When thee builds a prison, thee had better build with the thought ever in thy mind that thee and thy children may occupy the cells.
-Elizabeth Fry
In 1986 in Peterborough, community organizer Pat Love established a steering committee. By 1987 the Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough had been founded, and by 1989 it was incorporated. The Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough has been advocating for human rights ever since.
Between 1994 and 2004 the number of women in prison increased by almost 200 percent and contributed to a significant increase in the number of criminalized women in need of community re-integration supports. The Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough responded by hiring a Court Support Worker, and by providing women with compassionate counselling, programming, and support and referral services.
We change one choice at a time. In 2005 the Central East Correctional Centre (CECC) was established in the nearby town of Lindsay. The Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough advocated against the issue of overcrowding in the cells and being assigned 3-to-a-bunkbed. After receiving specialized training to work in the prison, support workers began teaching prisoners the Taking Control: Making Healthy Choices program. Additionally, they ran a creative writing program which raised a prisoner’s self-esteem and facilitated personal change, one choice at a time. The Elizabeth Fry Societies across Canada advocate for decarceration and prison abolition.
The Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough continues to provide representation at the federal and provincial levels through its affiliation with the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies and the Council of Elizabeth Fry Societies of Ontario.
Peterborough area police and court officials recognize the social and economic effectiveness of providing community-based programs to women whenever possible (instead of charging, sentencing, or incarcerating). When justice officials began diverting women from the justice system to Elizabeth Fry Society supportive counselling and programming, we began to see better win/win outcomes for women and for community safety.
In 1990 the Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough gained charitable status, and in 1992 became a United Way member agency.