Performance Assurance

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Evaluation of the Employment and Employability Program

3.0 Findings

Objective 1: To assess the extent that CSC's Employment and Employability Program objectives are Realistic, Attainable and Relevant.

3.1.1 The Executive Committee (EXCOM) appointed CORCAN the responsibility for the Offenders' Employment Program Results under the theme "Managing Partners" (Appendix A), yet this was not clearly understood nor communicated to the Program implementation team.

Employment of offenders has always been an integral part of Correctional Service Canada (CSC) and is central to its Mission. It is linked to core value 2 and strategic objective 2.4. Core value 2, acknowledges that offender employment plays a critical role in developing skills and abilities, which serve them on release. It contributes to the good order and management of institution, and reflects our society's belief in the value of work. We believe that offenders should be productively occupied"1 and research indicates that the risk of re-offending is much greater among offenders with unstable employment patterns than those with a more stable employment history.

Strategic objective 2.4, further emphasizes how central meaningful employment is to the Mission of the CSC. It states, "to ensure that offenders are productively occupied and have access to a variety of work and educational opportunities to meet their needs for growth and personal development". Therefore, employment is viewed as a necessary requirement of incarceration and reintegration. In response to the Report of the Auditor General - April 1999, CSC stated:

The Correctional Service recognizes that employment assignments must be treated in the same manner as other correctional programs. With effective planning and scheduling of all interventions during the initial assessment process, employment assignments should complement other correctional interventions. CSC is confident that the work currently under way will effectively address the management of employment programs within the Service2.

This further reiterates CSC confidence in accomplishing this objective and supporting the commitment made in the Mission Statement.

On October 25, 1999 National Headquarters Management Committee (NHQMC), decided that CORCAN's CEO would assume the responsibilities for all work related employment programs for inmates. April 1, 2000 was the designated implementation date. A position paper (Appendix B) was drafted collaboratively by National Headquarters (NHQ) Correctional Programs and the Employment Co-ordinator of CORCAN, to consolidate the inmates' employment program. This paper was approved at EXCOM in April 2000. There was much deliberation that complemented this decision. The highlights are identified in the following table.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS LEADING TO DECISIONS
Dates Events Decisions
1996 Auditor General Report
  • Identified the need for a strategy to address offenders' employability
  • Highlighted CORCAN's deficiency in not meeting its training and correctional goals
Feb 1998 EXCOM
  • Formation of a working group to determine if CORCAN can be the umbrella for all of the Offender's work assignments
  • Regional Deputy Commissioners' role in this was addressed
Jun 1998 EXCOM
  • Recognition of employment as a correctional strategy within CSC was discussed. Three options were presented, but not approved
  • Agreed to establish a working committee to identify:
    1. CORCAN's role;
    2. The appropriate structure for employment assignments, which will provide all offenders with meaningful activities to facilitate their reintegration;
    3. A management framework and a status report to EXCOM in September 1998.
Sept 1998 EXCOM
  • The working committee presented the following 5 principles:
    1. Work in a correctional intervention;
    2. Work assignments must be meaningful;
    3. Management of offenders' time;
    4. Management and delivery of work; and
    5. Strengthening of community employment
  • The creation of two short-term Tasks Groups was approved. These reported to the Working Committee in December 1998, who will then report to EXCOM in February 1999
Feb 1999 EXCOM
  • The working committee presented 10 recommendations and proposed implementation plan. The approval was delayed pending a detailed implementation plan and a funding strategy based on a fuller cost estimate (to be presented at June's EXCOM meeting).
  • Approval to start basic development work was granted
  • It was decided that the DG of Offender Programs and CORCAN's CEO are responsible for initiating the various recommendations
April 1999 Auditor General Report
  • Recognized the progress CSC made and referenced the two task force key recommendations
  • Recommended that CSC clarify the role that employment program will have in offenders' reintegration
Oct 1999 EXCOM
  • The Commissioner requested a timeframe from CORCAN to take full responsibility for all work programs
  • It was reiterated that the request was made two years ago and it was not a decision to study, but to be implemented
  • The Commissioner felt that there was a lack of responsiveness by CSC to implement decisions once there were made
Oct 25, 1999 NHQMC
  • CORCAN's CEO was approved as responsible for all employment programs for inmates
Feb 2000 EXCOM
  • Anticipated beginning of the implementation of EEP
  • The Steering Committee was developing a Position Paper to contain expected outcomes and a set of governing principles
Apr 2000 EXCOM
  • Position Paper outlining the Theme of Managing Partners was approved

As identified in the preceding calendar of event and a review of EXCOM meeting agenda and minutes show that there have been limited discussions on EEP since April 2000. In order for this initiative to be successful, all leading parties must continuously address it and there must be clear accountabilities for actions taken or not taken. EEP must be constantly addressed at all levels within CSC.

Most staff interviewed were not aware of the Theme of "Managing Partners", nor were they aware that a position paper had been approved by EXCOM outlining an accountability structure which clearly stipulated the roles and responsibilities of the managers involved in the employment of offenders. Staff indicated that as far as they were concerned CORCAN was now accountable for the offenders' employment. This was evident in the decision statement of the Managing Partners document, which states that,

...the CEO of CORCAN will assume responsibilities for all work related employment programs for the inmates.

This statement contains a degree of ambiguity, which has led to ownership issues. For example, the operational aspects of these employment programs were being viewed as to be included in CORCAN's responsibility. As a result, CSC stepped back and did very little, while CORCAN having no Case Management background or support could not do much. What could have been synergy between two complementing teams working towards the same goal, resulted in the vegetating of an initiative and a further disconnect between CORCAN, Correctional Programs and Management Services. Staff further stated that the role of the Champion was not clearly defined or communicated. This was confirmed during the interviews with the Champions. If it was not clear to the Champions, how could they communicate it to others? It was evident to the evaluation team that the theme of "Managing Partners," and the accountabilities outlined therein, was not clearly understood and this unfortunately, has limited the progress of this initiative.

