John Howard Society of Manitoba

06/12/2026

📚 Good News! Our Get The Story Out program is now available through the John Howard Society of Brandon 📚

📖 The Get The Story Out program allows dads in prison to connect with their kids by reading them a story. We provide children's books while volunteers or staff record the father reading and then transfer the recording to a CD. The storybook and CD are then sent to the child by mail.

📚 The Get The Story Out program is now available in Brandon, in addition to Headingley, Remand, Milner Ridge, and Stony Mountain.

📖 If you or someone you know would like to participate, contact institution staff or JHS Manitoba & JHS Brandon.

📚 Help us Get The Story Out! Purchase a $25 Father's Day card at McNally Robinson in person or online! (link in bio)

06/10/2026

📚 Excerpts from The Fiscal Benefits of Adult Basic Education in Manitoba, by Jim Silver, October 2025, published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Manitoba Research Alliance

06/05/2026

📚 Our Get the Story Out campaign continues!

📖 Help us raise $2,000 for the program by June 21 so incarcerated dads can connect with their kids by reading them a story.

📚 Click the link in our bio to purchase a $25 Father's Day card from McNally Robinson to share the gift of story with an incarcerated parent.

📖 We greatly appreciate your support!

05/26/2026

📰 Great news! The City of Brandon and the John Howard Society of Brandon are encouraging the province to expand funding for bail navigation support services.

⚖️ Given correctional institutions in the province are overcrowded, bail support programs are crucial in helping people stabilize, connecting them with support, and reducing recidivism.

📰 Did you know? The bail system is incredibly difficult to navigate especially for individuals with limited resources.

⚖️ At John Howard Society Week in March 2026, criminal justice experts across the country agreed that strict bail conditions often set individuals up to fail in reintegrating back into the community.

📰 We're encouraged to see others participate in this continued dialogue with the province on increased funding for necessary bail navigation supports.

05/20/2026

🌿 The spring edition of The Inside Scoop is here! This is a magazine published four times a year by the John Howard Society's literacy department and distributed to every federal and provincial prison in Manitoba.

✒️ The Inside Scoop publishes writing, poetry and art from individuals who are or have been incarcerated, alongside informational articles from literacy department volunteers.

🥬 The spring edition theme is What Feeds Us, which explores the topic of food and nutrition in prison.

✏️ Winnipeg Remand Centre learners participated in the TikTok trend by illustrating examples of what food is available in prison, such as perogies, burgers and fries, and soup. Notably, Chase M. shared that all meals need bigger portions.

🍏 Researchers found a prison diet lacks fresh fruit and vegetables, and instead relies heavily on reheated, processed foods.

🌯 Meals are also memories. Remand Centre learners reflected on the best meals they've ever had, which are often accompanied by stories with friends and family.

🥧 Ojibway Word of the Day: miini-baashkim- inasigani-biitoosijigani-bakwezhigan 🫐 (blueberry pie)

📰 We welcome submissions to the Summer 2026 issue of The Inside Scoop - the theme is Friendship!

05/07/2026

📚 Our Literacy Instructor Chanelle Lajoie helped create a partnership with Pro-Bono Students Canada to create free public legal education resources for individuals incarcerated in federal institutions.

⚖️ Three law students from the University of Manitoba showed up once a week from September through March to create 29 legal advice pamphlets exploring topics like information on food in Canadian prisons, job hunting with a criminal record, and information about your financial situation while incarcerated.

🖋️ Having PBSC law students on site at the John Howard literacy office once a week gave them the opportunity to interact and engage with community members in a meaningful way.

⚖️ We would like to express thanks to the students for their enthusiasm and engagement in prison law reform and upholding basic human rights and dignity for incarcerated individuals.

📚 These pamphlets will begin to be distributed throughout federal institutions in June!

05/01/2026

☀️ Now accepting spring/summer clothing donations for our reintegration program! We're looking for men's baseball caps, t-shirts, shorts, shoes, sunscreen, sunglasses, etc.

🧢 Send us a message, call 204-775-1514, or email our reintegration coordinator Kaylee at [email protected] to donate!

04/07/2026

Helpful article in the on the federal Liberal government's cuts to prison library staff featuring the John Howard Society's literacy department.

Please follow the Manitoba Prison Libraries Committee to participate in the letter writing campaign to oppose these devastating budget cuts that will reduce access to knowledge and education in federal institutions.

03/24/2026

Our Literacy Instructor John Samson Fellows spoke to CTV News last week about concerning federal cuts to prison librarian staff:

"He notes that library staff also assist inmates with job searches and help connect them with community resources to support reintegration.

"To cut libraries is kind of especially cruel in that it's one of the few places where incarcerated people can learn," said Fellows.

Read the full story on CTV here: bit.ly/4bl76mG

03/24/2026