2000

The P4W Memorial Collective (P4WMC) “is a group of women ex-prisoners from P4W, Indigenous activists, and prison justice activists who are working towards obtaining a permanent memorial garden on the grounds of the Prison for Women both to make history visible and to plant the seeds of transformative justice” [1]. The collective is grounded in the values of liberty, collaboration, respect for diversity, solidarity, harm reduction, social justice, equity, and community-building, demonstrating these values through honoring, remembering, centering, and uplifting the stories and experiences of those who have lived and died in Canadian prisons [2]. Given the colonial context of Canada and the carceral system, the collective pays special attention to the ongoing effects of settler colonialism within the prison system, as well as the cultures and traditions of Indigenous peoples on whose lands the prisons occupy [2].

The intent behind the memorial garden is to honor those who died at P4W and those who continue to live and die in prisons, jails and detention centres across the country. By planting this garden, the collective aims to create a space where people can reflect on the history of the space, and to prevent that history from being erased from public knowledge. The current old, empty appearance of the prison building could mislead those who see it to consider the atrocities committed against incarcerated women and the colonial realities of the carceral system to be things of the distant past, something that is far from the truth [3]. For healing and change to take place, the realities of prisoners and survivors of the prison industrial complex must be acknowledged and remembered.

The P4W Memorial Collective also organizes film screenings, solidarity letters, roundtable discussions, and other gatherings. In this space, historical and contemporary stories of prisoners are shared, and the community gathers for a variety of purposes, such as to heal, remember, and/or learn about prisoners and the prison system across Canada. 

On the 10th of August every year, since the P4W’s closure in 2000, P4WMC gathers on these grounds to hold a healing circle for Prisoners’ Justice Day in honor of the lives lost and harmed by the Prison Industrial Complex. This event is usually followed by an open-public gathering and feast where people can share stories. The healing circle is a sacred indigenous ceremony with a fire-keeper and sacred fire burning, and sweetgrass and smudging led by an elder. In recent times, the healing circle ceremony has grown to include former male inmates, gender diverse persons, and persons from other prisons and jails, together with family, friends, and supporters. [4]

1. Mcphail, Marg (2020). “P4W Memorial Collective. Rise Up!: Feminist Digital Archive

2. P4W Memorial Collective. https://p4wmemorialcollective.com/our-history/ 

3. P4W Memorial Collective. https://p4wmemorialcollective.com/memorial-garden/

4. P4W Memorial Collective. https://p4wmemorialcollective.com/prisoners-justice-day/