Great concern was expressed regarding the CORCAN's conflicting mandates. As a selfsupporting entity, it is required to meet production deadlines and quality standards, yet they are still expected to train inmates to meet the changing expectations of the labour force in the institution and the community. CORCAN is in the best position to provide employment and training opportunities to the inmate, but they must have a strategy that allows them to meet their mandates. There needs to be a clear governance structure, role clarity, accountabilities and a strategy to address deficiencies.

Recommendation # 1
In order to raise the profile of the Employment and Employability Program, it is recommended that the NHQ Correctional program section in consultation with the Director of Employment and Employability Program:

  1. clearly identify and communicate the roles and responsibilities of all key stakeholders, including the identification of who is responsible for making the final decisions;
  2. In compliance with the Auditor General's recommendation, each region should develop:

  3. an operational strategy for the offenders' employment programs, which would include the requirement of all key stakeholders' representation in the decision process;
  4. In order for CORCAN to accomplish its conflicting mandates, it is recommended that CORCAN:

  5. established annual training targets for the inmates, who have been identified with specific employment needs and implement them into their training strategy.
  6. 3.1.2 The Offender Management System (OMS) is designated as the principle source of information necessary to carry out review, analysis and reporting of results to decision-making bodies, yet OMS data entry and recording does not provide an accurate record of results accomplished within the institutions.

    The Offender Management System is designed to manage the record keeping, the reporting and the decision making during the inmates' incarceration. It maintains every decision and action taken that affects or will have an impact on the inmates' incarceration. Governing Principle # 10 further identifies this system as the principle source of information, which will be necessary for the decision-maker, for review, for analysis and for reporting of results for the Employment and Employability Program. However, in the management decision making process no one was assigned the accountability to maintain either the accuracy of the data input or the integrity of the information produced. With such a dependency on this information, it is imperative that each institution has someone accountable for the data accuracy and information integrity. Within the Ontario region, the OMS Project Officer has volunteered to monitor the data input, the information integrity and to provide information system recommendations to all users ensuring that this objective is met.

    The goal is to establish an accurate and automated Employment Inventory for all institutions to identify the type and number of jobs available. The main challenge in accomplishing this is the proper identification of employment or program entries in OMS. In the past, the program identification number (Program ID) was relied upon to communicate the nature of the entry, employment or program. The Program ID failed to deliver the required level of information because it was system generated at each institution and it was based upon the order in which entries were recorded. This resulted in the same institution, recording the same employment in a different order. It reduced the reliability of the Program ID to communicate information effectively. There are some National programs that were installed with a common Program ID from NHQ, however even in these cases, some institutions failed to use these records and created their own with a different Program ID.

    The implementation of OMS 6.3 introduced categories and subcategories to improve identification of employment and program entries. Currently, the inaccurate use of the Program ID has been neutralized by reliance on the categories and subcategories of the program or employment record. Where a record is recorded improperly, it can now be modified and updated to the appropriate categories and subcategories. However, this process is restricted to the institution, where the entry is being recorded.

    When a user enters the Maintain Program screen, their facility is displayed and they are prompted to select a Category, Employment, Programs or Non-Employment- NonPrograms. These selections, each lead to specific options that walk the user through the selection processes. Since OMS 6.3 these are mandatory fields that cannot be skipped over when recording employment or program entries at an institution. National programs cannot be created in OMS by the institution and continue to be installed by NHQ. The work that needs to be done in some cases is the appropriate categorization of historical employment records that existed prior to OMS 6.3. These records can only be updated by the institution where the information on the nature of the entry and the OMS account privileges permit access. This process is currently underway.

    At the time of the review, the Atlantic Region had already completed their recategorization of the historical employment records that existed prior to OMS 6.3. This resulted in reducing CORCAN's FTEs by 30, which directly related to incorrect categorization of work assignments. These assignments were categorized as CORCAN's work assignments instead of CSC's. This was an area of much concern, since it could have funding implications for the Atlantic Region. This should not be used as the basis for other regions to refrain from cleaning up the inaccurate information.

    The guidelines for recording correctional programs are found in the IFMMS (Integrated Financial Material Management System) coding manual. Each OMS subcategory number is aligned with a dedicated IFMMS cost center number. The descriptions found in the cost coding manual explain the type of program entry that should be identified by this subcategory, however, this has not, as yet, been established for employment activities. Hence, creating a reference guide for each category of jobs would assist the user in identifying where each job should be categorized or subcategorized.

    With the presence of inaccurate information, no analysis was done on the number of offenders employed in the various categories and subcategories. Subsequent to the Evaluation Team's visit, every effort is being made to complete the categorization of all employment records to improve automated reporting. The RADAR system has established an Employment Management Information System (EMIS) and provided monitoring tools that directly relate to employment issues. A pay level review report is an excellent example. With categorization of the employment records, more automated monitoring reports will become available to report specifics such as total number of cleaning jobs, number occupied and number vacant, nationally, regionally and by institution. As each institution continues to clean up the data, there will definitely be improved performance information.

    Recommendations # 2
    In order to ensure that the data being entered into OMS is accurate and provides a high quality of information; it is recommended that:

  7. a business manager be assigned from Correctional Operations and Programs, specifically the Offender Management System Renewal Branch to be responsible and accountable for the data quality and information integrity; and
  8. the Assistant Warden of Correctional Programs ensure that the clean up of OMS be completed within the timeframe allotted.
  9. Objective 2: To determine the extent to which program services are provided in an optimal way.

    3.2.1 The Correctional Service Canada (CSC) has recognized that employment must be dealt with in a similar manner as other correctional programs, yet there is no consistent method of managing the employment skills of the offender.

    One of the objectives of CSC is to provide a balance between education, programming and employment to meet the needs of the inmate while incarcerated and the opportunity to learn skills and abilities that are transferable to the community.

    The implementation of Operation Bypass identified employment as one of the eight (8) domain areas to be addressed during the intake assessment process and to be included in the Correctional Plan. However, unless employment is identified as a contributing factor, it is not included in the Correctional Plan.

