Commissioner's Speeches

Speech to the CAC Annual Conference (Citizens’ Advisory Committees)

Remarks by:

Keith Coulter
Commissioner
Correctional Service of Canada

Saturday, September 16, 2006
Montreal, Quebec

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Introduction

• Good morning, everyone. Thanks for this opportunity to speak with you for a second time since I joined the Correctional Service of Canada
  
  
• Last week marked my one-year anniversary as Commissioner. I remember that the CAC annual conference last year was among the first meetings I attended
  
  
• And I remember telling you, almost a year ago, that I knew of no other way to approach a job like this than to roll up my sleeves and start working with people and jump in, so that’s exactly what I’ve been doing over the past year
  
  
• It has been an interesting and challenging first year — and one of the best parts of the story for me is working with a such a dedicated and passionate group of staff, partners and volunteers, including all of you
  
  
• In fact, soon after I arrived at CSC, it was clear to me that that our partnership at CSC with the many Citizens’ Advisory Committees across the country is extremely important
  
  
• Having members of the public who are educated about CSC and our issues working with us and advising us is absolutely critical in my mind in our efforts to maximize what we can achieve as an organization on behalf of Canadians
  
  
• Our legislation makes it very clear that public safety must be the key driver — the paramount consideration — those are the words in our legislation — in everything we do
  
  
• As you know, CSC contributes very directly to public safety in three critically important ways:
  
  
• By maintaining custody of offenders serving sentences of two years or more
  
  
• By providing programs and other interventions to prepare offenders for safe return back into communities
  
  
• And by supervising offenders conditionally released to the community
  
  
• Each of these contributions is a core statutory responsibility of the federal government — and each is critical to public safety
  
  

CAC Mission

• As you know, CSC’s Mission has been recently updated to better capture our essential role in public safety
  
  
• This past spring, our Minister, the Honourable Stockwell Day, and I signed this revised Mission, and I’m very pleased that you have aligned your own Mission accordingly, to better reflect the CACs’ public safety contributions
  
  
• I look forward to signing your revised CAC Mission Statement with Sean Taylor, CAC National Chair, later this morning
  
  
• But first, I want to talk to you about some of the challenges, and likely changes, that are coming our way in the coming months
  
  

Current Complexities

• CSC is now facing two very significant challenges at the same time relating to the changing offender population profile and the Government’s proposals for new legislation to strengthen the criminal justice system
  
  
• The way we sort through these two challenges will have direct impact on CSC’s operations at the same time, and some will likely affect your work with the Service too
  
  
• That’s why we need to keep working closely together, to make sure that, as we go forward, we do so together to get the best possible outcomes
  
  

Changing Offender Population Profile

• When we last met, I talked about the changing offender profile, and it is clear to me that the trends I spoke about last time are ongoing trends that will continue for the foreseeable future and have more and more impact
  
  
• The short story is that we have a more complex, and more difficult to manage population, coming through the front door of our federal corrections system
  
  
• I know that many of you who have worked with CSC for a number of years have first-hand experience with these changes in the offender population
  
  
• Here is an updated snapshot of our changing offender population profile:
  
  
• The proportion of offenders with more extensive histories of crime and violence is increasing
  
  
• Roughly 9 out of 10 offenders admitted to federal institutions now have previous convictions, and nearly half of them have served a prior youth sentence
  
  
• The great majority (more than three quarters) of offenders in federal custody are serving sentences for violent offences
  
  
• More than one quarter of federal offenders are serving sentences for homicide. We now have nearly 1,000 offenders, out of a total of about 21,000, who are serving sentences for first degree murder
  
  
• More than one in ten new offender admissions are now initially rated as requiring maximum security, a proportion that has been increasing for the past 10 years
  
  
• About 4 out of 5 offenders now arrive at a federal institution with a serious substance abuse problem, with one out of two offenders having committed their crimes, (the vast majority of which are violent crimes), under the influence of intoxicants, drugs or alcohol
  
  
• There are also far more offenders with gang and organized crime affiliations in federal institutions than ever before, with obvious implications for violence and aggression
  
  
• Infectious diseases continue to be a challenge. Inmates now have 7 to 10 times higher rates of HIV than the general Canadian population and approximately 30 times higher rates of Hepatitis C as a result of their history of high risk behaviours
  
  
• And the proportion of our population that has serious mental health problems continues to grow, with more than one in ten male offenders in this category and one in four female offenders — and again the vast majority are serving sentences for violent crimes
  
  
• The trend lines with respect to the changes we are experiencing with the offender population are very clear. When you put the data on a graph, the direction is UP:
  
  
• For gang affiliations and organized crime affiliations
  
  
• For offenders with serious substance abuse problems
  
  
• For offenders with previous youth and adult convictions
  
  
• For offenders with previous histories of violence and violent crimes
  
  
• For offenders with mental health problems
  
  
• For offenders assessed at intake as violence-prone and
  
  
• For offenders with infectious diseases
  
  
• So the future can’t be like the past, because CSC’s programs and interventions have to be able to adjust to these current realities, and be ready to deal with the trends that will affect us in the future
  
  
• Simply put, if nothing else around us were to change except for the offender profile, we would still need to make some very significant changes to how we do our business
  
  
• But, there are other things that have changed recently, and are continuing to change, including, very significantly, the public mood about crime in our country
  
  
• Every day now, it seems that stronger views about crime and tougher punishment, especially for repeat offenders, are capturing more and more media and attention
  
  
• Public perceptions about CSC’s efforts and programs — especially in communities, are often in the press too — and they are very often openly critical
  
