Canada
15-10-2018
In autumn 2018, Communitas organized a participatory budgeting whose purpose was to allow prisoners to decide themselves on how to spend 2000$.
The organization Communitas is experiencing, for the second time, participatory budgeting in prisons as a tool to prepare them to successfully reintegrate society.
The organization Comminutas, works toward the successful reintegration of people who have spent time in prison. Communitas is experiencing, for the second time, participatory budgeting in prisons as a tool to prepare them to successfully reintegrate society.
In autumn 2018, the aim was to allow prisoners to decide themselves how to spend 2000$. With a two-part process, the participatory budgeting process organized was a success. Communitas organized a two-part process with thirty voluntary-basis participants in each session.
The first session consisted in an introduction but also an idea collection deliberation. While the second deliberation focused on deliberation and voting. These deliberations involved small groups of 4-5 individuals, they were self-facilitated, though guided by the first session's introduction. Participants were not only supposed to vote no or yes to a project idea, without nuances. Communitas' project differs as they were able to allocate the funds proportionally on their interests.
The participatory budgeting followed a three stages structure:
- A large-group session dedicated to an introduction, deliberations regarding likely projects, and proposal selection;
- A project committee phase to refine and develop firsts proposals, plan the final exposition and vote;
- A large-group session dedicated to expose the finalized proposals, deliberation about which projects should be funded, and the final voting process.
The four propositions funded are:
"1. Scholarship for Children of Incarcerated Parents: The fourth project involves creating a scholarship to help support the costs of post-secondary education for a student with an incarcerated parent. In doing so, Communitas' members will help minimize the more immediate damage done to families by incarceration, while also contributing to breaking the potential generational cycle of criminal offending.
2. Post-Release Pilot Project: The second of these was a pilot project which involves additional support for individuals immediately following their release from prison. Participants had highlighted the need for services such as picking up individuals from the penitentiary and orienting them within their destination neighbourhood as well as the Montreal community generally, and this project will see funds being provided for one-on-one support in this respect.
3. Coffee that Supports Ex-prisoners: The third of these involves upgrading the organization's coffee supply to purchase it from an out-of-town social enterprise (Klink Coffee) that provides training and employment to those returning to the community from prison. Participants voted to fund the difference in cost between the generic grocery brand which is typically bought and this alternative which better reflects Communitas' objectives and values.
4. Community Garden Project: The first of these involves the organization renting a plot in a local community garden as well as purchasing the necessary equipment and supplies to tend it. In doing so, Communitas' own members are expected to benefit physically, emotionally, and mentally while also being given the opportunity to give back to the community, donating the fresh produce to individuals or community groups in need".
This four propositions had not been thought of or considered by the organization before the participatory budgeting process.
The particularity of the participatory budgeting process engaged by Communitas is that it's a thematic and actor-based Participatory Budgeting as only prisoners were participating. This project's idea is to remind the value of democratic-processes, even inside prisons, give voice to prisoners, reminding them of their citizenship. To set up such a process, Communitas affirms that the amount of the participatory budgeting doesn't have to be huge, any amount is good enough to enhance democratic processes.
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