    GRAPH # 1
    Employment included on Correctional

    Of the 83 inmates interviewed, 61 were identified by intake assessment as having some or considerable need for employment. Of these 61 inmates, there was only one whose employment needs was specifically addressed in the Correctional Plan (see graph # 1). For the remaining 60, there was no action plan to determine when or if these needs would be addressed. If this sample is reflective of the total inmate population, this implies, that of the inmates who have been identified as having a need for employment, only 1% is being addressed in the correctional plan, compared to 99% who have no action plan for addressing their employment needs.

    GRAPH # 2
    Degree of Employment Needs

    An analysis of the inmates interviewed showed, 27% was identified as having no need for employment, 12% was identified as having considerable need and 61% was identified as having some need for employment. (See Graph # 2) This represents 73% of the inmates interviewed, who have been identified as having a need in the area of employment. If this is representative of the total inmate population, there is definitely a challenge ahead for CSC to bring employment in line with other correctional programs. The Evaluation Team is of the opinion that employment is not being considered on the same spectrum as other correctional programs.

    Research has shown that employment contributes to a safer institutional environment and is believed to have a positive long-term impact on reducing recidivism. It has proven that inmates who are actively participating in a work assignment are 24 percent more likely to obtain and maintain employment after release into the community. There, they are more likely to earn additional income to support themselves while reducing the demand for social assistance and increasing public safety. Inmates occupying positions within the institution have lower incidents while incarcerated and survive longer on conditional release3.

    Employment within the institutions provides the inmates with the opportunity to work in a businesslike setting where work ethics, values and productivity is ultimate. It provides the opportunity for the inmates to work under different challenges, using their varying skill levels. Given the educationally and physically challenged needs of some inmates, they can only be assigned to routine task with minimal changes. For example, ground maintenance and cleaners, while others with more adeptness can be assigned to CORCAN shops, where production deadlines, quality products or services and cost constraints are their primary concern. It was observed that Dorchester Institution has a "Basic Skills shop" which, responds specifically to the needs of challenged inmates. At the time of the review, there were 13 inmates employed in this shop and 10 tutors assigned to assist them in the shop and on the range. This is an example of responding to the inmates' employment needs.

    Being employed in the institution provides valuable experience and skills that are transferable to the community. These skills assist the inmates in becoming productive citizens and in reducing their risk of returning to the institution. Institutional employment provides the opportunity to apply or use the skills and knowledge learned in other correctional programs in a controlled work environment. For example, skills learned in an anger management program can be assessed on an ongoing basis for continuous development. This provides the opportunity for the inmate to use the skills learned in a correctional program in a job or team environment, which is similar to a typical work environment in the community.

    Educating the inmates in effective job searching techniques, pace of work, quality and hours of work, counselling before and after an interview, the ability to learn the importance of getting up on time and being on time for work every day, are necessary elements in the employability program. It assists the inmate in transferring one set of skills learned from one job to meet the requirements of another.

    The EEP has its challenges. Meeting these challenges, requires constantly adapting and changing the program to meet the changing demographic needs, the fluctuating population, the inmates' length of sentence, the progressive criminal justice system and technological advancements. These challenges have had their impact on the employment program, within the institutions and assisted in the elimination of some elements of the vocational programming. Most of the staff at the institutions visited, have expressed concerns with these challenges, but have implemented alternative options. For example, hours worked in the auto-mechanic shop are accumulated toward the auto-mechanic apprenticeship certification, which cannot be offered in its entirety due to the high cost of equipment and the technological advancement of the machinery. WHIMIS and forklift training is also offered in order to assist the inmates in securing employment on their reintegration into the community. Further, there is concern that CORCAN might be taking over education due to the fact that education and employment are components of each other and CORCAN has been identified as the partner responsible for employment. This has since been clarified that CORCAN is not taking over education.

    Further, there is no clear policy to enforce the inclusion of employment in the Correctional Plan, or to guide the Parole Officers in decision making. This policy change was identified two (2) years ago and at the time of the review, was still outstanding. At the time of writing of this report, there was a case management, bulletin being prepared and has subsequently been released. This is seen as a positive step towards the success of this project. The Parole Officers, the intake assessment officers and the case management teams (including work supervisors) need to work more closely to co-ordinate when, and what employment options are advisable for the inmates. It would allow the inmate to find meaningful and appropriate employment, based on skills, interest and aptitude, while learning more transferable skills.

    There are definite concerns with respect to the work supervisors hiring inmates who already possessed employment skills, so as to meet the operational and production demands of the institution. Addressing the development of skills for individuals who have been identified as having some or considerable need for employment and who most likely need the necessary skills being taught, is a definite requirement.

    3.2.2 While Career and Occupational Preference System (COPS), Career Ability Placement Surveys (CAPS) and Canadian Academic Achievement Test (CAAT) are being used at most intake assessment units and institutions to evaluate or assess the inmates skills, abilities and educational upgrading, the results and impact of these assessments are not included in the Correctional Plan, nor is there any consistency in applying the methods of addressing the inmate employment needs.

    CSC recognizes that in order to properly assist inmates in learning employment skills; their areas of interest, aptitudes and values must be assessed. The career path for each inmate must be examined. The objectives of a vocational assessment are to identify areas of interest that reflect motivation, personality and ability. It identifies past and future academic potential, aptitude factors and areas that require training or upgrading. It matches the availability of the labour, with the abilities, aptitudes and interest related to the occupational options of a potential career path. It assesses the inmate's value system with respect to leadership, need for recognition and creativity.

    Canadian Academic Achievement Test (CAAT) is the academic assessment tool used for determining the educational or academic level of the inmate. It assists in highlighting general characteristics about natural behaviour and strategies for creating positive relationships with others. It provides a better understanding of the type of training that is most appropriate. It was observed that 66% of the inmates interviewed had completed CAAT and 58% of the results were included in their Correctional Plan, with a recommendation on how to proceed. (See graph # 3)

    GRAPH # 3
    Education Records

    Career and Occupational Preference System (COPS) or 'Les tests d'inventaire d'intéréts' used in Québec is CSC's approved assessment tool for determining an inmates' interest in a particular career. It is designed to assist inmates in planning their career path. By examining the inmates' interest in activities performed in several different occupations, it provides further information on their work interest. Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI) is the personality test section of COPS that employs personality characteristics in the job selection process.

