The commemoration for 2017 will be on August 10 at 10:00 am on the grounds of the Sudbury Jail.

This material was published by the Vancouver Prison Justice Day Committee in 2001. This history does not cover all of the many ongoing issues and struggles facing prisoners in Canada today, nor does it cover all of the struggles of the past, or even all of the many events organized in honour of Prisoners´ Justice Day both inside and outside of the prison walls. Our goal was to recreate the climate of the struggle and oppression in the prison system during the early part of the 70´s leading up to the first National Prison Justice Day.

Wherever you find the shackles of oppression you also find the spirit of resistance. There are a great many prisoners who were and still are involved in the struggle for prisoners´ rights within the walls. Out of respect for these prisoners we have decided to tell the story without naming them personally, except in the cases of Eddie Nalon, Bobby Landers, Jack McNeil, Howard Brown, Jack McCann, Leonard Peltier, and Dino and Gary Butler. As seen throughout the history of this movement, all prisoner protests, whether peaceful or not, hold the threat of serious repercussions from prison administration. Documentation for this history of struggle came from many sources, first of all from our own involvement in organizing on the outside, as well as from the experiences of other prisoners´ rights activists, many of the struggles outlined here are well documented in the numerous books about Canadian prisons.

We would like to thank all of the people who contributed in their own way over the past 34 years, and most of all we would like to thank the many prisoners who have shared their stories and struggles with us.