Prisoner Supports
The following are a range of legal, advocacy and crisis supports that prisoners should be able to access directly for free through facility phones, or by mail. If a number is not working, it may be because of the phone system. It is sometimes possible to arrange a private call through a prison social worker, mental health nurse, or request that the number be added to the facility's "common access" list.
Legal Supports
Prisoner Legal Supports: A prisoner legal support line that is accessible to prisoners on Mondays between 1pm EST - 5pm EST. Prisoners can call collect to speak with someone about human rights issues, internal complaints, healthcare complaints or charter challenges. 613-894-HELP (4357).
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Law Society of Ontario: Get 30 minutes of free legal advice, or referrals for a lawyer. If you’re in custody, call 1-855-947-5255, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. They also have a tool to help you find a lawyer.
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Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC): The OHRC administers the Ontario Human Rights Act. If you believe you’ve been discriminated against under one of the protected grounds, you can file a complaint with the OHRC, who will investigate it. 1-800-387-9080 (toll-free) or 1-800-308-5561 (TTY)
Muslim Legal Support Centre (MLSC): MLSC is a non-profit organization that defends the rights of Muslims in Ontario and connects people to culturally-informed and accessible legal services. Provides a range of free legal services, including legal advice and education (including criminal law), referrals, test case litigation and law reform. Accepts collect calls: 416-350-2914
Human Righs Legal Support Center (HRLSC): HRLSC provides human rights legal services to individuals in Ontario who have experienced discrimination or a violation under the Human Rights Code. Call the HRLSC telephone advice line at 1-866-625-5179. There is an option that prioritizes calls from prisoners.
Black Legal Action Center (BLAC): The Black Legal Action Centre (BLAC) provides legal support to low-income Black folks in Ontario dealing with individual and/or systemic anti-Black Racism. 1-877-736-9406
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ARCH Disability Law Centre: Legal clinic for disabled folks in Ontario. ARCH only practices in disability rights law. They provide a range of legal services, including summary legal advice, basic legal information, and referrals on disability-related areas of the law to people with disabilities. 1-866-482-2724 (Toll-free) or 1-866-482-2728 (TTY).
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Legal Aid Ontario (LAO): Obtain a legal aid certificate which will cover the costs of a private lawyer. If you are in detention or jail, speak with the legal aid worker at your facility.
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Ontario Legal Information Centre (OLIC): OLIC offers a free 30-minute meeting with a lawyer to anyone in Ontario by telephone or in person at their Ottawa office in English or French. They can provide legal information in any legal topic, and referrals to services. You have to leave a message and a lawyer will call you back. Call their toll-free line at 1-844-343-7462.
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Aboriginal Legal Services Toronto (ALST): ALST provides services to low-income Aboriginal people in Toronto only. Services include: Aboriginal Court workers; Gladue reports and aftercare; poverty law services (including police complaints); a criminal diversion program for adults and youth; an alternative process for child welfare cases; and test cases and law reform. ALST is trans-positive and Two Spirit-friendly. 416-408-3967 or 1-844-633-2886.
Complaints About Mistreatment
The following organizations are meant to address issues of mistreatment within the legal system, but they often don’t provide the results people need or want. See our section “We Keep Us Safe” for more ideas.
Internal Complaint Process: You may make a written complaint to the superintendent by filling out an Inmate Request Form. The supervisor on duty will talk to you on behalf of the superintendent. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may ask to see the superintendent or deputy superintendent.​ If you are still not satisfied, you may write to a senior ministry official including the assistant deputy minister, the deputy solicitor general and/or the solicitor general to ask for further review.
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These still may not resolve the situation in the way you would like. Next steps include external complaint processes, such as contacting the Ombudsman, or organizing with others to build power and demand a resolution.
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Ombudsman Ontario: The ombudsman investigates complaints from prisoners within detention and prison facilities.
Toll-free (Ontario only): 1-800-263-1830
TTY (teletypewriter): 1-866-411-4211
Client Conflict Resolution Unit: If your human rights have been violated while in detention CCRU will document, investigate and try to mediate it. 1-866-535-0019
OIPRD: OIPRD will take complaints about municipal of provincial police - such as the Hamilton Police or the Ontario Provincial Police. Complaints must be written. Facilities are supposed to have a green booklet with a stamped and addressed envelope to file a complaint with. You should be able to access it by asking prison staff. 1-877-411-4773. TTY: 1-877-414-4773 for d/Deaf prisoners or who have speech related disabilities
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First Nations Police: You can file a complaint against the First Nations Police in person, in writing or by telephone. The complaint must be filed with the chief of police of the First Nations Police Service where the constable is employed. If you do not agree with the chief of police’s decision, you may complain to the band council. If you need help finding the mailing address of the police service, you can submit an Inmate Request Form and staff will help you - or reach out to a prisoner support project such as DJNO's Prison Project or legal support line to get the information.​
Crisis Support Lines
These are toll-free lines that should be accessible from within an open or closed detention facility, however none of the lines provide care explicitly to prisoners - they are open to the public.
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As of December 2023, many of the following crisis lines can also be reached by calling the new Canada-wide crisis line 988 that is coordinated by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).