  
• The bottom line for me is Canadians expect and deserve their concerns about public safety to be addressed
  
  
• They want better results and, given the core public safety roles that CSC plays, that I outlined earlier CSC must find ways to strengthen its approaches to achieve improved results
  
  
• In this context, the federal Government has made tackling crime one of its top priorities, and many initiatives are being developed to do this
  
  
• The House of Commons is going to resume business on Monday, and several pieces of legislation are in play that have direct implications for CSC — including minimum penalties for offences involving firearms, and proposed amendments to the Criminal Code to eliminate conditional sentences for sexual crimes and violent crimes
  
  
• It is expected that, in the coming months, other legislation will also be introduced that will affect our organization
  
  
• The most obvious impact is that stricter laws involving longer sentences will mean more offenders in the federal system
  
  
• And, if we are to play our part in strengthening the criminal justice system, we will have to find better, more effective ways to encourage and assist offenders tobecome law-abiding citizens as they transition from institutions to communities
  
  

Capacity Issues

• You, our CAC partners, know that at this juncture, CSC’s operational capacities are already stretched thin
  
  
• Since most of our expenses are non-discretionary (e.g. salaries, medical services, utilities, and the like) we currently do not have the capacity needed to meet these challenges
  
  
• So we will need additional investments over time, both to deal with the changing offender profile, to sustain our infrastructure and implement new government initiatives
  
  
• Already, the Government has set aside, in the last federal budget, funds for CSC to expand capacity to implement mandatory minimum penalties for firearms-related offences
  
  
• And we are working hard to ensure that all of our financial issues are being fully considered as we move forward in the coming months
  
  
• As we work through all of this, we will have to ensure that everything CSC does — in our institutions and in our communities — is focussed as sharply as possible on enhancing our contributions to public safety
  
  

CSC Priorities 2006-07 and Beyond

• To set a clear course for the future, we now have five key priorities in our business plan that will help position us to respond to the issues and trends I have just shared with you
  
  
• These priorities are absolutely consistent with the public and Government agenda around corrections
  
  
• Minister Day fully supports our direction and our priorities
  
  
• By focusing on a single set of priorities, we can make a quantum leap forward on these specific areas, which equals better results for Canadians
  
  
• Each of our priorities has clear public safety results
  
  
• CSC’s five strategic priorities are:
  
  
• First: Safe transition of offenders into the community
  
  
• This means a reduction in the rate of violent re-offending by offenders, both while they are in communities under CSC supervision and following the end of their sentence
  
  
• Second: Safety and security for staff and offenders in our institutions
  
  
• This means a reduction in violent behaviour within CSC institutions
  
  
• Third: Enhanced capacities to provide effective interventions for First Nations, Métis and Inuit offenders
  
  
• This means a narrowing of the gap in the rate of re-offending between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal offenders, both while they are in communities under CSC supervision and following the end of their sentence
  
  
• Fourth: Improved capacities to address mental health needs of offenders
  
  
• This means an improvement in correctional results for federal offenders with mental disorders
  
  
• And, last, but definitely not least, strengthening management practices. That means very specific things for us to ensure we maximize our contribution to public safety, including:
  
  
• Clarifying roles and responsibilities
  
  
• Enhancing the values and ethics program and results achieved and
  
  
• Improving internal communications
  
  
• In 10 days, our annual report to Parliament — our annual business plan —which is structured around these five priorities, will be tabled in the House of Commons
  
  
• It will then be available online
  
  
• I encourage you to go online to read about our specific implementation plans, timelines and intended public safety results for each priority
  
  
• I also invite you to read the recent issues of CSC’s corporate magazine Let’s Talk to learn more about our priorities
  
  
• Each issue zeros in on one of the priorities, in a way that helps readers learn about that particular priority in-depth
  
  
• Readers can see the results achieved by CSC staff and partners in communities and institutions across Canada
  
  
• The August issue was dedicated to our Aboriginal priority
  
  
• The editorial team is hard at work finalizing the next edition which looks at our priority to enhance safety and security for staff and offenders in our institutions
  
  
• By framing CSC’s contribution to public safety both now and in the future, Let’s Talk helps us tell our story to Canadians, to employees and to partners alike
  
  

Looking Ahead

• So that is a very quick overview of CSC’s current environment and some of the challenges ahead of us
  
  
• I am very happy that you are with us on the journey
  
  

Role of CACs

• In my visits to CSC facilities across Canada I have enjoyed meeting many CAC members and witnessing your daily contributions to public safety
  
  
• The wide variety of activities pursued by CACs across the country contributes directly to public safety. For example, by organizing visits, tours and conferences, you are helping to educate members of the public about what CSC does and CSC’s role in public safety. You also do that by providing information to media, preparing public displays and speaking to groups, among other diverse activities. This is important work
  
  
• By providing impartial advice and recommendations about correctional services, and by acting as a liaison with your communities, you are a necessary link in our public safety efforts
  
  
• I know that we will achieve stronger results with the support of our partners
  
  
• I will be depending on CACs to give us the information and advice that preserves what works and help us make the changes that are required to help us achieve the best possible public safety results for Canadians
  
  
• Thank you for your efforts and continued support
  
  
• In the year I’ve been with CSC, my appreciation for what CSC staff and partners like you do, has only deepened, and I thank each of you for your significant contributions to public safety
  
  

Conclusion

• Your role is an important one in my eyes
  
  
• Continuing to work well together will ultimately help us achieve the results that Canadians want, expect and deserve
  
  
• I look forward to working with you as we move ahead from here