Advocating for the rights and dignity of incarcerated individuals
News and Development
Independent reporting, official updates and research affecting incarcerated people and their families across Canada.
Read the latestDates shown throughout this page are the original publication dates. Every story links directly to its original source.
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives proposes a 30 per cent reduction in incarceration, restored education and vocational programs, expanded compassionate release, internet access in federal prisons, automatic record relief and $100 million annually for community reintegration.
Read the full proposalNews, research and official notices connected to incarceration, accountability, rehabilitation and justice in Canada.
A review of 167 Canadian studies found disproportionately high rates of mental illness, substance-use disorders, chronic disease, hepatitis C, HIV and premature death, alongside disrupted care and serious overdose risk after release.
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The John Howard Society of Canada examines why public inquests matter after a death in custody, including their role in establishing facts, identifying system failures and recommending change.
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Official notices reported deaths connected with Bath Institution’s Regional Treatment Centre, the Regional Psychiatric Centre, Springhill Institution and Joyceville Institution’s Assessment Unit. The notices state that the circumstances will be reviewed.
A former external independent decision-maker for ten British Columbia correctional facilities describes segregation as ineffective and harmful, arguing for discipline that builds skills, restores trust and provides mental-health support.
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Correctional Service Canada reported that 218 people incarcerated at Matsqui Institution were temporarily moved to unaffected areas or other federal institutions after significant water damage from a burst pipe.
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Bill S-205 completed third reading in the Senate on April 28 and received first reading in the House of Commons on May 28. Parliament currently lists the bill at second reading in the House.
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The John Howard Society of Canada highlights research linking greater access to institutional programs with lower recidivism and less pretrial detention among people later charged again.
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Indigenous governments, organizations and legal advocates raised Canada’s mass incarceration of Indigenous people at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and called for funded, community-led responses.
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Prisoners’ Legal Services says it filed a Federal Court challenge alleging that CSC withheld findings from use-of-force reviews. The allegations have not been determined by the court.
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Statistics Canada reported that Indigenous adults were incarcerated at ten times the rate of non-Indigenous adults in six reporting provinces in 2023/2024. Black adults were incarcerated at three times the rate of white adults in four reporting provinces.
Read the official releaseThis page summarizes external reporting and official notices for public information and advocacy. It does not reproduce full articles, and inclusion does not mean CPA endorses every statement made by the original source.
Stock photographs and publisher graphics are illustrative and do not depict the people or events described. The Springhill photograph depicts the institution named in the story.