So far the Jail Hotline has received a lot support from the community and our friends and allies elsewhere. We are going to be updating our fundraising progress each week! So stay tuned to see how you can help support people who are currently locked up, and the work that CPEP is doing.
The Jail Accountability & Information Line costs roughly $1,600 per month, $400 per week or $55 per day to operate. Monthly expenses include things like phone bills and correspondence by mail. We need to raise $11,000 to cover our expenses for the balance of 2019.
The Jail Accountability & Information Line (JAIL), a volunteer hotline, which has been operating weekdays from 1pm to 4pm since launching on 10 December 2018, has received 1,473 calls in the first six months of its operations from people caged at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre (OCDC). People call the JAIL hotline seeking support to address human rights issues and information to facilitate their safe re-entry into the community. The sheer volume of calls reveal the inadequacy of internal and external oversight channels that Ontario Ministry of the Solicitor General officials insist are sufficient to address pressing issues at the Innes Road jail and other provincial sites of confinement.
Help us reach our first fundraising milestone of $1,600 to cover the costs of operating the JAIL hotline for the month of June. We are almost there!
CPEP uses OttawaU’s donation service because we retain 100% of the donation this way and we do not pay any administration fees.
Here are links to articles, op-eds, and press releases that have stemmed from the work of the Hotline Team
- https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/health-worries-dominate-talk-on-new-jail-hotline-1.4978668
- https://www.ottawamatters.com/local-news/ottawas-jail-hotline-takes-nearly-1500-calls-in-first-six-months-1500641
- http://uottawacrm.ca/news-and-events/2019/1/15/cpeps-jail-accountability-and-information-line-releases-first-monthly-report
- https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/jail-hotline-reports-taking-148-calls-in-its-first-month-of-operation
- https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-jail-inmate-condition-phone-1.4940394
- https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/prison-inmates-say-limited-addiction-treatments-in-east-end-jail-could-have-fatal-consequences-1.4333156