Correctional process

The federal correctional process

Understanding our federal correctional system

The Correctional Service of Canada’s (CSC) number 1 priority is to keep federal prisons, our employees and Canadians safe. CSC consists of over 20,000 dedicated professionals across Canada who work hard every day and are proud to play an important part in the federal correctional process below.

CSC makes core contributions to public safety in three areas:

• Maintaining safe and humane custody and supervision of offenders serving sentences of 2 years or more
• Assisting the rehabilitation of offenders by providing programs and other interventions to prepare them for safe release back into communities
• Assisting offenders with their reintegration into communities and supervising them on conditional release or long-term supervision order

CSC does not:

• Impose sentences or determine the length of an offender’s sentence
• Determine whether someone is a Dangerous or Long-term offender
• Lay Criminal Code charges

1. Sentence imposed by the courts
   • The offender receives their sentence.
   • Offenders go to a federal prison for sentences 2 years or longer.

All offenders who are sentenced for offences committed while under a long-term supervision order, regardless of length, must serve in a federal penitentiary.

Did you know?

Court sentence vs. CSC’s role

• It’s important to remember the length of an offender’s sentence is their punishment, as determined by the courts, and not other factors such as the security level of the prison.
• CSC is not responsible for punishing offenders but rather assisting them in their rehabilitation and their safe reintegration into the community as law-abiding citizens.

2. Transfer to federal prison
   • After being sentenced, offenders normally transfer from a provincial jail to a federal prison managed by CSC.
3. Intake assessment
   • Offenders undergo an intake assessment in a CSC reception centre or an assessment unit:
     • CSC employees evaluate offenders to determine their institutional and public safety risk, security level and their needs for intervention. 
     • Information is gathered about the offender and their criminal history from police, courts, victims, family members and the offender.

Did you know?

Victim Services

• CSC Victim Services has an entire team dedicated to providing services to victims and survivors of crime.
• Victim Services Officers provide victims with information about the offender(s) who harmed them, engage victims in the correctional process and ensure they know how and when they can participate and have a voice.

Visit our website to learn more:

• Information for victims

4. Correctional plan

• The intake assessment process will lead to the development of a Correctional Plan, which is a roadmap of the offender’s sentence. The Correctional Plan sets out what correctional interventions or other treatments need to be assigned to reduce risk, and are individualized and structured to meet each offender's risks and needs.
• CSC provides timely access to interventions, programs and services to match their needs and address their risk of re-offending, which contributes to offenders becoming law-abiding members of society.

5. Prison security level
   • Offenders are placed in a federal prison that matches their security level (maximum, medium or minimum).
   • Their security level is based on three factors:
     • Behaviour and ability to adjust to a certain institutional setting.
     • Probability of escape.
     • Risk to public safety in the event they escape.

Did you know?

Prison security levels:

Maximum: Highly structured and designed to provide a high degree of safety to the staff, other inmates and public.

Medium: Fewer restrictions than maximum as offenders generally present a lower probability of escape and have demonstrated the capacity to interact effectively with others.

Minimum: Provide a lower degree of supervision and control as offenders have demonstrated lower security concerns and escape risk, as they move towards community reintegration, if applicable.

Learn more about the various prison security levels by downloading our brochure: institutional security levels.

6. Case management

• Each offender is supervised and guided through the correctional process by a Case Management Team.
• This includes assessing, informing, counselling, motivating, planning programs and supervising an offender throughout their sentence.

Did you know?

A Case Management Team always includes:

• a Correctional Officer II or Primary Worker
• a Parole Officer (in the institution or in the community)
• a Manager of Assessment and Intervention (in men’s prisons)
• a Manager of Intensive Supervision Strategies (in women’s prisons)
• a Community Correctional Centre Manager (in the community)
• a Parole Officer Supervisor (in the community)
• For Indigenous offenders, an Elder is part of the team
• These team members work together with other CSC staff (for example, teachers, programs officers, chaplains, etc.) to support the offender’s rehabilitation efforts and evaluate the offender’s behaviour, work performance, and the progress they are making in their Correctional Plan.

A Case Management Team may also include or benefit from consultation with:

• Victim Services Officers
• Security Intelligence Officers
• Correctional Program Officers
• Social Program Officers
• Indigenous Elders or Spiritual Advisors
• Chaplains
• Indigenous Liaison Officers or Indigenous Community Development Officers and Managers
• Psychologists and/or Psychiatrists
• Social Workers
• Teachers
• Work Supervisors
• Reintegration Workers
• Employment Coordinator  

7. Preparing for release

• There are various forms of release to the community.
• Examples of types of releases include: 
  • Temporary Absences
  • Work Releases
  • Day Parole
  • Full Parole
  • Statutory Release
• Some release decisions are granted by CSC while others are granted by the Parole Board of Canada.

Learn more about these and other types of releases by downloading our infographic: information about offender releases.

Did you know?

What is parole?

• Parole is a conditional release that allows some offenders to serve part of their sentence in the community under the supervision of a CSC Parole Officer.
• The Parole Board of Canada grants parole and can impose conditions on offenders. The protection of society is always the primary consideration in any release decision.

What is statutory release?

By law, most federal offenders are released after two thirds of their sentence with conditions. Offenders serving life or indeterminate sentences are not eligible for statutory release.

8. Release plan
   • Before being considered for release, the offender and their Parole Officer must prepare a detailed release plan and a supervision strategy to address the offender's outstanding risk, support their reintegration and ensure a safe release.

Did you know?

Release plans

• A release plan includes information about where the offender would like to be released, the support network they have available, employment or education plans, as well as any other activities supporting their reintegration into the community.
• Risk of re-offending is assessed and a strategy for the offender's transition to the community is developed.
• Either a positive or a negative recommendation is sent to the Parole Board of Canada for decisions under its authority.

To learn more about the federal correctional process:

Watch our Lift Me Up series to learn more about our proud employees and the important work they do every day.

Listen to our podcast series “Prisons Inside / Out” for real-life stories from our employees, victims and offenders, in their own words, about how we change lives while protecting Canadians.