ABSTRACT
Decolonizing corrections means that there is a complete transformative change of the criminal legal system called corrections - a foreign colonial prison system forced upon Indigenous peoples. Indigenous peoples, and specifically Indigenous women, have borne the brunt of this system where we now see the highest statistics of Indigenous women in this system which “exemplifies Canada’s racist legacy of colonization.” This chapter focuses on the lived experiences of two Cree women, Yvonne Johnson and Joey Twins, who share the many deeply layered, complex and well-articulated issues in a dehumanized prison system that in many instances results in brutal human rights violations. Some of the issues raised include support to the women; acknowledging the intergenerational traumas, including all types of violence against Indigenous women and her children; and solutions to change the system. The final argument is that there has to be a complete transition and transformative change to a complete abolition of the prison systems for Indigenous women.
