somebody took an interest in me. Somebody took an interest in me, not in my crimes, not in my victims, not in whether the justice system served the public well by locking me up - none of that. They took an interest in me, as a person, as a member of this planet, as a member of this family called humanity." McLaren told her audience about some of the barriers she faced coming out of the Edmonton Institution for Women; things people take for granted, such as setting up a bank account or getting a driver's license, were opportunities for humiliation of McLaren. But a support network of caring individuals - including volunteers who allowed her to stay in their home while on day parole - helped her become a full participant in society. In 2004, McLaren earned her degree in psychology from the U of A.

"The community stepped up. The community saw that there was some potential here. The community saw that there was a need," she said. "The community saw that they needed to be a part of the group that holds up the bridge that helps women go from prison into the community and stay in the community." Jarvis, who is studying free will and decision-making, said working with McLaren and Lynch has been an eye-opening experience.

"I thought, what better way to learn about it than to look at women who are taken out of a familiar environment and placed into a completely foreign one, where all the rules are different? Can they maintain their free will? Are they forced to change?" But that wasn't the main reason she became so passionate about the cause. "This is something that really needs more attention. It's too easy for people to say, 'They're just criminals. This is not a worthy cause.' These women are suffering discrimination, too. It always upsets me when I know that people are being discriminated against."

Lynch said the U of A Community Service Learning program has been life-altering for her. "These people have changed my life this year. The Community Service Learning program has single-handedly helped Women's Reintegration Chaplaincy with having a relationship with the University of Alberta and bringing many students who have been able to be a part of us, and we've been a part of them."

Both Lynch and McLaren are glad of any opportunity to speak to others about their work. "I could be your daughter, your sister, your mother, your friend or I could just be this person standing up here, giving you this message. Either way, we are all responsible for bringing out people who are wounded, back to wholeness," said McLaren. "If we couldn't help them while they were being wounded, we need to help them now that we know they are wounded." She offered one final message of hope to her audience and the members of the community at large. "Hey, if I can change, you can too."

This article originally appeared in the University of Alberta's ExpressNews on August 1, 2006. (http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/arts/news.cfm?story=48652) This article was translated and posted with permission of the author.