Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies
The Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies is an association of groups operating under the Elizabeth Fry Society banner, similar in many respects to the John Howard Society. The Elizabeth Fry Society groups work on issues affecting women and girls in the justice system. The societies take their name from prison reformer Elizabeth Fry.
The organization was started in 1969, with formal incorporation as a non-profit organization occurring in 1978. They help female offenders to re-integrate into society. They work independently from the government.
The original Elizabeth Fry Society of Canada was founded in 1939 by Member of Parliament Agnes Macphail.
The current Executive Director of CAEFS is Kassandra Churcher.
The Elizabeth Fry Society has also taken an active approach to criminal cases involving females. They have had intervenor status in a number of Supreme Court of Canada cases including R v Ryan, in which Nicole Patricia Ryan was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after attempting to hire an undercover officer as a hitman to kill her husband. The RCMP were criticized by the Supreme Court for failing to protect Ryan from an abusive husband, however both the husband and the RCMP denied the reported abuse. The husband was not called to testify during the trial.
