NCJ Number
229131
Date Published
June 2009
Length
160 pages
Annotation
This Annual Report of Canada's Office of the Correctional Investigator for 2008-2009 reviews nine areas of key concern in Canada's correctional system, presents the Correctional Investigator's outlook for 2009-10; and provides statistics, a summary of recommendations, and the response of the Correctional Service of Canada.
Abstract
The review of nine areas of key concern in Canada's correctional system addresses issues of mental health, incidents of self-harm, health services, correctional programs and case preparation, deaths in custody, Aboriginal offenders, federally sentenced women, gaps in dynamic security, and segregation. After identifying and discussing the Correctional Investigator's concerns in each of these areas, recommendations are offered for addressing these concerns. Regarding the Correctional Investigator's outlook for 2009-10, the report notes that appointment of a new Executive Director will enable the Office to initiate a strategic planning exercise. Part of this exercise will be the renewing of the Office's Investigative Policies and Procedures Manual, which intends to build a more streamlined organizational structure for allocating resources to areas of priority and systemic concern. In the year ahead, the Office intends to conduct a comprehensive review of the Correctional Service's mental health and Aboriginal corrections portfolios. An addition to the 2008-09 report is the inclusion of individual case summaries. Drawn from more than 6,000 offender complaints submitted to the Office the past year, the cases illustrate the connection between an individual complaint and systemic areas of concerns. They also highlight the Correctional Investigator's primary mandate, which is to objectively and fairly address offender complaints in a timely manner. An appendix presents statistics on complaints by category and by institution/region, by disposition of complaints by action, and by areas of concern most often identified by offender. Appended summary of recommendations and the response of the Correctional Service of Canada