Restorative Justice Conference at Ferndale

"An over-reliance on incarceration and punitive outcomes drys up the soul of a nation" Rev. Dr. Pierre Allard keynote speaker.

Yesterday, I attended the 14th Annual Restorative Justice Conference at Ferndale Insititution, a minimum security federal prison about an hour and a half east of Vancouver. The event is facilitated by the RJ Day organizing committee which is comprised of community volunteers and inmates or, as they are called at Ferndale, residents.


Ferndale houses approximately 137 male residents serving sentences ranging from a few months to life. The men live in 6 or 8 man residential-style units seperated from each other by winding cobbletone paths. The well manicured lawns and shrubbery gives the institution a very homey, pleasant feel.

I attended the conference with Teresa, my "co-TA" for our restorative justice class and 8 of our students. We gathered in a large and cheerful meeting hall that I believe was used for visitations. The walls were hand painted with coloring renderings of fish and other First Nations symbology. Rev. Dr. Pierre Allard, a Corrections Service Canada chaplain for over 30 years, was the morning's keynote speaker. Though he was a prison chaplain it wasn't until the murder of his brother in 1980 that he found his way to the principles of restorative justice.

For lunch the group was divided among the diferent residences and it was there that we ate our meal. Our group consisted of myself and four students, a victim-service provider,a prison volunteer, and our resident "hosts" who bustled around waiting on us hand and foot. They obviously don't get much company, so an event like this is a big deal.During our meal we continued our circle process and discussed the effect that resorative justice had in their lives.
Numerous thoughts kept running through my mind as I ate and visited with these men,both convicted murders; never in a million years would this be happening at the camp in Leavenworth and the Unites States should be ashamed that it doesn't.

Our incarceration policies are barbaric and it fails me how it could ever be thought that positive, lasting changes in the lives of offenders can be achieved through the use of more punitive sentences. The correctional policies of the United States are lifted up by Canadians as examples of what not to do if you want the successful reintegration of offenders. They have watched us and learned by our failures, if only we would do the same.

LOOK WHO CAME TO VISIT!!

Jim and I have welcomed our first guests to Vancouver, Dr. Ken Christopher, from Park University, and his wonderful wife Jeanne. It was so exciting to see friendly faces from home! Ken is giving a presentation at a port security conference in Seattle this week and they decided since they were this close to Vancouver they would come up to see us.





After we picked them up at the bus station we went to Granville Island. This is the first "touristy" outing that we have had since we arrived. School work and TA responsibilities have kept me hopping so it was very fun to spend the aftenoon with friends






We ate our lunch out on the heated( very heated) patio of the Sandbar Restaraunt.







Jorge entertains visitors with his panflute and guitar















Overlooking the ocean and Lion's Gate Bridge at Stanley Park








The afternoon came to an end too soon. I think Ken and Jeanne need to make this trip more often. I happen to know that the Western Society of Criminology Conference is in Vancouver this February. Sure, it's not port security but who cares? :)

My Tutorials

In today's tutorial the students worked on exercise that allowed them to plan and carry out a cooperative effort that would help them develop verbal and non-verbal communication skills needed to work together on common goal (CRIM 315). Each group had 5 minutes to discuss their project and plan how to coordinate the building. After 5 minutes they could open the tinker toys and begin to build, but they could no longer talk, Only signally was allowed.



All-purpose craft

Railroad crossing

Person pushing a dolly

A "vehicle"

A car accident

Notice the destroyed car and casualty in the forefront.

A wheelbarrow

A land and amphibious craft

A lawnmower

A wheelchair...seen from the side.

Wednesday is my favorite day of the week. These guys are so much fun!