Articles and Related Media

Canada's Contribution to Criminal Justice Reform in Central Europe

By Jan Fox and Dave Pisapio
(2003)

A collaborative effort between Canada and three Central European countries (Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovak Republic), commenced in April 2003 with a delegation from Canada attending those countries and entering into roundtable discussions. In June, two representatives from each of the three countries visited the Prairie provinces in Canada and absorbed considerable information about the Canadian Correctional system.

This multilateral initiative to contribute to justice reform internationally is funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and is part of a larger Department of Justice initiative on Penal Law Reform. Correctional Service Canada, recognized internationally for innovations in corrections, jointly hosted the delegation during the second week of their visit to the Prairie region. The first week was devoted to the Manitoba correctional system, which gave the delegation an example of the provincial correctional system in Canada. Jim Wolfe, Assistant Deputy Minister, Manitoba Department of Justice hosted this week.

The second week involved interactions with Correctional Service Canada in the Prairie region. Led by Stephen Bierbrier, of the Department of Justice and Correctional Service Canada representatives, Jan Fox (District Director, Northern Alberta/NWT) and David Pisapio (Assistant District Director, Toronto), the delegation met with staff and visited several sites to gather information and enter into dialogue with various players in the correctional process. They were also afforded the opportunity for hands-on experience by being individually paired with Parole Officers and shadowing them for an afternoon of community supervision.

A key component of the tour of the Prairie provinces in Canada was the exposure to the facilities and treatment programs specifically oriented to the Canadian First Nations people. Institutions specifically designed for the Aboriginal population were visited as well as the opportunity to experience some of the Aboriginal cultural and spiritual traditions.

Some of the key observations of Canadian corrections that the delegation plan to implement in their home countries include; the relationships and information sharing between the partners in the Canadian criminal justice system, standardized risk assessment processes, standards for professional community supervision, the need for staff training programs and the benefit of each of the three countries working collaboratively with each other in the future development of their correctional systems.

There is considerable enthusiasm on the part of Canada and the Central European countries to continue to build upon the relationships and information sharing processes to assist in further developing the correctional systems in those countries. The next steps in this effort are to involve Canadian experts in more "hands on" discussions within the three countries and to assist in providing more detailed information concerning the various areas of interest.

Through a series of workshops within the 3 countries, a Canadian delegation will focus on areas of interests of the specific countries and a more in-depth information sharing will be made available to a larger group of field staff. As a first step towards implementing new processes, this information sharing will build the framework for correctional practices in these countries with particular emphasis placed on the areas mentioned above.

Although the Canadian delegation will be providing information on corrections in Canada, they will also be bringing back to Canada some ideas for further growth within the Canadian system. There is clearly a relationship developing that will benefit the correctional systems of both Central Europe and Canada. Canada will benefit from the international learning, being involved in a multi-departmental cooperative initiative and developing international and interdepartmental partnerships.