Kahnawake probation agreement signed by Council

For years, community members released on parole have been in the hands of the provincial government, with public safety officials in Kahnawake often having little or no knowledge about who is even on a probation order within the community.

But an agreement passed by Mohawk Council Executive Directive (MCED) on Monday might change that, with a deal struck between Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) and Quebec’s ministry of public security handing over more control to Kahnawake in managing probation cases.

“This is a step, it’s not 100 percent control, but that’s a goal from a jurisdictional standpoint, we want to develop that as we move forward,” said MCK’s public safety commissioner Lloyd Phillips. “This really gives us the ability to hire our own Kahnawake probation officer, that will work closely with Public Safety to ensure people are following conditions of their release and public safety is aware of those conditions.”

Right now, Kahnawake has no oversight in parole cases, meaning those on parole are followed by a Quebec parole officer. This can make it difficult for individuals to access the necessary support needed to successfully reintegrate after serving time in prison.

“It’s not only about punishment so to speak, it’s also about supporting them and helping them get back on the right track so they don’t end up committing future crimes, and we provide services to support them,” Phillips said. “This way, we’ll have the ability to work with them.”

Since the agreement has just been finalized, the process of development and implementation is just starting. Phillips said that training and hiring a Kahnawake-based parole officer will be a key step.

“There will be a lot of training and education for the person who’s going to take on that role. Quebec will be training and assisting that individual on how their system works, and then there’ll be a phasing out process over a period of time where Quebec will remove themselves from any cases involving Kahnawake,” he said. “That will be transferred to us to do proper follow up and ensure that all conditions are followed.”

This agreement will be of huge benefit to the community, especially to those experiencing parole.

“For the person under parole conditions, to have somebody who understands the situation in our community, who understands Kahnawake, understands our history and how things happen and progress, this will help them reintegrate back into the community in a much smoother way,” he said. “It serves a public security perspective, but it also serves the purpose of making sure a person has the tools they need so that they succeed.”

Since 2016, a program run by Kahnawake which has an agreement in place with the Correctional Service of Canada has helped individuals released from federal prisons to reintegrate into society, under Section 84 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act. But that program only exists for those who have been sentenced to at least two years in jail. This new agreement will benefit those who are provincial inmates and have served under two years in prison, and Phillips said that elements of that program, such as a focus on traditional healing, will be incorporated into the new one.

“There’ll be knowledge of the services and support that those people require and of their conditions, there’s still a lot of work that needs to happen over the next several months,” Phillips said. “But we have a strong framework going forward and the funds to do what we’ve got to do.”

At this point, Phillips said the total funding amounts are still being determined, but that it’ll start with the salary of the probation officer here in Kahnawake, who will spearhead the rest of the project. He anticipates that will happen in the coming weeks and months.

“As we move forward, I’ll make the changes and modifications we need to make sure it applies better to our community from a security perspective, but also from a supportive perspective as well,” Phillips said.

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Eve Cable, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door