Stark Raven Radio: A Closer Look at Prisons & the Psychiatric Survivor Movement

Mon July 1st, 2013. 7-8 pm || Restorative Justice
PRISON JUSTICE: One prisoner tells his story about his relationship to restorative justice. Writing from prisoners.

First Monday of each month, 7-8pm.
In Vancouver at 100.5FM, and online: www.coopradio.org
Find out more about Stark Raven, including how to hear past shows and our podcasts.

International Conference on Penal Abolition (ICOPA) is being held on Algonquin Territory in Ottawa at the University of Ottawa. June 13 – 15, 2014
More info: www.actionicopa.org

Prison Letters
Ottawa-based collective of academics and students with a mandate to promote prisoners’ and former prisoners’ access to information and resources and act as a voice in the community for prisoners. More info on our Prisoner Resource page.

West Coast Prison Justice Society has a new website!
Get help with prisoner legal issues and enforcing the rule of law behind bars in BC. WCPJS operates Prisoner Legal Services, Human Rights Project and Aboriginal Prisoners’ Access to Justice Project. Find more info and resources on their new website prisonjustice.org

Support the Claire Culhane In Memory Fund
Claire Culhane was a passionate prison abolitionist who worked tirelessly in support of prisoners.
After she died in 1996, ex-prisoners, friends and family set up a commemorative bench for her at John Hendry Park (Trout Lake) in East Vancouver.
In order to support the maintenance of the bench the In Memory Fund is seeking donations.
Donations can be made with the Vancouver Park Board [contact: 604-257-8513, donations (at)vancouver.ca]:
**online at donate.vancouver.ca (Please use the "Dedicate a Park Amenity" donation form and choose the "Claire Culhane In Memory Fund" designation)
**by cheque payable to "Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation" c/o Claire Culhane In Memory Fund 2099 Beach Avenue, Vancouver, BC. V6G 1Z4.

The Penal Press -- A History of Prison from Within
New website archiving the history of prisoner publications in Canada, with an open-access archive. penalpress.com


Prison Justice Day Pins
*Support Prisoner Solidarity work by purchasing a pin. More info

Literature you can download! Updated Aug 2011
Find 11 leaflets that you can download on our virtual table, on topics ranging from FASD to Alternatives to incarceration to Transgender prisoners in Canada. Includes a new bilingual (French/English) PJD leaflet.

Updated Statistics Aug 2008
Statistics Canada information for year 2005-6.

Mon June 3rd, 2013. Writing from Prisoners. Andrew Feldmar on alternative therapies.
Listen to the program.
PRISON JUSTICE: Voices From the Inside, writing from prisoners
DECONSTRUCTING PSYCHIATRY: Andrew Feldmar, psychotherapist in independent practice in Vancouver; schooled by R.D. Laing and the Philadelphia Association, critiques traditional psychiatric interventions and offers acute perspectives to alternative therapies in practice.

Mon May 6th, 2013. Hearing Voices Network.
Listen to the program.
DECONSTRUCTING PSYCHIATRY: Aural hallucinations are pathologized as positive symptoms of schizophrenia, a growing movement called the Hearing Voices Network advocates that 'voice hearers' listen and negotiate with their voices; educator and activist Ron Coleman is a voice hearer from the U.K. we will hear his recent presentation at SFU of personal account of the movement.

Mon April 1st, 2013. Prison Radio. Ashley Smith Inquest.
Listen to the program.
PRISON JUSTICE: Dee, from Prison Radio on CKUT, joins us to talk about community radio and prisoner support. Human Rights activist, artist and prisoner P. Collins' latest commentary: on Ashley Smith and the inquest into her death.
DECONSTRUCTING PSYCHIATRY: Upcoming events.

Mon March 4th, 2013 Mumia Abu Jamal. Community-based alternatives to psychiatry.
Listen to the program.
PRISON JUSTICE: Focus on US Political Prisoner and journalist Mumia Abu Jamal including a new film, Long Distance Revolutionary: A Journey With Mumia Abu-Jamal and his thoughts on lawyer, now political prisoner, Lynne Stewart.
DECONSTRUCTING PSYCHIATRY: Loren Mosher, an American psychiatrist developed an experimental community based project based in phenomenological principles. More on how the Soteria House philosophy operated as an alternative in contrast to the bio medical model.

Mon Feb 4th, 2013
Listen to the program.
DECONSTRUCTING PSYCHIATRY: Sylvester Kontontoka, founder and president of the Mental Health Users Network of Zambia, presents the issues that confront individuals caught in the psychiatric system in Zambia.
PRISON JUSTICE: The challenge getting books and magazines in jail. A G20 political prisoner tells his story.

Mon Jan 7th, 2013 Writing from prisoners. Psycho-spiritual inquiry into our dark sides.
Listen to the program.
PRISON JUSTICE: Voices From the Inside, writing from prisoners
DECONSTRUCTING PSYCHIATRY: Poet, author and activist Vanessa Fisher on her psycho spiritual inquiry of the role of the dark side in her life.


