Correctional Service of Canada
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Correctional Service of Canada is a Canadian government agency of public safety responsible for the incarceration and rehabilitation of convicted criminal offenders in Canada. See also Prison & Structure of the Canadian federal government.
The Minister of Public Safety is responsible for the Correctional Service of Canada. This Department also is responsible for the National Parole Board, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.
The current Minister of Public Safety is the Honourable Stockwell Day, a Conservative Member of Parliament.
Mission Statement:
"The Correctional Service of Canada, as part of the criminal justice system and respecting the rule of law, contributes to the protection of society by actively encouraging and assisting offenders to become law-abiding citizens, while exercising reasonable, safe, secure and humane control" (Basic Facts About the Correctional Service of Canada, Public Works and Government Services Canada, 2005)
Federal Governing Legislation and Jurisdiction:
All legislative functions come under the authortiy of the Corrections and Conditional Relase Act and Regulations, as well as commissioners' directives.
The Correctional Service of Canada only has jurisdiction for court-imposed sentences of two years and over.
Court Imposed Sentencing:
There are two types of court-imposed sentences: 1) a determinate sentence; 2) an indeterminate sentence. A determinate sentence is a court-imposed sentence with a completion date (example five years, seven months), called a Warrant of Expiry. This date is court imposed, at which time the Correctional Service of Canada no longer has jurisdiction over the offender. The indeterminate sentence is the court-imposed sentence that is commonly referred to as the "life sentence". The Correctional Service of Canada has juridiction over the offender until the offender passes away. Although the court does impose a minimum number of years before the Offender can appy to the National Parole Board for conditional release. Thus, a court-imposed sentence of life with no parole for twenty-five years would indicate that the offender would be incarcerated for a minimum of twenty five years prior to consideration for a potential conditional release to the community, under the supervision of a community parole officer.
Security Classification of Offenders:
There are three levels of Security within the Correctional Service of Canada. They include maximum, medium, and minimum. Case management is completed by institutional parole officers (IPO) within institutions, and by community parole officers in the community. The National Parole Board has the complete responsibility in deciding liberty decisions at the point in the court-imposed sentence where an offender would go and live in the community on conditional release.
Once an offender is sentenced by a court, the offender comes under the jurisdiction of the Correctional Service of Canada. An institutional parole officer completes a comprehensive assessment of the offender's criminality and formulates an "offender security classification report" and a "correctional plan". It is this correctional plan that the offender will be assessed against for the entire court-imposed sentence. For offenders who receive a life sentence, there is a mandatory two year residency at a maximum security institution, regardless of the offender's behaviour.
Officer Socialization:
Correctional officers are part of the Civil Service. Within the Correctional Service of Canada, only correctional officers are uniformed. All Correctional Officers are designated as a Federal Peace Officer under Section 10 of the Criminal Code of Canada. The entry rank is a Correctional Officer I; a Correctional Officer II; and a Correctional Officer III. The Correctional Officer III is the Institutional Supervisor, and historically had been referred to as the "Keeper of the Keys", or in short the "keeper". The Ranking insignia is worn on the shoulder of the Officer as either 1, 2, or 3, Gold Bars. The only exception to this ranking structure are those Correctional Officers who are specifically designated for Federally Sentenced Women (FSW). These Officers are called Primary Workers and have an entry rank of Correctional Officer II.
Presently, the Canadian Federal Correctional Officer is a unionized working enviornment. The Union of Canadian Correctional Officers (UCCO) is the representitive nationwide. Federal Appeals of Correctional Officers can be reviewed on the Government of Canada's Staff Relations Board.
All other managers are plain clothed, including, Staff Training Officers, Unit Managers, Security Intelligence Officers, Deputy Wardens, and the Institutional Head, called the "Warden". Each Region of Canada has a "Deputy Commissioner" who reports directly to the Commissionair of Corrections in the National Capital Region (Ottawa, Ontario). The Commissioner reports directly to the Minister, who reports to the Parliament of Canada.
Year of the Veteran Participation:
In the year 2005, the Department of Veterans Affairs had the year designated the Year of the Veteran. A Correctional Officer at Kent Maximum Security Institution submitted a proposal for all Correctional Officers who were also Veterans, to be able to wear the Year of the Veteran pin on their uniforms. The Commissioner of Corrections, with the support of the Chief of Defense Staff, authorized the wearing of the pin, via national memorandum to all staff, on the left breast pocket until December 31st, 2005. This being in part for recongnition of continued service to the Public Service of Canada.
International Obligations:
--Universal Declaration of Human Rights
--Convention on the Rights of the Child
--International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
--International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
--Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
--Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners
(Basic Facts About the Correctional Service of Canada, Public Works and Government Services Canada, 2005)
External link
Written Contact:
- *Correctional Service of Canada
- *Communications and Citizen Engagement Sector
- *340 Laurier Avenue West
- *Ottawa, Ontario
- *K1A 0P9, Canada
- * Free Journal: c/o Lets Talk.
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