B.C. government failing women in jail, legal advocates say

A legal advocacy group says the B.C. government is failing women in the province's jails.

Each year West Coast LEAF releases a report card on how much progress B.C. is making on women's rights and equality, and when it comes to women in prison, they gave the province an F.

Indigenous women in prison is a particular concern, West Coast LEAF director of law reform Kendra Milne told On The Coast host Stephen Quinn.

She said Indigenous women only make up about five per cent of B.C.'s female population but account for 35 per cent of the women in provincial prison.

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"Despite clear Truth and Reconciliation [Commission] of Canada calls for the provincial governments to take action to address that, very little action has happened in B.C.," she said.

"I think a lot of the socio-economic and poverty issues and trauma-related issues that come from the history of colonialism really lead Indigenous women to be very vulnerable."

Minister says progress on number of Indigenous women 

In a statement, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Morris said "BC Corrections is very mindful of Aboriginal overrepresentation in our justice and correctional systems, and the branch designs many aspects of their operations with this in mind."

The statement noted B.C. Corrections' work on Indigenous overrepresentation, including providing culturally appropriate treatment, spiritual and cultural counselling, Aboriginal Justice Strategy programs and the Aboriginal Programs and Relationships section.

Milne says problems extend beyond that to facilities themselves.

She says because there are such a small number of incarcerated women compared to incarcerated men, facilities aren't built for women.

"For example, if you're on Vancouver Island and you're incarcerated and you're a woman, you have to be incarcerated either in Maple Ridge or Prince George, where men can be incarcerated on the Island," she said.

"They're removed from their communities, they lose ties with their families, they get shuffled back and forth for community appearances and remand and held in really temporary facilities that are inadequate."

No inspections for 11 years

Another reason for the failing grade was the B.C. Ombudsperson's finding that the province did not independently inspect jails for 11 years, a violation of both provincial laws and international conventions.

In response to those concerns, Morris' statement said B.C. Corrections is "committed to enhancing this inspection process" and expressed confidence the current inspections will ensure safety and security in jails.

Milne says she would like to see the province keep incarcerated women closer to their communities, conduct inspections in accordance with provincial and international rules and tackle the "complex" problem of Indigenous women being overrepresented.

"What the Truth and Reconciliation Commission called for was a comprehensive plan with targets and measurable outcomes," she said. "That's what we'd really like to see … B.C. to sit down and come up with a solution to these complex problems."

With files from CBC Radio One's On The Coast 

To hear the full story, click the audio labelled: B.C. government failing women in jail, legal advocates say