1. The John Howard Society of Toronto:
All About the Reintegration Centre and the Peer Support
Program
Addictions and Mental Health Conference: May 26, 2015

2. Who We Are and What We Do
Mission Statement: Making our community safer by
supporting the rehabilitation and re-integration of
those who have been in conflict with the law.
The John Howard Society of Toronto is a non-profit organization
committed to providing and developing programs that reduce the
social, economic and personal cost of crime

3. JHS-T: 3 Types of Services and Programs
Alternatives to prison/
Crime Prevention
In-reach to prisons
Post-release
strategies and services

4. Agenda
The Connection between mental health,
substance use and incarceration- The
escalating number of drug users in jails
Innovative response to these issues;
The Reintegration Centre
The Harm Reduction Peer Support
Program (TUHF)

5. More Inmates, Bigger Jails…TSDC
TSDC opened November 2014- once at total capacity will house 1,650
inmates- primarily on remand
The Problem:

6. Challenges to the South Etobicoke
Community
200 men will be released from the jail each week, when jail
is at capacity
33-44% will be homeless upon release
Face multiple barriers for employment- many OW/ODSP
recipients, mental health concerns, criminal record
Limited community resources- no male shelter, jail
located in remote area, lack of mental health supports

7. Challenges faced by clients
Annual Report of the Office of the Correctional Investigator 2013-2014
 More prisoners are presenting with complex mental health, substance abuse and
addictions issues
 Upon admission 80% of federally sentenced male prisoners have a substance abuse
problem and nearly 2/3 reported that they were under the influence of substances
during the commission of their crime.
 Individuals with histories involving a combination of mental health and substance
abuse issues are often more difficult to treat, more prone to relapse and have the
highest risk for self-harm.
 More than 1,000 self-inflicted injuries involving 295 prisoners were recorded in
federal facilities, a rate that has more than tripled in the last five years.
 28% of all use of force interventions involved a prisoner with a mental health concern
as identified by the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC).

8. Death from overdose: 20 times more often in provincial custody and 50
times more often in federal penal institutions than among people living in
the community (Fruehwald & Frottier, 2002).
Mortality rate is very high among recently released prisoners, mostly as
a result of accidental overdose due to decreased tolerance and reduced drug
exposure during incarceration (Binswangar, I.A., et al., 2011).
Release from custody - high anxiety, increases in high-risk activities
associated with drug use and “re-offending” for many with substance use
issues/needs that stem from these circumstances.*
*(Huang, Y., Kuo, H., Lew-Ting, C., Tian, F., Yang, C., Tsai, T., Gange, S. J., Nelson, K. E., 2011).
Challenges for clients cont’d

9. OUR ANSWER: The Reintegration Centre

10. A Proactive Solution to Enhance Community
Safety: The Reintegration Centre
 Late 90’s- plans for TSDC and decommissioning of
WDC, Toronto Jail- Part of provincial government’s
Infrastructural Renewal Plan
 JHS-T began to discuss a need for a social service
response with other service providers and supporters
over two years ago.
 The Reintegration Centre Model was developed through
collaborative process with partners and supporters and
with assistance by professional group facilitators that
lead the Committee through a series of Visioning and
Planning exercises in the winter of 2012

11. The R.C.
 R.C.- Based on the idea of United Way’s Service HUB
Model (ACLC, COTA, F.E.A.T, LAMP Community
Health Centre, Margaret’s)
 Provide assistance to former inmates as immediately as
possible in order to help them to move back to their
home communities
 Guide them towards the appropriate reintegration
support services and programs across the City of
Toronto- “warm referrals”
 Provision of some basic needs re: coats, boots, hygiene
items; Harm reduction education (tools), O/D
prevention, peer support and accompaniment

12. Main Objectives
Provide better access to services and programs as indicated by
those being released
Respond to immediate needs
Reduce high-risk behaviours and/or accidental drug overdoses
causing death
Improve the flow between services (inside/outside)
Provide hope, positive role models, and non-judgmental
support( Peer Support Program)
Offer separate waiting/resource area for family members and
loved ones
Increase community safety
Decrease recidivism

13. Our Peer Support Program- TUHF
3 P/T peers to provide support, informed by their own lived
experience, has begun to appear as a best-practice within service
delivery for marginalized populations including those with mental
illness and substance users*
Clear need for HR and O/D prevention, support, tools
Rapidly growing body of evidence on the efficacy of Peer Support on
an individual’s recovery and related circumstances- Mental Health
Commission of Canada Guidelines.
Meaningful, fair waged employment through providing motivation,
education, mentorship, and encouragement - acquiring new skills,
work experience and improving their self-esteem.
*(Campbell, 2005; Craig, Doherty, Jamieson-Craig, Boocock and Attafua, 2004; Mead, Hilton and Curtis, 2001;
Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2013).

14.  Peers can be effective 'identity models' for inmates/former inmates- people they can
identify with and are living proof that turning away from crime is possible (Maruna,
2001).
 The utilization of peers is necessary because inmates are likely to view professional staff
as authority figures and may view advice as irrelevant since those giving it have no first-
hand experience of the problems to be tackled (Devilly et al, 2005).
 Peer interventions are cost effective
 Mentoring builds on individual and community strengths and by bringing together
volunteers with the disadvantaged helps to build social capital and resilience within
deprived communities.
Why Peer Work is Valuable
*Devilly, G., Sorbellob, L., Eccleston, L. and Ward, T. (2005) Prison-based peer education
schemes'. Aggression and Violent Behaviour, 10, pp. 219-240.
*Maruna, S. (2001) Making Good: How Ex-convicts reform and rebuild their lives. New York:
American Psychological Association

15. The mentoring and befriending foundation (MBF)
identify four main purposes of peer interventions:
Targeted: to find employment, refrain from engaging in
criminal behaviour, or to help integrate individuals into
the community
Change behaviour: to improve relationships, reduce
anti-social behaviours etc.
Expand opportunities: to help develop personal skills,
build confidence, improve attainment etc.
Supportive: to build trust and resilience, reduce social
isolation etc.
*Mentoring and Befriending Foundation (2011). MBF Funding Survey Report. Mentoring and
Befriending Foundation data accessed at www.mandbf.org.uk.

16. Our Peer Workers’
Perspectives and Stories

17. Next Steps for RC and our Peer Support
Program
Continue work with JC (CAMH)
Build community awareness- workskops and outreach
Advisory Committee
Expand HR and OD prevention capacity (Naloxone
training, relationship/contract with The Works,
L.A.M.P’s HR program and South Etobicoke Harm
Reduction Committee).
Enhance and expand partnerships and collaborations
Evaluation
Search for sustainable funding, permanent site, equity
opportunities

18. The Reintegration Centre
215 Horner Ave. (647) 429-7808
Lindsay Jennings- Support Worker
ljennings@johnhowardtor.on.ca
Barry Corbitt - Support Worker
bcorbitt@johnhowardtor.on.ca
Harold Johnson- Support Worker
hjohnson@johnhowardtor.on.ca
Cindy Ferguson- Reintegration Centre Coordinator
cferguson@johnhowardtor.on.ca
Amber Kellen
Director of Community Initiatives, Policy and Research
akellen@johnhowardtor.on.ca