Help us provide basic health and hygiene necessities to incarcerated women.  

As the Ottawa Jail Accountability and Information Line (a hotline run by members of the Criminalization and Punishment Education Project (CPEP) that takes calls from people imprisoned at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre (OCDC) and their loved ones to reduce the use and harms of imprisonment at the jail while working towards abolition) returns to operation, we have received numerous calls from incarcerated women detailing inhumane and unacceptable conditions at OCDC.

 

These women, many of whom are Black, Indigenous, and people of color, do not have access to basic health and hygiene necessities like shampoo, conditioner, lotion, hairbrushes, shaving supplies, and funds to use the phone to speak to their loved ones.

 

This is all while enduring a poorly managed lice outbreak, very limited time outside, little to no access to adequate medical care, and mourning the recent deaths of loved ones and support systems.

 

They, alongside the JAIL Hotline team, ask that the community help keep them safe by assisting with funding for them to purchase desperately-needed health and hygiene products from the canteen and make calls to their loved ones. We emphasize that any contribution you can give, no matter how small, goes a long way.

 

We continue to demand access to health and hygiene necessities, dignified treatment, and decarceration for prisoners at OCDC and beyond. We are incredibly grateful for community care and support in mitigating the harms of incarceration as much as possible until this is achieved. By continuing to show up and care for all members of our community, we believe we can work towards a safer and more equitable world. #WeKeepEachOtherSafe