    Career Ability Placement Surveys (CAPS) is CSC's approved assessment tool, for determining an inmates' aptitude or abilities to function in a particular assignment. It is used to provide information about skills and abilities that would assist in choosing a career. It helps in understanding the inmates' potential, strengths and weaknesses, while identifying careers in similar areas. It compares present abilities, to job related functions and requirements. The assessor uses CAPS to determine school courses required, training programs and outside activities that can be developed.

    Career Orientation Placement and Evaluation Survey (COPES) is being used only in the Pacific Region and Nova Institution. This survey examines the values inmates' considers to be important, that can be applied to their work environment and the activities performed.

    In the Atlantic Region, there is the 'Le Reseau Psychotech', a French vocational assessment for their Francophone population, even though it was not implemented. CSC needs to make this available for the other regions to meet the needs of their Francophone inmates.

    While these assessment tools are highly recommended, the screening criteria as listed in Appendix C, is not appropriate for a large percentage of the inmate population, since most of the inmates have less than a grade 10 education. One of the major criterions identified as preventing an inmate from taking the COPs and CAPs assessment, was the educational requirement. (See graph # 4)

    GRAPH # 4
    Education Level

    Of the 83 inmates interviewed, 58% had educational assessment results on file and 7% were still outstanding. Of this 58%, 48% possessed a grade 10 or above education and met the criterion for COPs and CAPs assessment, while 52% percent were below grade 10 and did not meet the criterion. CSC needs to find an alternative solution for inmates not having or who may never have this criteria for assessment. It was observed that Saskatchewan Penitentiary, has an in the classroom "Skills For Employment Program". This is designed for special need individuals who may never be able to attain the educational requirement for COPs and CAPs. This is a step towards the success of the Employment and Employability Program, but there is still much to be accomplished.

    GRAPH # 5
    Availability of COPs and CAPs Results

    Of this 48%, who met the criteria for COPs and CAPs, 78% of the assessments were completed. (See graph # 5) However, only 56% of the results were available on the employment file, but in no case were they included in the Correctional Plan. Training Intake Parole Officer to include this information into the Correctional Plan is imperative.

    Not all of the Parole Officers see the connection between employment and correctional programs. This connection needs to be highlighted and encouraged. Thereafter, training specifically designed for Intake Parole Officers can be developed. This will encourage them in including COPs and CAPs results, with employment recommendations into the Correctional Plan. Of the institutions visited, Pittsburgh was the only one where, the identified inmates' skills are being matched to specific employment needs. This is considered a great start, however, there are no statistics being kept and since these assessments are not reflected in the Correctional Plan, to accomplish it, requires an extra amount of work.

    The COPS and CAPs written assessment reports highlight, whether the inmate has employment needs or if some assistance will be provided in securing employment. It identifies the educational upgrading required and whether or not the inmate is a low functioning person. It recommends what type of position is appropriate and the skills that will be developed. It further outlines the objectives to be met at the completion of the recommended employment option.

    These assessment results are shared with the inmates on a one on one basis and they are encouraged to seek employment in the recommended areas. The detailed reports are placed on the inmates' employment files. However, in all regions visited, these results are not being incorporated in the Correctional Plan, nor integrated in the employment profile. If the offender does not meet the listed criterion and the required educational level, there is no consistency in the monitoring process to assess the inmate, when the criterion has been achieved. It was also noted that the majority of assessments were being done for new or first time inmates, but there was no process to assess inmates who were incarcerated prior to the implementation of the vocational evaluation. There should be a process in place to monitor the educational requirement completion deadline, after which the vocational assessment should be completed. The need to develop an action plan for the testing of the general population is a definite consideration. This has already been started in the Atlantic and Pacific Regions; however, the funding pressures are becoming an increasing challenge.

    All institutions visited expressed concern over the funding pressures. There was no additional funding provided for the EEP. All institutions were asked to reallocate resources. Many found it very challenging to be consistent in their assessment or to start. For example, while the Atlantic Region started then stopped, which resulted in a negative impact on the success of the project, Millhaven resource through the re-allocation of a teacher from the classroom, resulting in sharing of responsibilities. The Janitorial certification at Nova institution was cancelled as a result of funding pressures and change over in contracting staff. However, for those institutions that were able to fund Forklift certification and WHIMIS training, the inmates have expressed pride in their accomplishments and the expectation of finding meaningful work on their return to the community.

    Recommendations # 3
    In order to increase the efficiency and the effectiveness of the assessment process and the implementation of COPs and CAPs into the Correctional Program, it is recommended that the sector for Correctional Operations and Programs, in collaboration with CORCAN Operations Manager:

  10. develop a strategic plan for the Employment and Employability Program with training requirements, to introduce COPs and CAPs in every institution and a process for follow-up after the assessment criterion has been met; and


  11. develop and facilitate a training program for Intake Parole Officers on how to include COPs and CAPs into the Correctional Program.
  12. The Evaluation Team is of the opinion that in order to provide clear direction and guidance, each stakeholder's responsibilities need to be clearly outlined and communicated. It was a recommendation of the Evaluation Team, that the Correctional Operations and Programs, specifically Institutional Reintegration Operations Branch:

  13. provide guidance to Parole Officers on how to include employment requirements into the Correctional Plan. However, during the writing of this report, a case management bulletin was approved and published. The Evaluation Team acknowledges the urgency that CSC has dedicated to the success of this segment.
  14. 3.2.3 There is a definite lack of comprehension of the objective of Governing principle # 3 which states that "the goal is to attain a weekly schedule showing modules of half-days for each inmate that adds up to 37.5 hours consistent with the level of security of the institution, resource level, existing collective agreements of the staff and operational circumstances."

