Policy bulletin 444

Number: 444
In Effect: 2014-04-01

• CD 701 – Information Sharing
• CD 705-1 – Preliminary Assessments and Post-Sentence Community Assessments
• CD 705-3 – Immediate Needs Identification and Admission Interviews
• CD 705-5 – Supplementary Intake Assessments
• CD 705-6 – Correctional Planning and Criminal Profile
• CD 710-1 – Progress Against the Correctional Plan
• CD 710-2 – Transfer of Inmates
• GL 710-2-2 – Inter-Regional Transfers by Air
• GL 710-2-3 – Inmate Transfer Processes
• CD 710-3 – Temporary Absences
• CD 710-4 – Perimeter Security Clearance
• CD 710-7 – Work Releases
• CD 710-8 – Private Family Visits
• CD 712-1 – Pre-Release Decision Making
• CD 712-2 – Detention
• CD 712-4 – Release Process
• CD 712-5 – Pre-Release Case Preparation for Provincial/Territorial Offenders and Federal Offenders Incarcerated in Provincial/Territorial Facilities
• CD 715-1 – Community Supervision
• CD 715-2 – Post-Release Decision Process
• CD 719 – Long-Term Supervision Orders

The above-noted policies have been modified as a result of the recent case management streamlining exercise. Additional policy changes have been made to respond to comments received during staff consultation.

Modifications were made with a view to increase efficiency by simplifying processes and eliminating duplication and superfluous steps.

The following details the major changes made to each policy:

• The main changes are found in the process to follow for high profile offenders. Other amendments include the addition of a paragraph regarding the assistance of an interpreter, slight rewording of certain paragraphs for clarification purposes, as well as the addition of cross-references in Annex A.
• Annex B – Requests for File Corrections has been amended to specify that, in the case of a denial, any related Offender Management System (OMS) report should be unlocked and amended to reflect the presence of, and direct the reader to, the new Memo to File explaining the reasons for the denial.
• The national generic email address for high profile offenders’ notifications has changed. The previous one has been deleted and the new generic email address to provide notification to National Headquarters is:
  GEN-NHQ High Profile – Cas notoire.

• The Preliminary Assessment was substantially streamlined as a large part of information is captured under CD 705-6 – Correctional Planning and Criminal Profile. Changes include: the removal of the completion of the Suicide Risk Checklist; amending the number of questions for the Security Risk Checklist; removing the sections Assessment of Release Potential and Initial Assessment of Proposed Release Plan; and eliminating the questions contained under Additional Comments. Further, the section entitled Parole Officer’s Assessment has been limited to one question.
• Changes to OMS will also be completed to support the above noted changes.
• Streamlining also occurred in the Post-Sentence Community Assessment.

• Amendments have been made to this directive to coincide with changes made to the Preliminary Assessment. Specifically, the removal of the completion of the Suicide Risk Checklist and the amendment of the number of questions for the Security Risk Checklist in CD 705-1 have necessitated changes to CD 705 3 to ensure consistency.

• The technical amendments to this directive are not related to streamlining; they have been made to clarify responsibilities that are in line with Health Services governance. For example, the Regional Manager, Mental Health, will ensure the completion of mental health screening, mental health assessments, psychological risk assessments, psychological assessments, and specialized sex offender assessments, when required.

• Amendments have been made to this directive to further clarify the procedures for calculating reintegration potential. Also, a provision has been added in regards to circumstances when the Parole Officer disagrees with the determined reintegration potential. In these cases, the Parole Officer must document a clear rationale in the Correctional Plan.

• Changes were made to introduce the concept of staff interviews being conducted on a pre-determined and structured basis and being based upon the inmate’s risk and needs.
• The paragraph on when to update a Correctional Plan has been modified to include where circumstances warrant a reassessment.
• Changes were made in two sections of the Correctional Plan Update Guide (Annex D): Ratings Reassessment and Correctional Plan Progress; and Analysis of Current Request.

• This is now the overarching policy that provides general direction on the responsibilities of key players and decision makers in all types of transfers. The processes specific to transfer types can now be found in the new GL 710-2-3 – Inmate Transfer Processes.

• These are new Guidelines that build upon the content previously found in Annex D of CD 710-2. The document further defines responsibilities of all those involved in transfers by air. It aims to clarify questions that have been raised by the field in past transfer operations and to provide direction to staff on the procedures to follow in various situations.

• This is now a stand-alone document that outlines procedures for all transfer types.
• The main changes include:
  • in situations where an inmate is transferred on an involuntary basis, a review of any voluntary transfer application is not required within the first six months following the involuntary transfer, unless supported by the Case Management Team
  • additional details on delegation of authority, timeframes and inmate notification for transfers to and from a CSC Aboriginal Healing Lodge
  • clarification surrounding the consultation of the Executive Director of the CSC Treatment Centre prior to a transfer taking place
  • circumstances in which the manager is required to provide a recommendation on the submissions have been reviewed.
• In addition, changes that were implemented through Case Management Bulletins (2013 05 01/2013-04-04) were incorporated in the policy.

