Education program for Manitoba inmates helps give hope for life after incarceration
A program giving inmates a chance to get an education while serving time in Manitoba’s Stony Mountain Institution is looking to expand, according to the Correctional Service of Canada.
It’s called Walls to Bridges and has been running in Winnipeg since 2014.
It brings instructors and students from post-secondary institutions across Canada inside the prison walls where offenders join them to study together.
Some of the incarcerated participants have been impacted by historical traumas, such as the residential school system and faced social barriers accessing a post-secondary education prior to their prison sentence.
“I believe it’s my job to break down those barriers and turn my life around even though I am where I am today,” said Larry Duck, a 31-year-old inmate at Stony Mountain who recently completed the 12-week course.
The program builds on the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program in the United States and is offered in Manitoba through the University of Winnipeg.
It’s a program that’s helped Duck, who is serving a 15-year sentence, earn actual university credit hours so he can further his education upon his release.
“My plans are to take Aboriginal Studies to start learning more about our culture,” Duck said.
While the in-person courses at the prison have been on hiatus due to COVID-19, the program continued to run during the pandemic at Stony Mountain with a maximum of five inmate participants through phone and video conferencing.
Before the pandemic, the classes would usually have eight inmate students and eight university students learning together, something Stony Mountain hopes to start again this coming fall.
In Winnipeg, the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) said eight instructors are trained in the Walls to Bridges program, offering courses in conflict resolution, criminal justice, English and urban and inner-city studies with others in the works.
The costs of running the program have been covered through student bursaries.
CSC said the University of Winnipeg has completed 11 courses at Stony Mountain and is hoping to increase the number of classes offered and the number of participants.
Sharon Perrault, the executive director of the John Howard Society of Manitoba, which helps men in institutions and the community, supports the initiative.
“It gives them hope for when they do come out that, ‘Hey I am going to be doing something productive with my life but now I also have a support system out there that I’ve connected with before I’m released.’”
It’s a program Duck said he hopes to use as a stepping stone to help give back to his community one day, outside the prison gates.
Walls to Bridges first started in Canada in 2011 as a partnership between Grand Valley Institution for Women in Kitchener and the Faculty of Social Work at Wilfrid Laurier University.
The program has also offered courses in Manitoba at the Women’s Correctional Centre.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Pearson gold heist suspect arrested after flying into Toronto from India
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Justin and Hailey Bieber are expecting their first child together
Hailey and Justin Bieber are going to be parents. The couple announced the news on Thursday on Instagram, both sharing a video that showcases Hailey Bieber's growing belly.
New analysis of Beethoven's hair reveals possible cause of mysterious ailments, scientists say
High levels of lead detected in authenticated locks of Ludwig van Beethoven's hair suggest that the composer had lead poisoning, which may have contributed to ailments he endured over the course of his life, including deafness, according to new research.
Debate on abortion rights erupts on Parliament Hill, Poilievre vows he won't legislate
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
B.C. man used Bobcat as 'weapon' while chasing away homeless people, judge says
A B.C. man has been convicted of assault with a weapon after using a skid-steer Bobcat to chase two homeless people from his lawn, injuring one of them in the process.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Miss Teen USA steps down just days after Miss USA's resignation
Miss Teen USA resigned Wednesday, sending further shock waves through the pageant community just days after Miss USA said she would relinquish her crown.