The Elizabeth Fry Society Mandate

Efry Calgary offers pathways to healing for women involved in the criminal justice system by providing programming, support and advocacy.

Mission Statement: What We Believe - Statement of Purpose

True to its belief in a just, fair and egalitarian society, in which individual worth and personal dignity are actively valued by a community providing support and sharing responsibility, the Society devotes itself to these purposes:

• to work with girls and women in conflict with the law by offering information and support through the court process, the term of sentence, and re-integration into society;


• to provide programs and services to people in conflict or contact with the law which acknowledge the economic, social, and psychological realities of their lives;


• to monitor, participate in, and advocate for fairness and equality within the justice system;


• to cooperate with other organizations which share its commitment to equality and fairness for girls and women;


• to encourage and provide opportunities for the community to be informed of and involved in the Society's activities; and


• to raise community awareness of social and economic disadvantages and of systemic inequalities.

Herstory

Elizabeth Fry (1780-1847) began her reform work at Newgate Prison in England in 1817. Fundamental to all of Elizabeth Fry's reform activities was the fact she advocated for a radical change in the status of women. She advocated for opportunities for women outside the home and believed that Victorian women could lead useful lives by helping women in prison. Her recommendations for Newgate Prison, which were later adopted throughout Europe, were directed toward maintaining a peaceful prison as well as rehabilitating offenders. The recommended changes addressed the need for:

• female guards to supervise the female inmates;
• a daily routine to be established in order to improve the lifestyles and social skills of incarcerated women; and
• teaching women useful skills which would provide them with employment while incarcerated and upon release.

Elizabeth Fry will be remembered for acknowledging the humanity of prisoners and considering their individual human needs.