Work Release
Consider working with Correctional Service Canada (CSC) to find:
- solutions to your short or long-term employment needs
- skilled workers
- an opportunity to make a difference
Get there through Work Release opportunities with CSC!
What is a work release
A Work Release (WR) is when a person who is incarcerated is allowed into the community for employment, volunteer, or skill-building opportunities.
How does it work
People in custody are overseen by a Case Management Team. This team is equipped with the expertise to assess their needs and provide appropriate support and supervision.
A person on WR must follow specific conditions and instructions. They will be supervised at their work location by a CSC staff member, or another authorized individual or organization.
Once a WR request is authorized, the person is approved to go to their worksite. In most cases, the individual would return to their institution, halfway house, or another facility at the end of each workday.
Community partner testimonial:
Work releases create opportunities for individuals in custody to become meaningfully engaged in community activities. By giving individuals the opportunity to give back to society in this manner, it ensures that Correctional Service of Canada is assisting in the rehabilitation and reintegration by reconnecting people to the community and helping them to prepare for their eventual release.
This brochure was developed by l'Association des service de réhabilitation sociale du Québec, Canadian Families and Corrections Network, and St. Leonard’s Society of Canada as representatives of the National Associations Active in Criminal Justice and CSC through the Joint Community Corrections Working Group (JCCWG).
Employee testimonial:
Participating in this WR was the best decision I had ever made to help me become reacquainted with the real world and make a small amount of money to help me in the beginning of Day Parole.
What about training
CSC offers a range of correctional interventions and activities. Incarcerated people have may participate in the employment and employability program which includes on-the-job and vocational training. This includes training in a wide variety of industries providing technical and transferable employment-related skills. On-the-job training occurs through employment assignments in various areas of the institution. Under staff supervision, including CORCANFootnote 1 instructors, individuals can learn and develop employment skills. Some examples of these areas offering skills development and responsibility include:
- Textile: tailor, seamstress, fashion design
- Construction: carpentry, electrical, plumbing, painting
- Manufacturing: cabinetmaking, upholstering, welding, machine operator
- Agriculture: agriculture worker, machine operation and maintenance, beekeeping, horticulture
- Services: laundry worker, administrative support, printing, warehouse worker, building cleaning and maintenance
- Food Services: food preparation, culinary arts
- Groundskeeping and Horticulture: gardening, environmental initiatives, greenhouse
- Administrative: computer skills, correspondence control, spreadsheet utilization, file management and coordination, drawing and design, inventory management
These are just some of the skills that can be applied in various workplaces and learned on the job, or through specific training!
Like any new employee, you will need to train the individual on WR for your specific tasks and needs.
What kind of work can they do
The person will work on the job site, completing the tasks decided by the employer in consultation with CSC. Examples of tasks during WRs include:
- Construction: building houses, repairs, painting, flagging/traffic control
- Cemeteries/Orchards/Campground: farming, groundskeeping, landscaping
- Churches/Missions: groundskeeping, refinishing pews, preparing meals
- Food Banks: inventory, stocking
- Manufacturing: plastic fabrication, wood projects
- Restaurants: cooking, serving
- Industry: trucking, fish plants, meat packing plants, sawmill
- Humane Societies / Animal Sanctuaries: feeding, grooming, kennel attendant, general care
- Warehouse Worker: forklift/skid steer operator
Volunteering for non-profit organizations can also be arranged.
People need a second chance!
Providing them with employment opportunities is an important step to help them show their commitment and readiness to return to the community.
Who authorizes a work release
Applications are authorized by the Correctional Service Canada. To decide, they consider:
- a person’s level of risk
- a person’s behaviour in the institution
- how a structured work release plan contributes to a person’s correctional plan
- the benefit to the community through participation in a structured work or community service environment
Work Release statistics
The vast majority of people in custody eventually return to our communities, and work releases increase the odds of community success upon release. For the past 10 years, the average successful completion rate for WRs is 95%
(Source: Public Safety Canada Annual Report 2020. Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview)
Example of construction work
Two women painting a wall
Who pays the worker
The employer is subject to all provincial labour standards in the province of work. The person participating in a Work Release must be covered by the employer’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) provisions. The worker must be paid at least the minimum wage as per the province’s Labour Law.
There are also various wage subsidy programs that may be available to an employer in the province or territory where your business is located.
I am interested! How can I find out more
For more information on Work Release, please visit the following website:
Correctional Service Canada - Canada.ca
or email: WorkReleases.GEN-NHQ@CSC-SCC.GC.CA
Let us know the type of business you operate and provide your contact information. We will connect to discuss your labour requirements and potential solutions to help address your needs.
Page details
- Date modified: