Criminalized Women and Girls’ Ancestral Research: Supporting Descendants of Those Incarcerated or Born at the Institution and Adopted. #PrisonAdoptees #PrisonBorn #PunishedInUtero #Genealogy https://andrewmercerreformatory.org/https://bsky.app/profile/amreformatory.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/amreformatory.bsky.social/post/3mtiaj7wdts2vArchiving Female Confinement: Counter-Archives, Testimony, and the Memory of the Good-Shepherd’s Institutions in France (1945–1980) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLTfdat3nhI&t=115s20 Aug 2026 02:53 +0000at://did:plc:2uj5bnvbntqmvdaasvnvd6rl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtiaj7wdts2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/amreformatory.bsky.social/post/3ms7vhft5ik2rChapter 7: Maternal rights and infant separation in prisons [contains quote post or other embedded content]04 Aug 2026 01:48 +0000at://did:plc:2uj5bnvbntqmvdaasvnvd6rl/app.bsky.feed.post/3ms7vhft5ik2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/amreformatory.bsky.social/post/3mrqi2houi22xVanishing Into Custody Indigenous women are overflowing the prison system. Nobody’s watching, and I lived it. https://indigenousinsider.substack.com/p/vanishing-into-custody28 Jul 2026 22:38 +0000at://did:plc:2uj5bnvbntqmvdaasvnvd6rl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrqi2houi22xhttps://bsky.app/profile/amreformatory.bsky.social/post/3mrlhzcob3s2cFor centuries, pregnant women were incarcerated, and their babies were forcibly removed for adoption—while few questioned it. This Article uses systems theory to outline the problem of automatic rights denial of children born to incarcerated persons. 👇 https://journals.library.columbia.edu/index.php/cjgl/article/view/1405626 Jul 2026 22:54 +0000at://did:plc:2uj5bnvbntqmvdaasvnvd6rl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrlhzcob3s2chttps://bsky.app/profile/amreformatory.bsky.social/post/3mqu3fsbtg22kBefore it was Toronto's trendiest neighborhood, Liberty Village was home to the Toronto Central Prison and the Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Women; institutions built to hold the people the city didn't want to see. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CmiR6-yWWc&t=186s17 Jul 2026 15:38 +0000at://did:plc:2uj5bnvbntqmvdaasvnvd6rl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqu3fsbtg22khttps://bsky.app/profile/amreformatory.bsky.social/post/3mqpp4c4uos2lNothing has changed since Mercer opened in 1880, with some women incarcerated up to 50 times.👇 "Third, fragmented access to treatment, recovery, harm reduction, and ongoing health supports leaves many people cycling between homelessness, shelters, hospitals, and the justice system." (see p. 2) 👇 [contains quote post or other embedded content]15 Jul 2026 21:47 +0000at://did:plc:2uj5bnvbntqmvdaasvnvd6rl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqpp4c4uos2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/amreformatory.bsky.social/post/3mqcntui74k2y🧵1/2 Ontario Training Schools - To all survivors in Ontario, Canada, and beyond: you are not forgotten. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmQM80pXvSQ10 Jul 2026 17:20 +0000at://did:plc:2uj5bnvbntqmvdaasvnvd6rl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqcntui74k2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/amreformatory.bsky.social/post/3mq5zxyvdws2e🧵Canada has had NO comparable Truth Recovery Independent Panel to investigate maternity homes, reformatories, Good Shepherd Institutions, refuges, rescue homes, asylums, industrial and training schools, and other institutions in which women and girls were confined. https://www.tiktok.com/@newscoolfm/video/765975911484257410208 Jul 2026 21:13 +0000at://did:plc:2uj5bnvbntqmvdaasvnvd6rl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq5zxyvdws2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/amreformatory.bsky.social/post/3mpultmqsvs2wSixty years ago today, on July 4, 1966, Toronto reached approximately 36.1°C (97°F). Imagine being locked in a tiny cell in that heat. Mercer experienced many riots over the years, and extreme conditions like this could only have added to the strain and tension endured by those confined there.05 Jul 2026 03:06 +0000at://did:plc:2uj5bnvbntqmvdaasvnvd6rl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpultmqsvs2whttps://bsky.app/profile/amreformatory.bsky.social/post/3mpesg7ozj2261/6🧵 Ontario decided it needed a separate prison for women. The result was the Andrew Mercer Ontario Reformatory for Females, which opened on August 28, 1880. During the next 89 years, more than 20,000 women and girls would pass through its gates.28 Jun 2026 20:22 +0000at://did:plc:2uj5bnvbntqmvdaasvnvd6rl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpesg7ozj226https://bsky.app/profile/amreformatory.bsky.social/post/3mow3jlch2s2rSurvivors of Sexual Exploitation https://theprogressives.ca/in-the-senate/statements/survivors-of-sexual-exploitation/22 Jun 2026 23:55 +0000at://did:plc:2uj5bnvbntqmvdaasvnvd6rl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mow3jlch2s2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/amreformatory.bsky.social/post/3mosm4qx2gs2r“Prostituted women