File 231 - Grand Valley Institution for Women.

Material accumulated by Andrew Telegdi during his tenure as a Member of Parliament related to Grand Valley Institution for Women (GVI) in Kitchener, Ontario. Records include correspondence between Telegdi and Dianne Brown, Warden, GVI. In this correspondence, Telegdi asked Brown for information on the number of women returning to GVI with a new offence versus a suspension. In later correspondence, Brown provided Telegdi a series of appendices from a report titled, Mental Health Strategy for Women Offenders containing statistics on women prisoners related to mental health, revocations, segregations, and releases. Several appendixes provide statistical information on similar topics specifically related to Indigenous women in prison.

The file also includes an agenda and two reports possibly provided to Telegdi during a site visit to GVI in 2008. The first report provides a brief statistical overview of the facility structure, organizational chart, facility profile, facility expenditures, population profile, offender profile, escapees, and offender complaints and grievances. The second report provides a detailed description of the prison and its operational units, population, reintegration programs, correctional programs, mental health programs, education and employment programs, social programs, and Indigenous programs including Circles of Change. The report also outlines various groups and committees that offer support to women at GVI including Native Sisterhood, Black Inmates and Friends Assembly (BIFA), and the Lifers and Long-term group. Moreover, the report describes the GVI’s community partnerships, and escorted temporary absence programs.