    The 7.5 hours work day - is the target that all institutions are required to reach, taking into consideration the operational requirements of the institution as outlined in governing principle # 34. These constraints as identified are the level of security of the institution, the resource level, the existing collective agreements of the staff and other operational circumstances. There was also the misinterpretation that 7.5 hours meant only employment. Governing principle # 1 clearly defines meaningfully occupied, as a combination of education programs, treatment programs, vocational training employment and other necessary activities.5

    All individuals interviewed; felt that to achieve a 7.5-hour day of meaningful activities for the inmates is not a realistic goal. Most felt that a 6.5-hour day was more acceptable. Several reasons were presented to explain why this was not plausible. For example, at Millhaven institution, there are two populations that cannot come into contact with each other. Inmate movement there can take up to two hours per inmate mealtime and inmate counts can take up to one hour per count. In addition, the collective agreement for Correctional Officers requires them to have one hour for lunch away from the institution, and they work an average of 8.0 hours per work day. This accounts for approximately four hours of institutional operation daytime hours. Taking these constraints into consideration, Millhaven average number of hours identified is 6.5, which is consistent with other maximum institutions visited. The average hours worked at a medium institution was 6.0 compared to a minimum institution, which averages 7.3. The multilevel institutions average 5.5, which is significantly below the other institutions.

    It was also observed that individuals, who were employed by CORCAN either on work releases or in institutional vocational shops averages closer to 7.5 hours, compared to some institutional operations jobs which average closer to 5.0 hours. In all of the community work releases, most of them leave in the morning around 7:00 hours and return in the evening around 17:00 hours. The counts are called in at the appropriate time and the inmates take a bag lunch with them. This is very reflective of a typical day in the community and a very good start for learning by doing.

    GRAPH # 6
    Working Hours in Different Security Levels

    Many of the institutions visited have been experimenting with several options to accomplish this 7.5-hour gainfully employed workday that is reflective of community standards. Family visits, medical appointments, treatment programs, education, library visits and grocery shopping are being scheduled during the evening hours after 5:00 PM. However, these options have their challenges. To schedule library services, education and programming in the evening requires non-correctional staff who are available to work flexible hours, additional correctional staff to facilitate the inmate movement and additional financial resources to compensate for the additional overtime requirement.

    The effort is there, but there is still more to be accomplished. The target is 7.5 hours of meaningful employment and every effort must be made to reach it, but the operational and resource constraints must still be taken into consideration.

    Scheduling - The Managing Partnership document provided the governing principles for the successful management and implementation of the Employability and Employment Program. It was designed to establish clear accountabilities for all the participants. For example, governing principle # 2 outlines the Program Board responsibility for preparing inmate's weekly schedules in order to maximize an uninterrupted period of employment.6 This identifies the Program Board as having a clear accountability for the inmate's scheduling, decisions on inmate's pay, assignments and suspensions. It identifies who the members are and who chairs the meeting. The chairperson is normally the Assistant Warden of Correctional Programs and the members vary to include the Inmate Pay Clerk, the Work Supervisors, in some cases CORCAN Operation Managers, Parole Officers and any other person applicable to the particular inmate being discussed.

    Most of the institutions visited have a Program Board in operation, which is made up of different members. For example, Pittsburgh has recently appointed an employment coordinator, a former CO-11, who has been successful in making the connection between management and the inmates. At Joyceville institution, the work supervisor is responsible for the hiring process and it is a paper decision. Fenbrook is experimenting with different options to find a best fit. Within the Pacific region, there is an integrated Program Board and in the Atlantic region, there is a Program Assignment Board.

    Having the Program Board accountable for the weekly schedules of the inmates brings the key players together in the decision making process. Access to the weekly schedules of the inmates, encourages the work supervisors to be more accountable for ensuring that work assignments are organized for the appropriate length of time on any given day. It should assist the inmate and the staff in knowing where the inmate has been scheduled to be and at what time. It should allow the Parole Officers the opportunity to visit the inmate on site and observe their progress as needed. It should permit a thorough understanding of the need to gainfully employ the inmate's time to maximize the positive results of incarceration and eventually reintegration.

    Despite all of this, the offender scheduling process has been plagued with problems. The main problem identified is that OMS is not currently designed to record and display individual offenders' schedules. Rather, it is designed to record employment and program delivery schedules. These schedules and timetables identify the dates, days and hours, CORCAN's shop or a program is offered. They are program specific and reflect program availability. However, it should be noted that there is an offender specific schedule available in RADAR and its challenges will be discussed in finding # 3.5.

    Offenders are assigned to these schedules in OMS, however the personal schedule of an offender is not easily identified from the general hours of operation of CORCAN's shops and programs. Where an offender has a single assignment, the schedule will reflect the hours of work based upon the hours of operation of the shop or program. The problems start with multiple assignments per offender. For example, ten offenders assigned to a single shop will each require individual offender schedules for program participation and potentially other work assignments. In most cases, offenders maintain multiple assignments and the general hours of operation of the shops and programs cannot be modified to reflect individual offender participation.

    Additional challenges are identified where institutions have recorded events such as Out to Court, to be in a position to monitor periods of absences from the institution and to accurately identify interruptions to work and program assignments. Other events or status options, such as Hospital Patient, reflect a twenty four-hour living condition that displays on the offenders' timetables. When these schedules for all assignments are displayed in an attempt to report an individual offender's schedule, the offender can appear to be in several places at one time. OMS in its current design does not accommodate or provide for individual offender's daily scheduling. This is a consideration or requirement to be identified for Offender Management System Renewal (OMSR).

    The program schedules that exist can be recorded on weekly timeframes offering a one or two-week cycle to define different hours of operation every other week if required. Each schedule has a timetable attached to it and it is here where the hours and days of operation are identified for the program or CORCAN's shop. Current offender schedules that are produced from this information report all assignments and deductions that are required, where multiple assignments exist, to infer where the offender is actually spending their time. A work assignment from 8:00 hours to 16:00 hours, Monday through Friday, and a program assignment from 9:00 hours to 11:00 hours, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, require the assumption that the offender has a full time job, but leaves this position three mornings a week to attend a program. The actual location for individual days cannot be identified from these schedules, i.e. if the offender was at court Monday. This is where an offender schedule will fill this void.

