Surrey – A community helpline is providing inmates with over-the-phone support — with Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) students on the other end.
Operating every Saturday and Sunday, this free resource offers non‐stigmatizing, trauma‐informed support and resources to incarcerated people in B.C. The line is also available to those on parole to support continuity of care.
“Incarceration can be a very socially-isolating and traumatizing experience. Prisoners lack mental health resources and want community support, but don’t always have family members accessible to them,” says KPU criminology instructor Dr. Alana Abramson, who is leading the initiative.
“Relationships can become fragmented because of reasons like being incarcerated for so long and difficulties visiting the prison.”
Incarcerated adults have experienced disproportionate levels of trauma and mental illness compared to the general population. Over 80% of federally-incarcerated men have experienced childhood trauma, with the number climbing to 86% for women, according to a report by Correctional Service Canada.
“For most people, prison doesn’t make them better but actually adds to their trauma and isolation, especially for people who have sexual trauma,” says Abramson.
The helpline is currently employing 10 students from post-secondary institutions in B.C., five of whom are from KPU. Mehreen Mundi, who recently graduated from KPU with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Minor in Counselling, says being a call taker has helped prepare her for a future in counselling.
“I’m here to support people in whatever way they want, whether that means being there and listening to them, or offering guided meditation tools,” says Mundi, who was recently accepted into a master’s in counselling program. “This experience has really taught me to truly listen and be with the person fully to understand what they need and what is important to them.”
For organizations looking to start similar programs, Abramson’s team is developing a helpline training manual that will give call takers a thorough understanding of the experiences of incarceration.
“Our call takers have specialized training on what it means to be incarcerated and the challenges involved,” says Abramson.
The initiative is being supported with a $182,719 College and Community Social Innovation Fund grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
