Cree woman says systemic racism led to wrongful conviction in 1979

An Indigenous woman who claims she was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1979 was in Windsor Tuesday, speaking out against what she describes as injustices in the Canadian prison system.

Joey Twins, a Cree woman from Hobbema, Alta. claims her own lawyer coerced her into pleading guilty to a crime she did not commit.

"When we walk into a prison, we're labelled as a no-good, drunken, welfare Indian …There's a lot of racism that happens in the judicial system," said Twins.

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The 60-year-old was one of several Indigenous people who spoke during the "Decolonizing Law?" conference, which gathered scholars, writers and Indigenous people from throughout the world. The event was hosted by the University of Windsor faculty of law at the Art Gallery of Windsor.

Bringing together communities

Sujith Xavier, lead organizer, was first inspired to host the conference after attending a similar event in Cairo three years ago.

"One of the aims of that conference was to bring together scholars and intellectuals who were thinking about how to marry research with … practical solutions."

But Xavier found one group was noticeably absent — Indigenous scholars.

"So this conference is trying to bridge that gap, bringing together people of colour and scholars from the global south and scholars writing about the global south ... together with Indigenous people," he said.

Twins said the conference offers students an opportunity to learn about "what's really going on" in the Canadian prison system.

"[It's about] breaking down the barriers and teaching students … on what really happens in prisons and the tools that are going to help break down ... walls," she explained.

Twins added she was convicted after an altercation between "a couple ladies and this gentlemen, and one person was killed."

Twins part of Kingston prison riot

While serving her sentence, Twins was involved in the notorious Kingston prison riot of 1994. Surveillance footage captured an all-male emergency response team shackling and strip-searching female inmates one at a time.

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Twins said she was part of a fight with the guards. At the time, she was upset they were taking a fellow inmate to segregation rather than giving the woman the help she needed.

"She was in that state of mind that she was cutting herself. She was in a suicidal state and you're trying to put her into segregation? What kind of humanity is that?" asked Twins, adding she not only advocates for Indigenous prisoners but all female prisoners.

According to Public Safety Canada, Aboriginal people account for four per cent of Canada's population, but comprise about 20 per cent of the total incarcerated offender population.

Trying to stop injustice

University of Windsor associate professor Bev Jacobs said she is familiar with Twins' case and believes the Alberta woman was wrongfully convicted.

"Intergenerational trauma" is one of the many factors that led to Twins becoming a part of this statistic, Jacobs said.

"It was a part of the residential school system: erasing identity, losing language … Our traditional knowledge was taken away from (Indigenous people) and so it wasn't transferred," she said.

Twins said her life's purpose is to identify and stop injustices against Indigenous people.

"I believe in my heart that's why I'm still alive today."