Introduction – Lawrence’s warrant expiry release and continuity of medical care

There isn’t a simple or generic solution for succeeding “on the outside”, and what works well for one person won’t for the next. Co-hosts Catherine Latimer, Executive Director of the John Howard Society of Canada, and Lawrence Da Silva – a man who served 19 years in Canada’s penitentiary system, explore concepts around successful release and the problems and stigmas attached to community reintegration. In this episode, Lawrence shares the story of his own release, three-and-a-half years ago, at the expiry of his warrant. This meant no parole and no community support. In fact, he was met by the police at the gate of the prison, placed in handcuffs, and brought to court to have further constraints placed on his liberties not based on what he had done but on the fear of what he might do in the future. (s. 810.2 of CCC) With heightened police scrutiny and without continuity of needed medicines, facing reintegration was a daunting challenge particularly for someone who hadn’t seen modern society in nearly two decades. Those men and women who have made the journey from incarceration back to the real world have a wealth of knowledge, personal insight, and experience to offer, both to those coming out of prison, and those outsiders looking in trying to find their own answers.


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