About Terry Harris

The Terry Harris Endowment Fund derives out of my personal conviction that families of prisoners as a demographic, suffer the most significant challenges of anyone in our community. As a person with a disability, I am well acquainted with formidable challenges. When I was two years old it was predicted by many within the medical profession and confirmed by some within the education profession, that as a result of being diagnosed with cerebral palsy, I would, “never walk, talk, read, write or go to a regular school.” It was suggested to my parents that I be placed in an institution isolated from society. My experience of working with and researching the issues faced by families of prisoners for over ten years, has confirmed that equally disparaging predictions are spoken into their lives.

My life has intersected with families of prisoners in a variety of capacities including, as a prison volunteer, an employee at the John Howard Society of Kingston and District, as a researcher and social justice advocate. In my interactions with families of prisoners. I've often heard them say, “when one family member does time, the whole family does the time along with them.” These comments reflect the reality that when most of us think of victims of crime our thoughts often turn to rape and murder victims and their families. Few of us think of the children or the partner of the murderer or the rapist as a victim of abuse and trauma. Yet, the families of such people suffer devastating loss, grief, stigma, poverty and fear that receives little empathy from society. Instead, societal crime prevention efforts are often restricted to harsher sentencing.

The Terry Harris Endowment Fund is about helping families overcome the stigma of incarceration by providing a wide variety of opportunities to have their dignity and hope restored. The fund will: 1) Provide awareness initiatives educating the public on issues faced by families of the incarcerated 2) Provide assistance for social, academic and job opportunities for those impacted by incarceration 3) Support prisoners and their families as they reintegrate into the community. It is through offering support in these key areas that I believe Kingston can enhance its reputation as a compassionate community and as an innovator in holistic crime prevention.

Terry Harris.
April 2011