Correctional Service Canada
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FORUM on Corrections Research
Dynamic Management: Two-Way Dialogue
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The dynamic management of long-term inmates begins with the acknowledgment that the era has ended in
which long-term inmates can be viewed as not going anywhere. It is no longer vogue for case management
teams to direct long-term inmates to "go do their time." The Life Servers Group of Warkworth Institution (Ontario) feels that the Correctional Service of Canada can best manage long-term inmates by initiating the development of individual program planning in consultation with the long-term inmate, thus allowing inmates to have a clear sense of responsibility for their part in the rehabilitation process. The achievement of stated goals within the time frame preceding a long-term inmate's day parole ought to be a signal to case management to encourage the processing of supported day-parole applications and further enhance reintegration to society in a timely manner. The reintegration process can be greatly aided by such two-phase projects as the St. Leonard Society's Life Line Project for lifers. Their operating principle is that the best time to begin working with long-term inmates is upon their induction to the prison system (Phase 1). A positive connection can be established which would help inmates to frame their sentence in terms of timed objectives, leading to the attainment of specific goals while staving off burnout or becoming lost within the penal system. In Phase 2, lifers who are granted day parole enter a halfway house that specializes in dealing with the needs of lifers as they reintegrate into the community. Dynamic management entails empowering correctional institutions to implement the recommendations of the Report of the Task Force on Long-Term Sentences (1991). Administrators, unit managers, department chiefs and case management teams have a clear opportunity to work with lifers' groups in their institutions to establish what institutional program policies can be adjusted to reflect the needs and concerns of their long-term inmates. The Life Servers Group at Warkworth Institution is trying to encourage dialogue and action with interested administrators who feel they can effect change in the Correctional Service of Canada based on the recommendations outlined in the Task Force report. |