• The responsibilities and procedures were clarified with regards to the roles of the Primary Worker and the Manager, Assessment and Interventions.
• The roles of the Correctional Officer II/Primary Worker, the Manager, Assessment and Interventions/Manager, Intensive Intervention Strategy, and the Correctional Manager have been clarified under the Process subheading.
• The circumstances in which the manager is required to provide a recommendation on the submissions have been reviewed.
• In addition, the requirement to complete a Casework Record upon the reception of the community Parole Officer Post Temporary Absences/Work Release Evaluation Report has been eliminated.

• Changes have been made to specify that the initial Assessment for Decision will stipulate the frequency and length of the proposed perimeter security clearance.
• Only significant changes will prompt completion of a new Assessment for Decision to be submitted to the decision maker.
• Circumstances in which the manager is required to provide a recommendation on the submissions have been reviewed.

• The role of the Regional Deputy Commissioner has been clarified with regards to the timeline for approval of work releases.
• Circumstances in which the manager is required to provide a recommendation on the submissions have been reviewed.

• Circumstances in which the manager is required to provide a recommendation on the submissions have been reviewed.
• The CD addresses circumstances related to a minor child participating in private family visits.

• Changes were made to the Assessment for Decision and the Community Strategy to eliminate redundancies, and guides are provided to underscore the purpose of the report as well as the nature of the content that is required.
• Changes to the Accompaniment of Inmates section include details on accompaniments involving multiple transition points (e.g., airports, bus stations) as well as on clinical accompaniments.

• Changes were made to eliminate the redundancies in the different stages of the Commissioner’s referrals (elimination of the letter of submission from the Institutional Head to the Regional Deputy Commissioner and from the Regional Deputy Commissioner to the Senior Deputy Commissioner). There will be only one letter written for the referral to the Parole Board of Canada (PBC). The referral from the institution to Regional Headquarters will be done through an email and the referral from Regional Headquarters to National Headquarters will be done through submission of the draft letter from the Senior Deputy Commissioner to the PBC.
• The detention pre-screening process in OMS will also be streamlined by limiting the number of characters that can be entered in a text box under each legal criterion. If no referral is recommended, it will not be mandatory to enter text in these fields.

• It was clarified that prior to release, the inmate’s photograph needs to be updated, if necessary.
• Direction has been included to strengthen the need for reporting instructions to be noted on the release certificate and explained to the offender, especially in the case of offenders who are held on remand or immigration hold upon their release from federal custody.

• Changes were made to the Assessment for Decision, the Correctional Plan Update and the Community Strategy to eliminate redundancies, and guides are provided to underscore the purpose of the report as well as the nature of the content that is required.

• The paragraph regarding the review of tandem supervision after the first 90 days, which was recently removed, has been reinstated with a revised wording to ensure the capability of the Parole Officer Supervisor to remove tandem supervision once the 90-day period has elapsed is retained. Only the timeframe for review has been removed.
• The requirement for the community Parole Officer to meet the offender within one working day of the offender’s release has been removed in the case of offenders who remain in custody on remand or an immigration hold/ removal order.
• OMS changes will be completed to add Supervision Statuses of Supervised – Remand and Supervised – Immigration Hold, to properly identify these cases.
• Three new levels of intervention have been added: Level A – Residency, Level B – Residency, and Level C – Residency for offenders who are residing in a Community Correctional Centre, a Community Residential Facility or a Treatment Centre.
• Changes also include the suspension of the level of intervention and the completion of the initial interview until the offender is released from immigration or remand custody. The need to gather information on the case will remain to ensure there is continued fluid information sharing with partners, including any decisions rendered.
• The paragraph on when to update a Correctional Plan has been clarified.
• Annex E has been updated.

• A paragraph has been added to the Suspension of Release section to address cases where the offender had a condition to reside in a Community Correctional Centre and whose conditional release was suspended within the first 45 days (excludes long-term supervision orders).
• In the case of a loss of jurisdiction, a requirement has been added for the Area Director to advise Sentence Management at the institution where the offender was incarcerated at the time of release.
• Annexes B and C have been updated.

• In the case of a loss of jurisdiction, a requirement has been added for the Area Director to advise Sentence Management at the institution where the offender was incarcerated at the time of release.
• The definition of "long-term supervision order" in Annex A has been reworded.
• Annex B has been updated and now combines the former Annexes B and C. Annex D (formerly Annex E) has also been updated.

Responsibilities are clearly articulated in the relevant sections of the revised policy documents.

The changes will affect a wide-range of CSC personnel, specifically those working in case management functions.

N/A

N/A

• Director
• Institutional Reintegration Operations Division
• Offender Programs and Reintegration Branch
• 613-995-7954

• Director
• Community Operations Division
• Community Reintegration Branch
• 613-943-7485

For more information

• Government-wide Forward Regulatory Plans
• The Cabinet Directive on Regulatory
• The Federal regulatory management
• The Canada–United States Regulatory Cooperation Council

To learn about upcoming or ongoing consultations on proposed federal regulations, visit the Canada Gazette and Consulting with Canadians websites.