NCJ Number
202654
Journal
Women & Criminal Justice Volume: 14 Issue: 4 Dated: 2003 Pages: 13-33
Date Published
2003
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This article chronicles the life and work of Kim Pate, a Canadian activist who works for reform in the Canadian criminal justice system on behalf of criminalized women and girls.
Abstract
Based on the author’s interviews with Kim Pate, her personal experiences with Pate, and interviews with Pate’s colleagues and friends, the author presents an overview of Pate’s personal and professional achievements. As a member of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS), and later as its Executive Director, Pate has focused her career on improving the conditions for women and girls within Canada’s correctional facilities. Pate asserts that patriarchal attitudes have shaped the Canadian criminal and social justice systems and, as a result, women and girls who are forced into the system are marginalized. The author describes Pate’s life as a child growing up with a military father who traveled with his family frequently. Her experiences with the John Howard Society are explored, as are her penal reform efforts through CAEFS. The author concludes by presenting the three main issues facing Pate in her effort to push forward with penal reform efforts. Pate intends to continue challenging mandatory minimum sentencing laws, to push for better reintegration programs, and to focus on reducing the criminalization of women and girls who suffer with mental and cognitive disabilities. References