and girls constitute some of the most marginalized and violated groups in society — yet they are also the most forgotten." In Canada, descendants cannot access records of juvenile ancestors incarcerated at Mercer. The YCJA keeps these histories hidden. https://youtu.be/g7_XyT9ufwY?si=pFBd424d4yXoA8sI21 Jun 2026 14:41 +0000at://did:plc:2uj5bnvbntqmvdaasvnvd6rl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mosm4qx2gs2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/amreformatory.bsky.social/post/3mo7kdyavhk2wWe worked hard to break down this barrier. Three years. Multiple IPC orders. Dismissed reconsideration requests. The YCJA does not retroactively restrict access to records solely because an individual was under 18 while incarcerated at Mercer. PO-4827-R canlii.ca/t/kl2n314 Jun 2026 00:49 +0000at://did:plc:2uj5bnvbntqmvdaasvnvd6rl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mo7kdyavhk2whttps://bsky.app/profile/amreformatory.bsky.social/post/3mo4oc3h2oc2p1880–1969: the Mercer Reformatory incarcerated women for poverty, homelessness, drunkenness, and “immoral” conduct, often separating them from children deemed neglected and made Crown wards for adoption. It’s encouraging to see evidence-based and international approaches to address homelessness.👇 [contains quote post or other embedded content]12 Jun 2026 21:21 +0000at://did:plc:2uj5bnvbntqmvdaasvnvd6rl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mo4oc3h2oc2phttps://bsky.app/profile/amreformatory.bsky.social/post/3mmfddnnwvc27Imagine if a rights-based approach to housing & homelessness had existed when Mercer was open (1880–1969). How many of the 20,000+ women & girls would have been safely housed instead of being criminalized & incarcerated? Many were confined there & exploited as forced labour at Mercer Industries. [contains quote post or other embedded content]21 May 2026 21:09 +0000at://did:plc:2uj5bnvbntqmvdaasvnvd6rl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmfddnnwvc27https://bsky.app/profile/amreformatory.bsky.social/post/3mlrkmv3oys2n Unfortunately, this structure was more of a facade, and the prison gained a notorious reputation for harsh discipline, riots, abuse, and controversial treatment practices. https://www.protectyourboundaries.ca/blog/post/locked-up-in-liberty-when-surveys-reveal-hard-truths14 May 2026 00:26 +0000at://did:plc:2uj5bnvbntqmvdaasvnvd6rl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlrkmv3oys2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/amreformatory.bsky.social/post/3mlqd6noiec27Velma Demerson (1920–2019) died on May 13, 2019. Imprisoned in Ontario in 1939 for being with Chinese immigrant Harry Yip, she later fought for justice for women jailed under the Female Refuges Act. 🎬 Trailer: https://youtu.be/-2dzVlnDBzA?si=JWY9r8VFKddk1nq613 May 2026 12:40 +0000at://did:plc:2uj5bnvbntqmvdaasvnvd6rl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlqd6noiec27https://bsky.app/profile/amreformatory.bsky.social/post/3ml73axtawc27~200 children died in a Tooting cholera outbreak (1848–49). Most names lost. The man responsible was acquitted—and remembered. The children—the most vulnerable—not. Refusing their erasure. 👇 @genealogygraeme.bsky.social tooting180.org https://tooting180.org/06 May 2026 16:03 +0000at://did:plc:2uj5bnvbntqmvdaasvnvd6rl/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml73axtawc27https://bsky.app/profile/amreformatory.bsky.social/post/3mkxxfazzok27Yr ending Mar 1964: 559 females imprisoned at Mercer—293 single, 266 married. Though framed as addressing a “child in need of protection,” the Ontario Child Welfare Act disproportionately impacted single mothers, effectively treating sole caregiving as grounds for child removal.03 May 2026 20:05 +0000at://did:plc:2uj5bnvbntqmvdaasvnvd6rl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkxxfazzok27https://bsky.app/profile/amreformatory.bsky.social/post/3mjmr63wabc2sNew book on Ireland’s Catholic-run institutions that imprisoned thousands of women and girls. In Canada, meanwhile, records are blocked by federal & provincial laws. It raises a haunting question: what happened to the babies born in our Magdalene asylums? https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/apr/15/the-fallen-by-louise-brangan-review-an-enraging-account-of-irelands-magdalene-laundries16 Apr 2026 15:49 +0000at://did:plc:2uj5bnvbntqmvdaasvnvd6rl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjmr63wabc2shttps://bsky.app/profile/amreformatory.bsky.social/post/3mjkqyyuhb22zEugenic ideology shaped laws, abusive institutions, and forced sterilization. Today, federal and provincial disclosure laws still hide the experiences of women and girls in Canada labeled “incorrigible,” blocking access to records. The U. S. #Incorrigibles Ry Marcattilio-McCracken 👇15 Apr 2026 20:41 +0000at://did:plc:2uj5bnvbntqmvdaasvnvd6rl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjkqyyuhb22zhttps://bsky.app/profile/amreformatory.bsky.social/post/3mjkb4yq7xk2z🧵Canada Must Confront the Legacy of Forced Adoptions of Babies Born to Unmarried Mothers in Maternity Homes 1/4 🥚15 Apr 2026 15:57 +0000at://did:plc:2uj5bnvbntqmvdaasvnvd6rl/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjkb4yq7xk2z