Brain injury (BI) is 95 per cent among women in the criminal-legal-system, often related to intimate partner violence. There are no BI-focused interventions for Ontario-based women on bail. BI limits ability to read understand remember legal language and court orders detailing bail conditions. We describe a unique Court Navigator Program for women with BI.
Presenters:
Lucy Gudgeon | Manager of Residential and Housing Programs, Elizabeth Fry Society Toronto
Lucy Gudgeon is Manager of Residential and Housing Programs at Elizabeth Fry Society Toronto. With a background in social services and education from Royal Roads University, Lucy leads housing initiatives that help women reintegrate into the community. She is an advocate for alternatives to incarceration and represents the organization in public forums, including panels on women and the criminal-legal system.
Flora I. Matheson, PhD | Research Scientist and Unity Health Toronto Chair in Homelessness, Housing, and Health, MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto
Dr. Flora Matheson is a Scientist and Unity Health Toronto Chair in Homelessness, Housing and Health. As a sociologist she works with a partner to provide brain injury education to criminal-legal professionals and advocate for bail and re-entry interventions that respond to brain injury. With Elizabeth Fry Society Toronto, they are implementing a pilot Brain Injury Court Navigation Pilot Program.
Presented by the Provincial Human Services and Justice Coordinating Committee on November 5, 2025.