'It's just been very rewarding': Executive director reflects on 3 decades at John Howard Society

Sarah Antle · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 29, 2025 9:17 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

The archetypal clip Cindy Murphy walked done the doors of the John Howard Society was successful 1992. 

At that time, she didn't person immoderate volition of moving successful corrections, but a impermanent talker successful a assemblage people piqued her involvement astir a unpaid programme astatine Her Majesty's Penitentiary. 

"I conscionable had this feeling that this was … astir apt a bully spot for me," Murphy said. "That I could astir apt anticipation to marque immoderate benignant of quality here."

And 33 years later, she's walking retired the doorway for the past clip arsenic she retires from what she calls an astonishing career.  

The John Howard Society is simply a non-profit enactment that works with radical successful the transgression justness system. Its extremity is to trim and forestall crime, educate, and betterment done restorative justness principles. 

"I conscionable benignant of knew that was my place," Murphy said, sitting successful her bureau on Pennywell Road successful St. John's.

A bouquet of flowers sits connected a furniture — a status acquisition from a lawsuit — and a homemade retirement card connected her desk. 

"I deliberation the enactment is rewarding," Murphy said.

Murphy has spent the past mates of months reflecting connected her 2 decades arsenic the enforcement director, and arsenic a unpaid earlier that. She said the clip she's spent successful the community, moving with radical successful the justice system, held lessons that she volition instrumentality with her. 

"I deliberation 1 of the biggest ones is knowing that radical are much than conscionable a transgression record, you know. So knowing that they are quality beings who merit enactment and knowing … that they're conscionable not astir locking radical up and throwing distant the key. That radical are truthful overmuch much than that," she said.

And it's not an casual enactment of work advocating for radical successful the system, moving with the authorities for change and balancing nationalist sentiment astir incarceration. 

That, she said, has been 1 of the biggest challenges of her career. 

She said radical should beryllium held accountable for their actions and crimes, but punishment is not conscionable astir incarceration.

"When idiosyncratic is punished, they suffer their freedom. That is the punishment," she said. "But it doesn't mean that we proceed to punish them time successful and time retired by subjecting them to inhumane conditions, galore of which we've seen astatine HMP arsenic an example, for many, galore years."

Hard, but rewarding

The headlines implicit the past 3 decades haven't ever been lighthearted. Rats successful HMP, overheating, overcrowding, and mostly unfit surviving conditions for inmates person been immoderate of the challenges that Murphy has taken on. 

And implicit the past 33 years, a batch has changed. But, she said, there's tons of enactment to beryllium done.

"I don't deliberation there'll ever beryllium a clip erstwhile John Howard services volition nary longer beryllium needed," she said. 

Murphy said the nine is seeing much radical than ever earlier travel done their doors, there's much women successful the strategy than ever before, and problems similar overcrowding astatine HMP are inactive present. 

WATCH | 'I conscionable knew that this was my benignant of place,' says longtime enforcement manager of the John Howard Society:

She said these issues person been neglected.

"If you incarcerate people, past you person to supply them a definite work and supervision and rehabilitation due to the fact that that's what the Department of Justice ngo connection is each about," she said. 

"And truthful I deliberation we person failed successful galore ways." 

Murphy said thing she regrets is not having much preventive work, which she says the nine is moving on.  

"There's truthful galore missed opportunities to enactment with young radical further upstream than trying to lick the problems of transgression justness aft the fact," she said.

And now, arsenic she's closing the doorway connected this chapter, different doorway is opening. 

The provincial authorities broke crushed connected a caller situation installation past week, a milestone Murphy has been advocating for for years.  

"I'll judge it erstwhile I spot it," Murphy laughed. 

She said it's been a agelong clip coming, but she's optimistic. 

That volition beryllium a task for her workfellow Melissa Noseworthy, who Murphy is delighted to spot instrumentality the reins. 

So, what volition Murphy miss the astir from her agelong and storied career? The people. 

"There's nary question astir that," she said. 

"When I deliberation astir the longevity, the radical I've met, the radical I've worked with, our committee of directors, and of people the clients that we service time successful and time out, it's conscionable been precise rewarding."

Now, she said she's looking guardant to relaxing with her family, travelling, and possibly immoderate unpaid work.

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