The Admission of Federally Sentenced Women to Segregation in Canada: An Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis

Abstract

The number of women incarcerated in Canadian federal penitentiaries and segregation units has steadily increased over the last decade. Out of the total admissions to segregation, Indigenous women are over-represented, accounting for 31% of the cases (Office of the Correctional Investigator, 2015). To address issues of inequity and social injustice exemplified through the over-representation of women, especially Indigenous women, in segregation, this thesis provides an Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis (IBPA) which examines the experience of federally sentenced women as documented in reports published by the Office of the Correctional Investigator and statements published by the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association. I explore the gendered and racialized ways in which the CSC interprets the behaviours, attitudes, and even personalities of the women they place in segregation. Through examining mental health, gender and culturally responsive policy within the context of risk/need management, I conclude that the CSC does not protect marginalized women via policy, but rather converts the needs of marginalized groups into risks to be managed. Through omitting any mention of the intersecting social locations that shape women’s experiences, the CSC perpetuates a ‘one-size-fits-all’ understanding that fails to disrupt the stigmatization and over surveillance of ‘unfeminine’ and racialized women. I identify and examine alternative policy responses and solutions by developing a strategic plan specifically aimed at producing the social and structural changes necessary to reduce inequities and promote social justice. The steps in the strategic plan reflect current priorities of the government, CSC, academics, and legal/medical professionals.