A while back I was speaking with a newly minted graduate from a Criminal Justice Institute and much to my surprise he did not know who Claire Culhane was.
Claire was born in Montreal in l918 to Russian, Jewish immigrant parents. Early on, her social activist roots came forth when she joined the Communist Party. This was done as they were the only people at the time speaking out or doing anything about the regime in Spain. It put her on the RCMP watchdog list for life, but was nothing compared to what would have happened had she lived in the U.S.
Her job managed to get her a posting in Vietnam in the l960.s in a medical facility. It was the events that took place at this hospital which really inspired her. She saw that Canada had dirty hands in its dealings with the CIA. She was sickened by the comments made by some of those she encountered towards the civilian population.
When she returned to Canada she became heavily involved in the peace movement and went on a hunger-strike in a "tiger cage" on Parliament Hill. I cannot help but think that had she been younger, people now would remember her more. After all, we still talk of the 60's radicals from the States as they were young and sexy. Claire was 50 when the Tet Offensive took place.
In the 70's she became involved in the prison abolitionist movement. These were turbulent times for the prisons on the west coast there were numerous hostage takings and riots. One culminated in the shooting death of a female classification officer. After this, when another incident took place, Claire was seen by the inmates as a trusted advisor and go-between, as were some people in the media.
My path first crossed briefly with Claire in the l980's at a conference at SFU. She must have been 65 years of age at the time. The topic was prison privatization and as Reagan and Thatcher were in power, this was increasingly the plan of action in the U.S. The learned professors had spoken and Claire, if I recall correctly, was not a slated speaker but nobody was going to stop her. I heard a seat move behind me and up she stood. She gave a talk and a phrase she used still stands out. She called this the "privatization of misery".
Over the years I saw her a couple of times. I'd nod hello and ask how she was. She was active well into the 80's in picketing jails. Until her death in l996 she continuued to write to inmates.
I have met and spoken with people who were involved in the various incidents described in her two books "Barred from Prison" and "Still Barred from Prison". The inmates all consider her a very kind and caring woman. Others state that her facts were wrong. They pointed out that during one of the incidents she was caught removing letters (contraband) on behalf of the inmates.
In truth, I find her thinking on abolition deluded. There are people who must be locked up. You cannot safely allow them to roam the streets. Although mistakes have been made, on the whole our justice system is fair. By the time they hit prison, most people have had several kicks at the proverbial can. Peace, love and understanding does not cure all. But, I admire her for trying and being true to herself. While it was ultimately the work by lawyers such as Michael Jackson who brought down the walls of the B.C. Pen in his landmark cruel and unusual punishment work, Claire was the heart.
A controversial woman. Not somebody that I would always agree with. But, she does deserve to be remembered.
(Photo from Mcmaster University Archives)
As an aside, a quick book review. I haven't read any of these in years, but here goes:
Prisoners of Isolation: Solitary Confinement in Canada
author-Michael Jackson
University of Toronto Press
This is hardly reading for the bedside table, but this is a great overview of landmark, cruel and unusual punishment court cases. For all those people who don't understand why the system seems soft, I may recommend this book. The ruling in McCann changed how the jail system works. You do not need a law degree to read the book.
Barred From Prison: A Personal Account
author-Claire Culhane
Pulp Press
As stated, this is a personal account and includes clippings from newspaper articles. It is Claire's side of the story and is thus slanted. It is a classic in the prison abolitionist movement. It includes photos of the damage done during the riot; large holes in solid concrete and brick made by the force of toilets and beds smashing into it. It is very much a book of it's time (like Abby Hoffman's "Steal this Book").
Still Barred from Prison: Social Injustice in Canada
author-Claire Culhane
Black Rose Books
This time Claire takes on the new, sanitized system. Same old problems, as she describes the riots at Matsqui and Kent. Once again, Claire is only telling one side of the story. It is a larger overview of the system than her previous book. She looks at management this time also and not merely the frontline dynamics.
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