Time to confront anti-black racism in prisons, N.S. senator says
The chairwoman of the Senate’s human rights committee says Canada needs to deal with systemic, anti-black racism in its prisons and help inmates better integrate with society after they’re released.
Nova Scotia Sen. Wanda Thomas Bernard says the committee’s hearings have shown a need for systemic and structural changes to prevent former prisoners from getting back into trouble with the law.
As part of a special meeting to look at the experiences of black female inmates, the committee heard that pardons for past crimes would help some inmates find work.
Black Canadians make up 8.6 per cent of the population of federal prisons, even though they account for just three per cent of the overall Canadian population.
The chairwoman of the Senate’s human rights committee says Canada needs to deal with systemic, anti-black racism in its prisons and help inmates better integrate with society after they’re released. Nova Scotia Sen. Wanda Thomas Bernard says the committee’s hearings have shown a need for systemic and structural changes to prevent former prisoners from getting back into trouble with the law. As part of a special meeting to look at the experiences of black female inmates, the committee heard that pardons for past crimes would help some inmates find work. Black Canadians make up 8.6 per cent of the population of federal prisons, even though they account for just three per cent of the overall Canadian population. The chairwoman of the Senate’s human rights committee says Canada needs to deal with systemic, anti-black racism in its prisons and help inmates better integrate with society after they’re released. Nova Scotia Sen. Wanda Thomas Bernard says the committee’s hearings have shown a need for systemic and structural changes to prevent former prisoners from getting back into trouble with the law.