    Some correctional program entries are controlled by NHQ. National programs are installed by NHQ at institutions. The schedules, timetables and instructors' information is recorded by the institution. The institution's Program Assignment Board assigns offenders to these schedules. All assignments recorded in OMS have to be updated and managed by staff at the institution where the offender assignment is recorded regardless of the offender's location.

    Accurate program assignment status options and assignment dates are critical to the process of offender scheduling. These records can only be modified or recorded by the site where the program or work assignment occurs. Offenders assigned to a shop or program in OMS are understood to be working at that shop or attending that program. Changing the assignment status from assigned to successful completion on a specific date removes the offender from appearing on the shop or program schedule timetable. The dates that changes occur need to be accurate to reflect the time period at work. When recording this information it is important that the user understands that OMS, by default, accepts the program schedule start and end dates as the assignment dates for offenders during recording of assignment information. If the exact dates are not typed in, and the user presses in these fields, the schedule dates are recorded. Erroneous information can easily be inadvertently recorded as many employment and program schedules maintain a continuous schedule identified by a historical start date (months or years in the past), and either no end date, or an extreme schedule end date (i.e. 2030/01/01). When assignment dates for individual offenders are not recorded accurately and the default schedule dates are accepted and saved, extreme assignments are stored and these interfere with accurate identification of the history of the offender's employment and program participation. It is therefore imperative to maintain accurate, up-to-date employment and program schedules to minimize this potential problem.

    When offenders are transferred out or are paroled from institutions, work and program assignments are not closed off automatically by the release process in OMS. Each offender assignment has to be closed off by the site program assignment board when the departure occurs. Historically, in some cases this has not occurred and many offenders end up at a new site still assigned to programs at a previous site. The introduction of the offender schedule display on RADAR helped to identify this situation and encouraged assignment data clean up. This clean up can only be accomplished at the institution where the assignment exists in OMS. A past assignment left open at an institution has to be corrected at that site regardless of the offender's current location. Offenders identified as assigned to work and program schedules that are no longer at the institution, is identified as a backlog of entries that have an impact on the accuracy of offender assignment information.

    In order to rely accurately on offender assignments to produce an offender schedule and timetable, there has to be another level of recording built into OMS to permit identification of individual offender attendance at work and programs. At this time, the hours of operation of the shops and programs can be displayed alongside the actual attendance timetable for individual offenders to produce what is being sought here. Another critical consideration will be the ability to automate the offender pay system within OMS. Only when an attendance and offender schedule system becomes available will an automated and accurate pay system become possible. This would consolidate and integrate employment programs and inmate pay in OMS.

    As things currently exist, the requirement for institutions to record individual offender schedules against program delivery or employment schedules will result in setting unrealistic expectations of accuracy from schedules that are not designed to produce the information that is required. Ten offenders in a single shop will each have a requirement for individual schedules in every shop and program that they attend whenever multiple assignments per offender occur. This cannot be maintained without assigning staff, full time, to data entry, at a pace that cannot be maintained, and will not, in the end, produce the desired result.

    Some institutions have been using other alternatives to assist them in combating the challenges of using OMS for scheduling. While Nova Institution for Women is still maintaining the OMS schedule, they are using a separate programming for scheduling. All of the inmates are provided with their weekly schedules.

    Grand Valley Institution for Women has not been updating the schedules, with changes to the inmate's programming. This could have been the result of insufficient appropriate training, as well as OMS not being conducive to daily changes. However, training was scheduled for the week after the Evaluation Team visited.

    CSC needs to clarify the use of program and employment schedules in OMS for their original purpose, and choose to derive as much value as possible from their appropriate use, while avoiding the creation of extensive work that is predisposed to deliver little, to no value.

    This definite lack of understanding of what was initially required of the scheduling process and making the connection with the Employment and Employability Program resulted in some institutions giving the inmate a copy of their schedules, which was subsequently found in the trash. Inmates complained about other inmates having knowledge of their treatment programs and their privacy. Practically, all of the institutions visited expressed concern regarding the real objective of the schedules. CSC needs to clarify these misinterpretations in order to further the success of this project.

    Recommendation # 4
    In order for each institution to have a better understanding of the objective of the scheduling process and its linkages to the Employment and Employability Program, it is recommended that NHQ Reintegration Programs sector and the Employment Coordinator of CORCAN:

  15. explicitly define the goal and objective of the scheduling process and its connectivity to the Employment and Employability Program in the Managing Partners document;
  16. review the reasons for all Non programs Non employment entries in the program screens that generate schedules and timetables that interfere with an accurate display of an offenders assignments. Most of these are tied to the monitoring of offenders for pay and should an automated pay system become available, these entries should be discontinued and removed from the program screens;
  17. develop guidelines to ensure schedule information is accurate in OMS, specifically the start and end dates of the schedules and the days and hours of operation;
  18. close and replace schedules that are inaccurate, with schedules that communicate current and accurate information;
  19. in OMSR develop an automated offender schedule that can accommodate attendance and pay; and
  20. ensure training and guidelines are provided for scheduling employment and program activities and offender assignments.
  21. It is recommended that at an operational level

  22. the schedules are used as they were intended to identify the instructor(s)/program facilitator(s), dates of operation, and timetable (days and hours) of operation of the program or shop;
  23. Objective 3: To determine the extent to which inmates develop necessary skills, attitudes and behaviours as a result of their participation in EEP and the level to which these skills are transferable when released into the community.

    3.3.1 Even though the work descriptions for inmates have been completed and made accessible to the inmates (i.e. placed in the library), they are not integrated into the Institutional Operations, nor are they utilized on a systematic basis to manage or develop employment skills for the inmates to learn..

    Work Descriptions - The objective of Employment and Employability Program is to provide a better opportunity for the inmate to learn employment skills while incarcerated in a controlled and supervised environment and to be able to transfers these skills to the community, resulting in a more successful reintegration. Meaningful work is defined for Institutional purposes as a combination of educational programs, treatment programs, vocational training, employment and other necessary activities, for a specific period of time to make a positive difference in an inmate's life7.

