Policy bulletin 488

Number: 488
In Effect: 2015-05-11

• Commissioner’s Directive (CD) 726 – Correctional Programs
• Guidelines (GL) 726-1 – National Correctional Program Standards
• GL 726-2 – National Correctional Program Referral Guidelines
• GL 726-3 – National Correctional Program Management Guidelines

The above-noted CD and associated GLs were modified as a result of recent exercises to streamline case management and correctional programs, enhancements to correctional program referral criteria, and the introduction of new correctional program models. These policies were also modified as a result of the Commissioner’s Directives Standardization Project.

Among the substantive changes made to these policies, the most significant ones have been noted below:

• The Assistant Warden, Interventions/ Associate District Director is required to notify the Regional Administrator, Assessment and Interventions, of program schedule delays greater than one month, instead of delays of more than two weeks.
• Clarification was added that the Manager, Programs/Community Program Manager will provide support and guidance to Elders involved in program delivery.
• The Manager, Programs/Community Program Manager has an additional two working days to quality control and finalize final correctional program reports.
• The timeframe for entering pre and mid-program assessments into the Program Performance Measure (PPM) has been extended from five working days to ten working days, for greater consistency with the timeframe for entering post-program assessments.
• The requirements for Correctional Program Officers/Aboriginal Correctional Program Officers to complete casework records have been streamlined.
• Responsibilities for the Correctional Program Officer assessor and Elders involved in the delivery of Aboriginal correctional programs have been added.
• The final correctional program report template was removed from the Annex to reflect that this format is not applicable to all program areas.

• The responsibilities of the Director, Interventions, have been reassigned.
• The initial training evaluation forms and quality review forms for Correctional Program Officers/Aboriginal Correctional Program Officers and Regional Program Managers have been updated.
• The Regional Administrator, Assessment and Interventions, may designate a certified Correctional Program Officer/Aboriginal Correctional Program Officer to perform the quality review functions of the Regional Program Manager.
• The processes for program and site accreditation have been removed, and the requirement to conduct program awareness sessions has been eliminated.
• The timeframes for completing initial training evaluations and quality reviews of both Regional Program Managers and Correctional Program Officers/Aboriginal Correctional Program Officers have been extended.
• The retention period for video recordings when quality review has not yet been conducted has been increased from one year to two years.
• Provisional/bridge training may occur in exceptional circumstances if authorized by the Director, Reintegration Programs.
• A requirement that Regional Program Managers will normally be certified in a correctional program in order to deliver training to Correctional Program Officers/Aboriginal Correctional Program Officers has been added.
• There are now two distinct types of training for Regional Program Managers: program specific content training (train the trainer training) and training in program administration.
• High intensity programs with six or fewer participants may be delivered by one Correctional Program Officer/Aboriginal Correctional Program Officer if authorized by the National Program Manager.

• Re-referrals to correctional programs and referrals to additional maintenance cycles can be completed via an administrative referral, and no longer require a Correctional Plan Update.
• Men offenders who have completed a violence or substance abuse prevention program may be referred to a general crime prevention program if there are outstanding risk factors that remain unaddressed, and they meet the selection criteria.
• For men offenders with violence and substance abuse needs, the priority correctional program referral is determined based on the most significant criminogenic need.
• For general violence prevention programs, the offender must have a conviction for one or more separate incidents of violence.
• For family violence prevention programs, the specific scale on the Spousal Assault Risk Assessment (SARA) used for correctional program referrals has been specified.
• When an offender meets the criteria for multiple violence prevention programs, participation in a sex offender program will be prioritized over a general violence prevention program.
• Additional clarification has been added regarding program referrals for low risk offenders for the traditional cadre of men's programs, including the override criteria. The override criteria for men's sex offender programs have also been integrated into the Guidelines.
• References to low intensity and local sex offender programs have been eliminated.
• Men offenders who have not completed a correctional program may now participate in a maintenance program in exceptional circumstances.
• Referrals guidelines for the Integrated Correctional Program Model (ICPM) and women offender correctional programs (WOCP) have been added. The former cadre of women offender programs has been removed from the Guidelines.
• Annex C – Violent Offences for Referral to a General Violence Prevention Program has been added.

• GL 726-3 are new guidelines developed in consultation with the National Program Managers. They include information previously contained within various memorandums, bulletins, and other procedural documents.

Staff involved in correctional program development, management, monitoring, referrals, and delivery.

• Kelly Taylor
• Director
• Reintegration Programs Division
• 613-992-0810
• Kelly.Taylor@csc-scc.gc.ca

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.