Prison Justice Club event focuses on trauma, mental health during incarceration

Prisoners aren’t the only ones who suffer in prison

Often there are two sides to the same story, and the Prison Justice Club exists to bring light to both.

On March 11, the club held its second annual Tom Allen memorial symposium, titled Illness Institutionalized: Trauma and Corrections. It’s mission—to help people understand that trauma from correctional facilities is a big deal in Canada, and it isn’t given as much attention as needed.

Danielle Smith, president of the Prison Justice Club, said the club was founded with the goal of bringing awareness to prison justice issues that exist under the current system. The club itself was founded in September of 2015.

“We’re looking at how the current correctional system is not effective,” says Smith. “It’s inherently punitive right now. Basically, a rehabilitative approach might be more effective in the long run.”

A rehabilitative approach to prison would mean changing how prisoners are viewed. Instead of setting a base standard of everyone simply being thrown in jail, people would be looked at as individuals.

“A rehabilitative [system] would look at the needs of each offender, and that way we can look at healing instead,” says Smith. “In the long run, it could deter future crime.”

Of course, the prisoners aren’t the only ones to get the short end of the stick, and that’s exactly what the Prison Justice Club hoped to highlight with the symposium. JP Phaneuf is a former corrections officer, and he was scheduled to be one of two guest speakers at the symposium.

“He was triggered in prison, and he unfortunately developed [Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder],” Smith says. “So he talks about how the correctional system doesn’t see PTSD or mental illness as an illness. If you can’t see it, it’s not real.”

Warren McDougall was the second guest speaker scheduled to speak, and he comes from the prisoner’s side. He’s a prison mental health advocate serving a life sentence, and he’s been out in the community for a while now speaking about what it’s like.

“Warren hasn’t developed any PTSD, but he’s actually a ‘lifer,’” says Smith. “He witnessed a lot of traumatic events.”

Phaneuf and McDougall hope people will understand that the entire prison system is something which needs to be looked at and reworked. Currently, both prisoners and correctional officers suffer from inside it.

Scott Chisholm is an advocate for educating and training individuals about suicide and mental health, and hopes he can bring the very needed awareness which can save lives. Due to a last-minute change, Chisholm ended up being the speaker for the event. He spoke about the direct connection between the Criminal Justice System and PTSD.

Salehah Hakik, secretary of the Prison Justice Club, says illuminating both sides affected by the system was the main reason the symposium was held.

“We want [people] to see that the current system which is in place right now is not working,” says Hakik. “It’s not only the prisoners that can develop PTSD, it’s also the workers that get it as well. We’re trying to say there is something wrong with the system, and it needs to be changed, looked at in greater detail.”

The symposium was held in the Surrey Conference centre on March 11. While the primary focus of the event was on trauma, Smith says, “Mental health as a broader topic is something we would like to uncover in the future.”