    This echo's the Auditor General's statement that, to be successful, an employment program needs to deliver the right kind of training to the most needy offender and for a long enough period to make a difference8. CSC has started to address this objective, but there is much work to be done. A clearly defined and documented process is needed, in order to provide the right kind of guidance. This must be agreed by and shared with all involved parties. The introduction of the work description, though not completely adequate, presents an initial first step.

    An analysis of several work descriptions9 shows that a successful one includes knowledge, skills and abilities that are intrinsic to the successful performance of the position. It should:

    • be used for the performance evaluation of the inmate and should highlight the transferable skills, duties and responsibilities.
    • include the position title, the duration of the employment, complete contact information and the candidates' qualifications, background, experience and personal qualities, suitable for the position.
    • highlight the major duties / functions and the percentage of these duties / functions in relation to the total job.
    • determine the action taken when performing the job satisfactorily and should include the requirements of the position and tie them directly to the duties to be performed.
    • provide guidance on the duties of the job and the areas that are to be learned. It should determine the physical, environmental and any special requirement of the job.
    • provide a sense of purpose for the inmate and practical competencies that should be maintained.

    All of the work descriptions reviewed, contained some of the components as listed above, however, the majority did not include the length of stay, skills and abilities to be learned and the performance evaluation criteria. It was observed, that among the Institutions visited within the Québec Region that the work descriptions included a section, which identified whether or not the particular assignment would result in certification or only the number of accumulated hours. They also include a "Tableau des Primes" which specified the pay increment which would be related to the length of stay on the job, for example, 0 to 3 months an increase of $ 0.5 per hour.

    Even though the work descriptions were available in the libraries, not all staff was aware of their existence, nor were they integrated into the work areas, nor reflected in the Offender Management System (OMS). Within the Prairies Region, Drumheller Institution, Saskatchewan Institution and Stony Mountain Institution, the staff was not aware of the existence of national job descriptions completed by CORCAN. At Edmonton Institution for Women, the staff was aware of them, but they were not being used. Despite this, all of the institutions visited made an effort to revamp jobs and work assignments, eliminating jobs such as, house cleaners and house cooks, which were considered as non-practical and insignificant. The Evaluation Team observed that Springhill Institution has a suggested length of stay in the Inmate handbook; Pittsburgh, Westmorland and Fenbrook has done some work in these areas with respect to the Call Centres, however, there is still much left to be accomplished.

    The work descriptions can be further enhanced if they are linked to the employability skills booklets prepared for CSC by Concordia College. This would facilitate easier employability skill evaluation and a clearer identification of skills learned. These booklets have a recommended length of stay to learn the identified skills, applicable to the work assignment. Even though the third party certification is no longer attainable through Concordia College, CSC still has the right to use these documents. This would further enhance the Auditor General's concerns.

    The challenge here, is the lack of buy-in for the work descriptions from CSC's staff. There was some animosity expressed, as these work descriptions were not completed in partnership with the managing partners. For example, in the preparation of the ABE job description, the educational staff should have been consulted. There is the need for the Case Management staff and CORCAN's staff to work in consultation with each other to improve the quality of the work descriptions and to engage buy-in from all interested parties. This would further support the partnership that was initiated at the start of this process. It would encourage all parties to be more receptive of using work descriptions, rather than just having them in the libraries. There would be consensus on observation, reporting and recording of the inmate's achievements and areas that require improvement.

    Employability Skills - means possessing qualities needed to secure and to maintain employment and to progress in the workplace. They are reinforced, when they are included among the instructional goals and are explicitly taught. Equally, it is important for them to be included in the work descriptions and be discussed at specific time intervals with the inmate to monitor progress. This would assist in raising the inmates' consciousness about values and ethics, attitudes and work responsibilities. Work supervisors should act as coaches, allowing the inmates to take many responsibilities and as guides, engaging the inmates in problem solving and decision-making with other team members.

    However, learning should be individualised, based on the inmates learning needs, objectives and skills. It should be culturally sensitive and effective. This means having an understanding of the inmate and his / her community of return. It was observed that Fenbrook Institution offers Inuit Craft as an employment option for its inmates. These art specimens are sold into the community by the Arctic Co-operative and represent an adequate source of income, which will assist in the reducing the dependency on social assistance. They also represent a good example of what is meant by addressing the culturally sensitive needs of the inmate. There is the need to expand this concept in other regions to meet the varying needs of the inmate population and the sustainability of his or her reintegration.

    When a correctional program is being delivered, the program officer as required, contacts the work supervisor to see how the inmate is using strategies learned in the classroom. The case management team, responsible for continuous monitoring of the inmate progress could use this. The work supervisors are interested in accepting the challenge of becoming more involved with the inmate correctional progress, since they spend a great portion of the day with the inmate.

    The case management team could provide work supervisors with indicators on behaviours to look for and elements in evaluation that would assist them in better reporting the inmate's progress. Presently, CORCAN has offered it's operation Managers a course entitled "Managing Offenders in the Workplace" and Rockwood Institution has offered it to all staff. Port Cartier has offered it to instructors and Correctional Officers (CO-11). Since this is a listed training requirement to be completed by 2003, the next step is to make it mandatory, to ensure CSC focus on having it delivered.

    Saskatchewan Penitentiary, Québec Region (OPEX '82) and Matsqui Intake Assessment Unit (Parole 2000) have been offering employability skills training that includes resume writing, job interview skills, dressing for job interview and on the job, conduct on the job, teamwork and team building, personal management and academic skills. There is a requirement for training on how to transfer skills from one specific work assignment to another and how to make the linkages to the community. Presently, success is not being measured, nor is there third party certification. Drumheller and Fenbrook started some work in this area, but funding pressures has caused them to suspend their association with the community college and examine other alternatives.

    All of the institutions offering employment skills courses have used varied options to sustain it thus far, but have expressed concern regarding the continuance of it. Sustaining these employability skills courses within the institutions is a definite requirement. Here the inmates will learn the basic skills of finding and maintaining a job. It provides for the transition into the community.

