canadian prison law association

The Canadian Prison Law Association is an organization of lawyers, academics, and other professionals who work on behalf of prisoners, and who seek to protect and promote the constitutional rights, interests and privileges of prisoners by advocating on their behalf within the community and in their dealings with prison and release authorities, by generating and sharing legal information, and by promoting adherence to the rule of law within the prison law environment in accordance with the highest standards of justice and fairness as required by and consistent with the Canadian Constitution and in particular the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The objectives of the Canadian Prison Law Association are:

(a) To formalize and organize the association of lawyers, academics, and other professionals who work on behalf of prisoners;

(b) To facilitate communication among lawyers, academics, and other professionals interested in correctional law, and the sharing of information amongst them throughout Canada;

(c) To act as a vehicle through which the members of the Association can, on matters of common concern, communicate with government bodies and others;

(d) To protect the Constitutional rights of prisoners as determined under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, to ensure that the Rule of Law is applied behind prison walls and to ensure compliance with it, ameliorate the plight of prisoners, and to facilitate improvements to the provision of legal services to them; and

(e) To facilitate the enlightened discussion of prison law issues within the Association, between the members of the Association and other groups, and between the members of the Association and the correctional and release authorities and others interested or affected thereby.

You can read about some of our recent activities on our News page. 

We are led by an Executive Committee which is elected by our members. Our current Executive Committee is Nora Demnati (President), Allison Fenske (Vice President), Abby Deshman (Treasurer), Hanna Garson (Secretary), Pierre Hawkins (Advocacy), Amy Matychuk (Legislative review), and Kate Mitchell (Communications).

Learn more about the history and founding of the CPLA here.

For more information on the CPLA's current governance and mandate please read the CPLA's Constitution and bylaws.