Decades-old infrastructure
in need of repair.

Modernization of Physical Infrastructure

BY Senior Deputy Commissioner Don Head

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When you talk with someone about correctional services in Canada, several images may come to mind. One is the actual physical infrastructure in which our staff work and the inmates live: our penitentiaries. Many of these images are shaped by what people have seen on television or in the movies. In Canada, the images are of the old penitentiaries — such as the ones in Kingston, Laval, Dorchester, Prince Albert, Stony Mountain and even the former BC Penitentiary in New Westminster. People believe these are the standard across the country and, while these buildings are older than most, they aren’t too far off the norm.

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Background

It is important to note that about half of the 58 operating penitentiaries are over 40 years old, with the average age of all institutions being around 45 years. Only four new institutions have been built since 1997. When you look at how much the offender population profile has changed in the last 10 years, it is easy to see that the current physical infrastructure of our facilities is not conducive to managing the diverse needs and challenges of the offender population. At the same time, you can safely conclude that the environments within these facilities are challenging for staff in terms of delivering effective, modern correctional services in buildings that were built with different purposes in mind.

Many of CSC’s institutions, built in the 1800s and early 1900s, were designed to accommodate and manage a single, homogeneous offender population. Over the last decade, CSC has developed accommodation strategies to adapt our institutions to meet significant changes in the offender population. In particular, redevelopment initiatives have been implemented in an effort to address the safety and security of staff and offenders, particularly in light of the risks and needs associated with the emergence of multiple offender sub-populations. This approach included, in some cases, “patching” existing facilities, while in others, adding new units to old units. In the end, few modern and functionally effective institutions have been built to manage the changing offender population profile.

The proposal will move away from the traditional procurement process and allow for more creative and innovative solutions to respond to CSC’s population management requirements.

These changes to our infrastructure have been considered as “stop-gap” measures with the knowledge that the cost of managing and maintaining these aging and inefficient facilities has increased and will continue to increase at a rate where investment cannot be justified by the limited improvements achieved.

Physical space

The layouts of many of our institutions create environments that are very challenging for CSC staff — restricting interaction with offenders and limiting the proper balance between static and dynamic security. In many cases, the space currently available to support the delivery of programs, medical and mental health treatment and the daily work activities of correctional and parole officers poses additional challenges for staff and makes it difficult to provide an overall safe environment for both staff and offenders.

The report of the CSC Review Panel noted that the geographic separation of CSC’s institutions within a region does not allow for the implementation of a more effective and efficient correctional planning model. Transfers of offenders from one institution to another can — and often does — result in a break in the implementation of the offender’s correctional plan and a valuable loss in time required to manage the offender’s sentence.

Regional complexes

The Panel noted that these structural and operational shortcomings could be better addressed by building regional complexes across the country and moving away from a construction approach that relies on stand-alone facilities. Overall, a regional complex would comprise maximum-, medium- and minimum-security accommodation areas, appropriately separated within a common perimeter fence but sharing common services. The complex would facilitate staff delivering selected, targeted programs to offenders as well as providing co-located infrastructure to support the effective delivery of medical and mental health care services.

This proposed model is not unlike examples of quasi-complexes that are currently in place or under construction, for example, Ste. Anne des Plaines in the Quebec Region, the Millhaven site in the Ontario Region, the Pacific Institution Regional Treatment Centre in the Pacific Region, and Saskatchewan Penitentiary in the Prairie Region.

Private-public sector partnership

The Panel also recommended that CSC prepare a project development proposal for consideration by the Government that identifies a “private-public sector” partnership for the design and construction of these complexes. The proposal will move away from the traditional procurement process and allow for more creative and innovative solutions to respond to CSC’s population management requirements. This model does not include the privatization of the management of these complexes. CSC will develop the business case for the designers and manage the complex when it is completed.

In Budget 2008, the Government endorsed the new vision that was identified by the CSC Review Panel for transforming the federal correctional system. This vision includes the modernization of physical infrastructure based on a more efficient and effective design and construction, as well as streamlined operations.

Developing a comprehensive plan

Discussions are now underway to respond to the Government by developing a comprehensive plan to modernize our physical infrastructure. There are three components to our response. The first addresses only the most severe problems associated with “rust-out” in our institutions. CSC was provided with resources in 2007-08 and 2008-09 to do exactly this. A priority list of repairs and improvements was identified, by institution, and we will be proceeding to implement these changes.

A second and important requirement is the review of our current accommodation strategy and capital accommodation plan, particularly with respect to critical redevelopment and new construction plans. We must ensure that our current plans help us meet the immediate needs of the changing offender profile, while ensuring that we do not over-invest in infrastructure that could be replaced by regional complexes.

We are also moving forward in exploring the approach that will be used to enter into a public-private sector arrangement to assist us in the modernization initiative. It is important that we be well advised as we move forward. We have had a preliminary briefing by a new Crown corporation, the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships, which was established by the Government in the 2008 Budget to support public-private partnerships in maximizing financial investments. We have also had preliminary discussions with Partnerships BC, a provincial Crown agency to support such partnerships. Ongoing consultations with such groups will ensure that we do not move forward alone, but with expert advice and guidance.

This vision includes the modernization of physical infrastructure based on a more efficient and effective design and construction, as well as streamlined operations.

Thirdly, we are putting together a CSC team to develop a business process overview. The overview will, in a very detailed manner, describe all aspects of our institutional activities, from intake assessment to reintegration planning and community release. As well, it will define management and operational requirements related to security, and the day-to-day running of the institution. Consultation with regional staff is an equally important element of the creation of the overview.

During this planning period and beyond, full consideration will be given to the relationship of moving to a regional complex with the impact on staff. Every effort will be taken to ensure that the needs of institutional staff are considered in the transition process. This will include ongoing consultation with the unions, institutional staff and the communities that will be affected.

Everyone will have a role to play in this important initiative — an initiative that will provide a better and safer infrastructure base to manage the risks and needs of a changing offender profile into the next decade.

Activities will be transparent and fully communicated to ensure proper and effective co-development. Your input will be critical to doing this the right way. While respecting the needs of staff, we can achieve a modernized correctional infrastructure where we can work safely and more effectively contribute to public safety.  ♦