    3.3.2 The performance evaluation process does not provide sufficient detail to adequately reflect the inmates' actual performance skills learned.

    Performance Evaluation Process should answer three questions.

    1. Why a performance evaluation? - this process is designed to assist work supervisors, parole officers, team leaders / unit managers and the Program Board to evaluate the inmate's performance. It assesses the inmate's training needs and highlights areas that require further development. It is used to recommend increase in pay level and to document the inmates overall performance.

      The work supervisors and the case management team need to work more closely together. The evaluation performance report as developed by CORCAN, identifies 12 areas of competencies, 10 of which, must be excellent, but does not provide sufficient detail to make an informed decision. (See appendix H). This was an area of concern expressed by many institutions. The measurement tools vary, but do not address skills possessed, skills to be learned or skills actually learned.

    2. When are performance evaluations supposed to happen? - all institutions visited have been able to meet the 90 days evaluation appraisal timeline. This process has been managed using either OMS or an alternative method established by each institution. However, several of these reports are still outstanding in OMS. This has been identified as an area of concern. It was observed that work supervisors were given a paper version of the inmates' evaluation performance form to complete. The system was designed to allow the work supervisors to input this information directly into OMS; however, not all of them are doing this. In the majority of cases, the work supervisor completes the form and gives it to either the inmate clerk or another clerk to enter it. This could be the result of insufficient training or irregular usage of OMS. It was stated that OMS is not very user friendly and if not used on a regular basis, the procedure for using it can easily be forgotten. The provision of continuous training on OMS for the work supervisors and all new employees who will be working with OMS on an irregular basis is of great importance.
    3. How - the main Performance Evaluation process - This phase involves three steps.
      1. Planning - should normally be done at the beginning of the employment or evaluation period. The inmate and the work supervisor should review the inmate's responsibilities as outlined in the work descriptions. There should be an agreement with the inmate regarding his or her performance expectations for the coming assessment period. The Call Centres at Westmorland, Fenbrook and Pittsburgh and the cook's program at Westmorland had this as part of their orientation process. The institutions visited in the Québec Region and Saskatchewan Institution have a formal orientation process, including the inmate's signature. The remainder of institutions visited showed no progress in this area. Work supervisors and CORCAN manager need to use the works descriptions to explain and monitor the job expectations with the inmate. There is a need for the inmate to know from the start what are the expectations of the job. Work Supervisors need to be trained on what is useful information for the Parole Officers for decision making process and to incorporate it into the evaluation process. The main challenge here is the sustainability of the institution and lowering of operating costs. For this reason, work supervisors have the tendency of hiring inmates who possess the required skills and abilities, rather than focusing on the training needs of specific inmates.
      2. Informal progress meeting - there should be periodic meetings throughout the evaluation period to provide a reality check for both the inmates and the work supervisors. This provides additional clarification of general expectations. It encourages good performance of particular assignments and plans for the future. The Evaluation Team did not observe this step in any of the institutions visited, except as mentioned in the planning stage.
      3. Completing the performance evaluation - discussing with the inmate areas of success, areas that need improvement or more attention and writing of the report for the inmate file. This report or copies of it should be sent to the Program Board for approval and the Parole Officers for decision making. The Evaluation Team observed that all institutions visited had successfully completed the majority of performance appraisal forms and they were sent to the Program Board and Parole Officers for approval. It was also observed that the Program Board meets on a regular basis to discuss the inmates' performance and pay levels. While many of the institutions visited adhered to the completion of the performance evaluation forms, they have stated that it does not meet the needs of the decision-makers. Some concerns were expressed regarding the accuracy of the performance appraisals to adequately reflect the inmates' progress. It was felt that in some cases, inmates are given excellent ratings so that they will maintain their current level or receive a pay level increase. It was also felt that at times individuals who receive these excellent ratings were the most challenging to their case management team. Most of the staff agreed that the inmates' performance on the job should be similar to his / her behaviour in the classroom and in his / her cell. In other words the inmate's performance should be consistent in all aspects of his/her incarceration and should be part of the evaluation process.

    Recommendations # 5
    In order to assist offenders in meeting their individual needs, to ensure that offenders are productively occupied and have access to a variety of work and educational opportunities to meet their needs for growth and personal development, it is recommended that CORCAN's Director of Employment and Employability in consultation with the Regional Administrator of Correctional Programs revise:

  24. all work descriptions to include length of stay, the overall learning objectives, skills to be learned, performance evaluation criteria and instruction on how these skills are transferred into the community.
  25. In order to enhance the inmates' potential for reintegration as law-abiding citizens it is recommended that:

  26. institutions where required offer an in the classroom, employability skills program, followed by on-the-job training within CORCAN shops or the Institutional Operations.
  27. For all low functioning individuals, may not attain the academic levels required for the COPs and CAPs assessment it is recommended that:

  28. institutions where required offer basic living skill course(s), in the classroom, followed by on the job training, specifically catering to their individual needs.
  29. In order to meet the culturally diverse needs of the inmate population, it is recommended that the NHQ Reintegration Programs sector in consultation with CORCAN Director of Employment:

  30. investigate the availability of culturally sensitive employment options in the community and as far as possible, offer these to the inmate.
  31. In order to assist the work supervisors in recording the performance evaluation reports into OMS, it is recommended that the Assistant Warden of Correctional Programs ensure that:

  32. continuous training is provided to work supervisors and new employees who are not consistently using OMS.



  1. CSC mission and core value statement
  2. The Auditor General's Report - April 1999
  3. Forum on Corrections Research, Volume 8 # 1 - Jan 1996
  4. Managing Partners Document, governing principle # 3, page 25
  5. ibid., governing principle # 1, page 25
  6. Managing Partners Document
  7. Managing Partners Document
  8. Auditor General's Report, 1997 Chapter 1
  9. The author analysed over 50 job descriptions from several different sources - Universities and Colleges, Construction companies, Restaurants, Information Technology - and concluded that these were the major components in a successful job/work description.

 

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