SIU Authorizations: July 1st, 2023 to September 30th, 2023 (Quarterly Report Q2)
Research Highlights: SIU authorization counts in the second quarter of 2023 to 2024 were highest in the Quebec region. Overall, there were slightly more transfers tied to security reasons relative to safety reasons.
Background
Structured Intervention Units (SIUs) were incorporated into the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) on November 30th, 2019. Such units are intended to provide intervention-focused accommodations to offenders who cannot be safely managed in the mainstream offender population. As part of a quarterly series highlighting trends in SIUs, the current analysis examines SIU stay-level data drawn from CSC’s data warehouse for the second quarter of 2023 to 2024 (i.e., July 1st, 2023 to September 30th, 2023).
Publication
RIB-24-01
2024
Research in Brief - PDF
SIU Authorizations: July 1st, 2023 to September 30th, 2023 (Quarterly Report Q2)
Overview of Authorizations
Between July 1st, 2023 and September 30th, 2023, there were 740 authorizations to an SIU, with a monthly average of 247 authorizations (representing approximately 1.9% of the in-custody population). The monthly count was 214 in July, 246 in August, and 280 in September (See Table 1). By comparison, the monthly average was 250 in the first quarter of 2023 to 2024.
Authorizations were most common in the Quebec region (32%, representing 2.7% of the in-custody population in this region) and least common in the Pacific region (10%, representing 1.5% of the in-custody population).
Authorization Reason
In the current reporting period, 52% of authorizations were justified under 34.1 A (security) of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA), while 46% were justified under 34.1 B (safety). Authorizations justified under 34.1 C (investigation) remained uncommon (i.e., accounting for 2% of cases).
There was regional variation with respect to trends in reason (e.g., 34.1 A authorizations were most common in Quebec; See Table 2).
| Month | Atlantic | Quebec | Ontario | Prairie | Pacific | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
July |
27 | 67 | 59 | 43 | 18 | 214 |
| August | 25 | 66 | 63 | 60 | 32 | 246 |
| Sept. | 32 | 101 | 60 | 62 | 25 | 280 |
| Total | 84 | 234 | 182 | 165 | 75 | 740 |
| Reason | Atlantic | Quebec | Ontario | Prairie | Pacific | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34.1 A | 33 | 149 | 75 | 91 | 37 | 385 |
| 34.1 B | 51 | 85 | 89 | 72 | 38 | 335 |
34.1 C |
no data | no data | 18 | 2 | no data | 20 |
| Total | 84 | 234 | 182 | 165 | 75 | 740 |
Discussion
SIU authorization counts continue to fluctuate by month and are shaped by regional variation. Ongoing monitoring and reporting of SIU trends promotes a cumulative knowledge base to inform operational practices.
Prepared by: The Special Projects and Data Management (SPDM) Team of the CSC Research Branch.