Programs at the Etablissement Leclerc de Laval (Provincial Prison)

The Société Elizabeth Fry du Québec has intervened in prisons for more than 30 years. It offers different activities to the women of Leclerc, all of which are targeted to helping them develop social aptitudes that are necessary to their reintegration into society.

More than a hundred women per year participate in the prison programs offered by the Société Elizabeth Fry du Québec.

Release Preparation

This program with a duration of 22 hours helps women develop a personalized release plan which will help them better integrate into the community.  The sessions are comprised of periods of exchange followed by exercises and discussions based on various themes, such as communication, self-image, self-affirmation, social support, and stress management.

 The specific objectives of the program are:

• To permit the woman to re-centre herself on her life;
• To offer valid options to help her make responsible choices;
• To permit her to acquire tools to assist her in her social reintegration and to avoid a return to prison.

Relapse Prevention

This program, lasting for 10 hours, gives women the opportunity to look at their present situation regarding their use of medication, alcohol and drugs while evaluating the areas in which they are particularly vulnerable.  They are sensitized to the risks of relapse and informed as to efficient ways to remain sober if they so choose.

The specific objectives of this program are:

• Identification of factors in relapse;
• Identification of preventive methods that respond to their real needs;
• To gain a better understanding of the resources that are there to help them.

Anger Management

This program, offered in both short and long versions (13 and 18 hours), responds to an important need of the female prison population. The program is given in group, however an individual meeting has been added during the course of the program in order to offer more individualized help. The workshops are of an educative, preventive and therapeutic nature and aim to sensitize the participants to their way of expressing their anger.

 The specific objectives of the program are:

• To understand and learn to manage anger;
• To learn to deal with conflicts in a more constructive manner;
• To find realistic alternatives to make responsible choices;
• To prevent and diminish the risks associated with aggressive behaviour.

A Step Towards Autonomy

This program was designed in 2012 to meet the needs of women in the psychiatric and the protection sectors. The objective of the program is to work on women’s self-esteem and emotional management skills through individual counselling sessions.

Vis-à-vis

Vis-à-vis is a program that offers a short-term individual counselling for specific situations related to the distress that women in detention can experience.

The specific objectives of the program are:

• work with women whose specific needs are not already met within the services offered in detention
• increase the well-being and the personal development of the incarcerated woman through awareness and the transformation of her affects
• support the participant in the process of establishing an action plan
• help the woman increase the sense of control over her life.

Face to face

Face to face is a program designed and implemented in October 2016. It offers individual psychosocial support to women dealing with mental health issues.

Break Time

This program is offered to women who return to prison due the revocation of a parole, a temporary absence or a suspended sentence.

Bible Workshop

The SEFQ has collaborated in the implementation of this personal development project since 2004. It is offered to the participants as an opportunity for personal and spiritual growth thanks to biblical stories that present women whose life stories are comparable to theirs.

This initiative was made possible thanks to the contribution of the Congregation of Sisters of Sainte Anne.

For more information, click here.

Programs at the Joliette Institution (Federal Penitentiary)

Our organization was actively present at Joliette Institution from its opening in 1996, until an internal restructuring by the Harper government in 2015.

During these years, the Société offered a range of psychosocial rehabilitation programs inside the walls of the Institution. In fact, it was the only women’s penitentiary in Canada offering community reintegration programs provided by an community organization.  The 2003 Auditor General’s report (item 4.102) highlighted this initiative as a good practice and congratulated the partnership between the CSC and the community. Despite these positive observations, cuts imposed by the federal government since May 2011 have forced our organization to limit its services to leisure activities offered by volunteers. In 2015, the federal government has terminated the presence and the services provided to the women by our organization.

Bible Workshops

The SEFQ has collaborated in the implementation of this personal development project since 2004. It is offered to the participants as an opportunity for personal and spiritual growth thanks to biblical stories that present women whose life stories are comparable to theirs.

This initiative was made possible thanks to the contribution of the Congregation of Sisters of Sainte-Anne.

For more information, click here.