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Vol. 34, No. 1

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We have all heard that the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) is recognized as a leader in the world of corrections. We have been told that CSC is a valued source of information and expertise in international justice and corrections communities. But how exactly did we get to this point?

“CSC’s enhanced involvement in the international community really started with Commissioner Ole Ingstrup back in the late 80s,” says Lee Redpath, CSC’s Director of Intergovernmental Relations. “It was his vision of an international correctional community that moved us from being an organization that simply provided information, to an organization that was actively involved in sharing our expertise by receiving staff from other countries, and by sending our staff overseas to provide technical expertise.”

As CSC programs and research began to gain international recognition, our involvement in other countries grew along with it. It began with CSC staff being sent to developing countries to provide assistance, and would later develop into peacekeeping efforts and technical assistance and co-operation missions.

“Our engagement in Kosovo in the late 1990s laid the groundwork for CSC’s future international involvement,” says Redpath. “Staff from various areas within the organization were able to provide their expertise in the development of a new correctional system for Kosovo.”

Perhaps the most significant event that shaped CSC’s international development was the Beyond Prisons Symposium, which took place in Kingston, Ontario, in 1998. The conference, which drew 80 delegates from 35 different countries, addressed the issue of the global increase in incarceration and discussed alternatives to incarceration that could lower prison rates and create safer communities.

This symposium acted as a springboard, opening the door for many more information-sharing sessions with delegates from around the world, including the International Roundtable for Correctional Excellence, International Correctional and Prison Association forums, and numerous relevant activities.

Alongside the numerous information-sharing activities, CSC has been hard at work making a real difference on the ground in foreign countries.

“Since 2003, a senior CSC manager has worked as the Corrections Advisor to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) to advise on the development of corrections in Afghanistan, co-ordinate UNAMA correctional affairs, and support the Government of Afghanistan in its efforts to cultivate a modern correctional system,” says Redpath. “A few years later, in 2007, we deployed four correctional staff to Haiti to work with the United Nations. Our work in Haiti continues and we now send eight staff members on an annual basis.”

Also in 2007, two correctional experts were assigned to the Provinicial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Kandahar to train front-line staff and prison administrators with the goal of building long-term prison administration that is responsive to the rule of law and respects international standards. CSC now has four correctional experts in the PRT.

“International Operations did not exist 30 years ago as it does today,” says Redpath. “CSC’s international engagement has moved beyond sharing information. We are now actively sought out by other countries and international organizations to deploy staff to train and provide technical expertise worldwide. With governmental understanding that a strong justice system includes corrections, we will continue to receive requests seeking our expertise.”.

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