Implementing The Life Line Concept: Report Of The Task Force On Long Term Offenders

TERMS OF REFERENCE AND APPROACH

The specific tasks of the current study are as follows:

• 1. provide a profile of long term offenders currently under the supervision of CSC;
• 2. describe current Life Line services available to offenders under federal jurisdiction, and
  • a) assess the capability of expanding the services;
  • b) identify prerequisites for successful service delivery including: definition of the scope of work, qualifications, remuneration, orientation, training and ongoing development and integration within current operational regimes, etc;
• 3. develop a set of minimum Standards and Guidelines for Life Line-type programs, and propose an approach to conducting a review and evaluation of all such programs against these Standards and Guidelines;
• 4. develop a potential role for long term offenders both in penitentiaries and in the community including but not limited to involvement in programs, training, employment and community service;
• 5. develop:
  • a) proposed approach to the early completion of a short term research study to identify key elements which contribute to the successful reintegration of long term offenders, and
  • b) a strategy to incorporate the results of this study into the overall approach to the management of this group of offenders;
• 6. estimate the type and amount of resources required to carry out its recommendations, with particular attention to points 2 and 3;
• 7. propose an approach to the development of a cooperative communications strategy to create a more accurate appreciation of the required elements of a successful reintegration process;
• 8. examine any other matters that the Task Force determines should be addressed in terms of the management of long term offenders in order to ensure the highest levels of public safety consistent with the CCRA and the Missions of the Correctional Service of Canada and National Parole Board.

The full statement of the terms of reference is set out in Appendix D.

The Task Force carried out the above tasks with input from the Steering Committee. The Task Force reviewed recent developments since the 1991 Correctional Service of Canada report and the 1992 Life Line report, defined its method to respond to the terms of reference, and each member contributed to small sub-teams to complete specific tasks. It received the help of various Correctional Service Canada, National Parole Board and non-governmental organization staff who responded quickly to information requests from Task Force members. Consultation was limited to confirming the information that already existed on the various areas of the terms of reference, and seeking advice on key emergent issues the Task Force was considering, plus seeking through the In-Reach Workers additional information on the views of the lifers they serve. The Steering Committee and Task Force met on December 9, 1997 to review the progress to date and collaborate on the content of the final report. The Task Force held two face-to-face meetings in November and December, and two teleconferences in January, to develop and refine the report.