Mon Dec 3rd, 2012: History of Prisoner Publications, The end of Lifeline || DECONSTRUCTING PSYCHIATRY
Listen to the program.
*Melissa Munn, prisoner advocate and coordinator of penalpress.com, on the history of prisoner publications in Canada, the end of prisoner reintegration program, Lifeline and ways to support people as they leave prison.
*Deconstructing Psychiatry: Laurie Ahern, psychiatric survivor, on her work with Disability Rights International in exposing human rights violations taking place behind the closed doors of disability and psychiatric institutions around the world.

Mon Nov 5th, 2012: Tribute to Liz Elliott|| DECONSTRUCTING PSYCHIATRY
Show audio coming soon
*Karlene Faith pays tribute to Liz Elliott, prisoner and restorative justice advocate who died last year.
*Deconstructing Psychiatry: Author and Psychiatric Survivor Activist, Irit Shimrat, speaks out against forced treatment and the dominant bio medical model in Psychiatry.

Mon Oct 1st, 2012: HIV Behind Bars || Mental Health in India
Listen to the program.
*FOCUS ON PRISON JUSTICE: Highlights from the Vancouver Prison Justice Day Memorial Rally, HIV and HEP C behind bars.
*DECONSTRUCTING PSYCHIATRY: In a report generated by her research work with Action Aid India, on Custodial Care Institutions in India, Bhargavi Davar states: "The system is drug driven and shock driven . . ."

Mon Sept 3rd, 2012: Vancouver Prison Justice Day Rally
Listen to the program.
*Highlights from the annual memorial rally from August 10th.

Mon Aug 6th, 2012: Prison Justice Day Special: Sharing Stories of Women who have died in prison
Listen to the program.
*Prison Justice Day is a day to remember those who have died behind bars.

Mon July 2nd, 2012: Tough on Crime Agenda, Voices from the Inside || Will Hall
Listen to the program.
*DECONSTRUCTING PSYCHIATRY:Will Hall, acclaimed mental diversity counselor and advocate, and host of “Madness Radio” tackles questions from a recent talk in Vancouver.
*FOCUS ON PRISON JUSTICE: Justin Piche on the latest with the Tough on Crime agenda and their 4 prongs of attack.
Voices From the Inside: Hear recent writings from Prisoners.

Mon June 4th, 2012: FOCUS ON PRISON JUSTICE: Prisoners and Community Radio || DECONSTRUCTING PSYCHIATRY: Will Hall
Listen to the program.
* Raising the Civil Dead Prisoners and Community Radio. Interview with Heather Anderson on her new book on prisoners and community radio around the globe.
*Will Hall, acclaimed mental diversity counselor and advocate, and host of “Madness Radio”

Mon May 7th, 2012: FOCUS ON PRISON JUSTICE: Unlocking the Gates to Health for Women || Voices From the Inside
Listen to the program.
*Unlocking the Gates to Health and the Doing Time Project: Hear about these projects developed by ex-prisoners on how to improve the health and social supports for women as they are released from prison into the community.
*Voices From the Inside: Hear recent writings from Prisoners.

Mon April 2nd, 2012: DECONSTRUCTING PSYCHIATRY: Will Hall || FOCUS ON PRISON JUSTICE: Sexual Assault Survivors and Prison Abolition
Listen to the program.
*Will Hall, acclaimed mental diversity counselor and advocate, and host of “Madness Radio”
*Challenging Convictions: Survivors of Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Writing on Solidarity with Prison Abolition survivorsinsoli.blogspot.com

Mon March 5th, 2012: PAT CAPPONI || PRISONER VOICES
Listen to the program.
*DECONSTRUCTING PSYCHIATRY: Activist and Author, Pat Capponi, gives voice to the silent space of the psychiatric patient.
*Voices From the Inside: A Prisoners perscpective on the Omnibus Crime Bill, Joe Convict on hunger strike

Mon Feb 6th, 2012: CENTRALIZATION OF GIRLS INCARCERATION IN BC || DECONSTRUCTING PSYCHIATRY
Listen to the program.
*DECONSTRUCTING PSYCHIATRY: A woman from Runaway House in Berlin talks about her experiences surviving the psychiatric system.
*CENTRALIZATION OF GIRLS INCARCERATION IN BC: Justice For Girls on their concerns with the BC Ministry of Children and Families' plans to centralize the location of incarcerated girls in BC.

Mon Jan 2nd, 2012: CAPTURED BY THE STATE: THE ANTIVIOLENCE MOVEMENT AND THE NON-PROFIT INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
Listen to the full talk.
*Native American Anti-Violence Activist and Academic, Andrea Smith's keynote address at the 9th Annual Critical Race and Anti-Colonial Studies Conference held in Montreal, Quebec in 2009.