Latest Articles : The John Howard Society of Canada

10 Myths about Prison Life

May 9, 2026 | Blog

Post #291 900 words; 4 minutes to read This post is reproduced with slight edits from Law360 Canada: https://www.law360.ca/ca/criminal/articles/2402961?nl_pk=cc8cf973-41cc-42ab-a00e-ad2114da2a73&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ca/criminal&utm_content=2025-10-24&read_main=1&nlsidx=0&nlaidx=0 By John L. Hill John L. Hill practised and taught prison law until his retirement. He holds a JD from Queen’s and...

More programs in prison=less recidivism

April 27, 2026

Post #290 900 words; 4 mnute read Summary: In Quebec, providing more programs to prisoners in provincial jails is associated with noticeable declines in reoffending and a considerable cost-benefit ration. If a major purpose of putting people in...

John Howard blog wins Clawbie award

April 15, 2026 | JHS in the News

The ‘Clawbies’ , or Canadian Law Blog Awards, are given each year to blogs that provide valuable services and information for Canadians about the law. 2025 is the 20th consecutive year in which a panel of judges has selected a...

Dr Alana Abamson: Healing Communities Through Restorative Justice

April 8, 2026

Post #289 1200 words; 6 minute read By Kimberly Duong, blog volunteer. Summary: Describes the career and work of Dr Alana Abramson, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, related to restorative justice practice. Restorative justice is more than a program – as...

Prisoner Experience: Religion, Chaplains and Irony

Post #288 1100 words; 6 minutes to read This post is reprinted with permission from Law360 Canada, as one of a series on prisoner experience they are publishing. David Dorson is the pen name of someone who was imprisoned some...

Correctional Investigator resigns over frustration with CSC inaction

March 17, 2026

Post #287 1000 words; 5 minutes to read. Summary: JHSC ED Catherine Latimer comments on the resignation of Correctional Investigator Ivan Zinger, out of frustration with years of the government and CSC ignoring his recommendations. In November Canada’s Correctional Investigator,...

John Howard Society of Canada comments on the bail issue

March 17, 2026 | JHS in the News

This recent CBC post features our Executive Director, Catherine Latimer, speaking to the complexity of issues around bail in contrast to the misleading and simplistic statements of many politicians. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/bail-reform-canada-justin-king-ccla-john-howard-9.7124623

If It Bleeds, It Leads: Media Narratives and Crime Anxiety

February 24, 2026

Post #286 700 words; 3 minutes to read By Felicia De Sousa , Ph D Student Summary: The media give a lot of attention to crime but does so in ways that ignore the larger context, thus feeding public misperceptions...

Comeback Catalyst: Helping people build jobs

February 14, 2026

Post #285 800 words; 4 minutes to read By: Emily O’Brien Audio summary courtesy of volunteer Jada Lam Summary: Comeback Catalyst is a mentorship program that helps people develop new economic activities after imprisonment. In Canada, people with criminal records face...

“Complete a Word Search Today, Marcus”

January 26, 2026

Post 283 947 words, 6 minutes to read Audio summary courtesy of volunteer Jada Lam Post by Emily Stewart, Associate Editor and a Lead Researcher with the University of Alberta Prison Project Summary: This post is part of our new...