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Please note that some support lines may notify prison staff if they are concerned about the immediate safety of yourself or others. You may get put into segregation as a result.
​​Connex: Provides free, 24-hour health support across Ontario, including mental health information and support, listening, and education around mental health, gambling, addictions, and drug use. 1-866-531-2600
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Suicide Crisis Helpline: 9-8-8. New and free 24 hour crisis support across so-called canada. This number is a central intake for many other crisis lines and organizations. When you call, you will be directed accordingly, however you may still call individual crisis lines. ​
National Indian Residential School Crisis Line: Provides 24-hour crisis support to any Indigenous person directly or indirectly impacted by residential schools. 1-866-925-4419
Trans Lifeline: 24/7 support service for 2 Spirit & Trans folks needing support.1-877-330-6366
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Assaulted Women's Line: 24/7 support for women who have been assaulted. 1-866-863-0511
Talk Suicide: Canada-wide, funded by CAMH. Call 1-833-456-4566, 24/7
​Hope for Wellness Helpline: Available to all Indigenous people across so-called Canada. Request support in Cree, Ojibway (Anishinaabemowin), and Inuktitut, however the language supports are not available 24/7, so you may need to call in to find out the next time that a language-speaker will be available. 1-855-242-3310, 24/7
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Crisis line: An independent, national free support line for anyone impacted by MMIW. Available 24/7. 1-844-413-6649
​Talk 4 Healing: 24/7 support for Indigenous women and girls, provided by Indigenous women, across Ontario. 1-855-554-4325 (HEAL)
​Métis Nation of Ontario’s (MNO) — Healing and Wellness branch: A 24/7 mental health & addictions crisis line. Call for help working through a hard time. 1-877-767-7572
Prisoner Support, Connection and Advocacy
The following are supports available to prisoners in the Hamilton, Ontario area.
DJNO Prison Project: The Prison Project at the Disability Justice Network of Ontario (DJNO) runs support lines where you can call to talk/vent with people, have information looked up, and have resources sent to you in jail. Write to us, or call your closest phone line.
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Prison Project
423 King St E,
Hamilton, ON L8N 1C5
Northern Ontario: 807 – 548 – 4312
Milton/GTA: 416 – 775 – 7983
Hamilton: 905 – 631 – 4084
Niagara: 905 – 227 – 5066
Kingston: 613– 881– 0050
Ottawa/East: 613 – 768 – 9951
Southwestern Ontario: 519 – 690 – 0836
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Barton Prisoner Solidarity: is an abolition group that aims to reduce the isolation that prison walls create through various means. They work specifically with people incarcerated at Barton Jail in Hamilton. Free for prisoners to call 8am-8pm: 905-631-9821
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Write On! Supporting Prisoners Through Correspondence
is a group of concerned people who support and stand in solidarity with prisoners by mailing resources and information to help improve quality of life as well as advocate for improved conditions e.g. campaign to provide internet access to prisoners.
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Write On!
234-110 Cumberland St
Toronto ON M5R 3V5
Cell Count (PASAN): is a magazine made by current and past prisoners, for current and past prisoners. You can make submissions (drawings, writings, etc.) by mailing them to the address below, or by calling (they accept collect calls). Prisoners can get the magazine sent to them in prison by writing/calling PASAN/Cell Count, or by getting someone outside to sign you up on their online form.
PASAN - Cell Count
526 Richmond Street East
Toronto, ON M5A 1R3
1-866-224-9978
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Inside/Out: Books and community care for those affected by incarceration in so-called Ottawa and beyond. No phone number – have someone on the outside reach out to incarcerationbooks@gmail.com
Books to Prisoners Ottawa: shares donated reading materials to incarcerated individuals and promotes social justice campaigns in Canada that work with community partnerships locally with provincial institutions at OCDC, William E Hay, Collins Bay, Bath, Port-Cartier, CSC institutions from BC to the Maritimes. Write to them for an individual book request.
OPIRG-Carleton
326 UniCenter
Carleton University
Ottawa, ON. K1S 5B6
(613) 520-2757
Out of Bounds: A quarterly magazine written for and by prisoners across Canada. Published by Penal Press. Write to submit or receive a copy.
Out of Bounds Magazine
6000 William Head Rd
Victoria, BC V9C 0B5
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Book Clubs for Inmates: Book Clubs for Inmates (BCFI) is a registered charity that organizes volunteer-led book clubs within federal penitentiaries across Canada.
Book Clubs for Inmates
c/o Centre for Social Innovation
720 Bathurst Street
Toronto, ON M5S 2R4
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Walls to Bridges (W2B): An educational program offering university and college courses taught within correctional settings across Canada. W2B classes involve equal numbers of incarcerated (“inside”) students and university/college-based (“outside”) students learning together as peers. All students who successfully complete the course receive a university/college credit.
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Millhaven Lifes' Liason Group (MLLG): The Millhaven Lifers' Liaison Group (MLLG) is made up of volunteers from the community & uOttawa to establish connections with the Millhaven Lifers Group (MLG) in Bath, Ontario and includes a support group. Contact mllgottawa@gmail.com for general information, or supportgroup@cfcn-rcafd.org for the virtual support group.​