When Mike¹ entered Millhaven Institution to begin a five-year federal term for aggravated assault, he came with a troubled past. Mike was mired in chronic substance abuse that led to violent confrontations and theft, and he had previously served time in provincial jails and youth detention centres. His previous attempts at rehabilitation had been stymied by his lack of education and inability to find regular work. His family relationships had broken down, leaving him at times without shelter.

For Mike – and many other offenders that enter a CorrectionalService of Canada (CSC) institution – effective corrections requires each of these factors be addressed during incarceration, supervision in the community and beyond. It requires a prison system that both keeps drugs out of its institutions, while providing rehabilitative services for those left dealing with withdrawal and other side-effects. Effective corrections must also provide education and training to offenders, and ensure the training is geared to areas where offenders may find work. It requires a correctional service that works in concert with provinces, municipalities and other stakeholders, to ensure that offenders released into the community have access to housing and other services necessary for successful reintegration.

To enhance public safety, both in our institutions and communities, CSC must take an integrated approach to corrections. Increasing integration throughout the Service has been one of the Transformation Agenda’s high-level objectives. We are working on a variety of initiatives that help promote this comprehensive approach throughout the continuum of care – from the moment an offender starts the intake process, to their Warrant Expiry Date.

Enhancing Integration Inside Institutions

Integration is central to the new approach to correctional program delivery being introduced through the Integrated Correctional Program Model (ICPM). The ICPM is a modularized framework that consists of three entirely distinct and comprehensive correctional programs for offenders. They will include a multi-target program, a sex offender program, and an Aboriginal-specific program, to ensure that CSC continues to address the individual needs and risks of correctional program participants most effectively.

The goal is to help more offenders participate in and successfully complete programs in a timely manner.

The ICPM will be piloted for male offenders in the Pacific Region starting in January 2010. In the meantime, we are working on maximizing program capacity across the Service to make the most effective use of our current resources. [More information on CSC’s correctional programs will be available in the next issue of Let’s Talk.]

Striking a better balance among offenders’ employment, education, correctional program and mental health needs was recommended by an external review panel. One way we are trying to do this is by creating interdisciplinary teams for case management, which can include teachers, correctional officers, employment counsellors, program managers and officers, parole officers, chaplains, Elders and CORCAN staff. An interdisciplinary team can work together to develop and manage an offender’s correctional plan. This can result in an integrated approach that responds to an offender’s individual needs, from the beginning of his or her sentence through to community supervision.

Building Bridges from Institutions to Community

The safe transition of offenders from an institution to the community remains one of CSC’s corporate priorities, and strengthening linkages between institutions and communities helps us achieve this goal. For example, a group of directors (with responsibilities ranging from case assessment, case interventions, sentence management, chaplaincy, psychology, Aboriginal initiatives, community corrections, women offenders, and institutional and community reintegration) meet regularly to exchange information, share best practices, and promote a consistent approach across the Service. This helps reinforce the continuum of care for the offender, ultimately resulting in more successful releases to the community.

The Transformation Agenda also places emphasis on communicating with stakeholders and volunteers. Building bridges with our community partners remains essential. This is achieved by regularly engaging Citizen Advisory Committees, the Interfaith Committee, and the National Associations Active in Criminal Justice, to name a few.

Supporting the Mental Health Continuum of Care

Mental health services span from institution to community. CSC is currently implementing key components of the Mental Health Strategy in order to improve our capacity to address the mental health needs of offenders. The Strategy comprises two main initiatives that are being implemented in an integrated manner – the Institutional Mental Health Initiative and the Community Mental Health Initiative.

The continuum of care begins at intake, when offenders arrive in the federal system and undergo mental health screening as part of the intake assessment process. If the need for mental health support is identified then (or at any other point during their sentence), a treatment plan is prepared and becomes an integral part of their correctional plan. This treatment plan is considered in the community release planning process.

Health care services in the community are typically a provincial responsibility. Consequently, there is a requirement to develop partnerships with provincial and territorial organizations. To identify and resolve issues common to correctional jurisdictions, CSC works with a Federal-Provincial-Territorial Heads of Corrections Working Group on Mental Health that includes representatives from the Mental Health Commission of Canada.

“Transitioning” Transformation

Currently in Phase 2 of our Transformation Agenda, we are focussed on another kind of integration: we are in the process of transitioning/integrating initiatives into the priorities and processes of each region and sector of CSC. It is important to note that, rather than add-ons, these initiatives are replacements or enhancements to our ongoing work. Detailed plans have been developed for each transformation priority project. These plans will be operationalized through regional transformation action plans, and the results of these inter-connected initiatives will provide a sound basis for continuity in fiscal year 2010–11.

Why Integration is Important

Increased integration overall has a number of clear benefits, including a reduction of duplication and redundancy, getting “buy-in,” and less “working in silos”. This helps CSC achieve more effective, sustainable public safety results.

1. ^{^} Mike is a fictional character representing a composite of the offender profile.