The year 2005 was rather eventful for the staff and members of ASRSQ. Johanne Vallée’s departure after more than eighteen years at the helm was received with mixed feelings of joy and sadness. News of her appointment as Associate Deputy Minister of the Services correctionnels du Québec last Summer was cause for joy, as Johanne was given an opportunity of expressing her talent, knowledge and experience in a highly responsible and influential position in the field of corrections in Québec. Yet, the loss of a leader and colleague of such merit and value was also cause for sadness. The Association would not be what it is—a credible voice for both our partners and the public at large—were it not for the legacy of Reneault Tremblay and relentless and constant efforts of Johanne Vallée who followed in his footsteps.
Johanne’s leaving will have been a great source of pride for me, but it also left me with many questions about the future.
It is said that nobody is irreplaceable, and that is true. However, replacing someone of Johanne’s calibre and stature presents quite a challenge. I figured no one could really replace her, which is why I felt at ease in seeking the position of Executive Director of ASRSQ at some point during the month of July. It was clear to me that Johanne could not be replaced, that she was unique, and that, therefore, I could not claim to replace her. I guess that relieving myself of that pressure must have allowed me to perform well in my job interview, for here I am, only the third person in the history of the Association to be granted the privilege of serving and representing the major community-based organizations active in criminal justice in Québec.
I started in my new position on October 3, 2005. I did so with joy, but also with the knowledge that there was a lot of work ahead; I was also confident of being able to draw upon my more than thirty years of knowledge and experience in a most stimulating and interesting environment. I was also very aware that after all these years as a field worker or a manager in both the public and community-based sectors, I would need to adapt to my new roles as representative of our members’ interest, arbitrator of disputes, spokesperson to partners and the media, facilitator, communicator, manager of a coalition, fundraiser, public relations officer, and more.
Let us hope that the newly elected Government will create the conditions for a wider debate before adopting definitive legislation in matters pertaining to criminal justice.
One of the first things I did upon settling into the office left vacant by Johanne was to hang a small framed drawing portraying the late Stephen Cumas, past Executive Director of the John Howard Society of Québec and one of the founding members of the ASRSQ. Around that same time, I found among my personal belongings a document written by Steve in 1974 from which I extracted the following:
“’In the field of corrections we can see in the not too distant future the growth of a bureaucratic structure emphasizing control techniques in its war against crime… The growing number of court cases will necessitate computers to process the necessary data. The increasing use of prediction systems and actuarial tables may well force even research groups to see the offenders as events, or ciphers, rather than persons. This bureaucratic system with its segmentized approach to the offender for purposes of crime control will, on the other hand, only serve to further accentuate the problems of an already impersonal and anonymous segment of society.
As the necessity for these controls expands—and no one denies their necessity in a complex society such as ours—, it will be the task of the private agencies to break through this chain of anonymity, and see the offender as an individual in his entirety.“ (Taken from an essay published in 1974 by Stephen Cumas and titled Reflections on Crime)
A few weeks later, as I was doing research for my editorial, I stumbled upon another inspiring text, this time, by Johanne Vallée. It just happens to be the last editorial she wrote before leaving and here is an excerpt that I freely translated:
“’We must reaffirm the value of our field workers” professional judgment and reduce the bureaucratic expectations that have quite involuntarily transformed the work of professionals into one of information systems technicians. We must implement all these measures (i.e. implementation of the Loi sur le système correctionnel du Québec and re-examine the organization of tasks within the CSC ‘’in order to promote that there be more frequent and productive contacts between offenders and their parole supervisors) while also informing the public at large that a zero-risk level of recidivism is a myth… Instead, we must work toward the goal of reducing risk, because punishing is not enough. (Taken from an editorial signed by Johanne Vallée in Porte ouverte, vol. XVI, no. 4, Spring — Summer 2005, and titled ‘» Le merdier de la remise en liberté : quand la chaîne n’est pas assez longue’»).
These two documents were written more than thirty years apart, yet their focus and concerns are quite similar. Add to that a changing political climate where, in the area of criminal justice, the emphasis is now definitely on magical solutions or, as stated by Me Jean-Claude Hébert, a lawyer, on ‘’security-minded populism“. In this context, individuals become anonymous once more, and human contact becomes a secondary consideration as we aspire for the illusion of absolute security. Therefore, much work remains to be done to promote the idea that social rehabilitation and reintegration are not only an integral part of public safety but more importantly an essential one.
This could not be more true within the context of a recently elected Government in Ottawa led by a Prime Minister who made the issue of criminal justice one of his top priorities during the elections. Moreover, certain components of the Conservative Party electoral platform, for example the imposition of mandatory minimum sentences for certain categories of crime, have found their way into the platforms of at least two other political parties. Let us hope that the newly elected Government will create the conditions for a wider debate before adopting definitive legislation in matters pertaining to criminal justice. And let it be known that we wish to be part of the debate. The effort to influence the political and policy agendas in the months to come constitutes a major challenge for us. We must hope there lies ahead for us a unique opportunity to initiate a productive dialogue regarding the issue of social rehabilitation and reintegration as part of public safety and all that is at stake around this issue.
