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

Appendix D - Task Force Terms Of Reference

The Corrections and Conditional Release Act

The Corrections and Conditional Release Act specifies the purpose of the federal correctional system as "to contribute to the maintenance of a just, peaceful and safe society by:

In the pursuit of the purpose, the Act provides a number of principles to guide the Service.

Included in the principles is principle (h) "that correctional policies, programs and practices respect gender, ethnic, cultural and linguistic differences and be responsive to the special needs of women and aboriginal peoples, as well as to the needs of other groups of offenders with special requirements."

The Miision of the Conditional Service of Canada

These (and virtually all other) aspects of the Service's legislative mandate are elaborated in the Mission document. As noted, therein

Long Term Offenders

The Correctional Service of Canada recognizes that long term offenders display many of the characteristics of other offenders. At the same time, this is a group of offenders who by the very fact of their long sentences pose unique challenges and require specialized management.

In order to ensure that the Service meets its obligations to contribute to the protection of society through the appropriate management of these offenders, the Service, through the National Resource Group³ and Life Line, has worked in partnership with the National Parole Board to provide, through the in-reach program, community resources, and public education, an opportunity to motivate offenders and to marshal resources to achieve successful, supervised, gradual integration into the community.

A number of objectives have been achieved and progress has been made.

The Service recognizes that as a result of their sentence length, this group of offenders will continue to grow. At the same time, some are beginning to arrive at the point in their sentences where some forms of conditional release are potentially available to them. The group of parole-eligible life sentenced offenders will also continue to grow.

Task Force Mandate

In order to ensure that the management of life sentenced offenders is the best it can be and to build upon the work of the National Resource Group and Life Line, a Task Force has been formed under the leadership of Ken Peterson, Warden Mission Institution.

The Task Force, based on, but not limited to, the ideas and experience with the Life Line Concept, will address the management and program needs of this group of offenders. It will recommend a national strategy involving CSC, NPB, Life Line and other partners, as appropriate, to ensure the highest level of public safety is achieved consistent with the CCRA, the Missions of the Correctional Service of Canada and the National Parole Board and the basic elements of the Life Line Concept.

The Task Force will:

• 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:
  • 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
  • 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.

Schedule and Arrangments

The Task Force will complete its work by December 31, 1997, and provide a report, in both official languages, for consideration by the Executive Committees of both CSC and NPB immediately following the completion date. There will be a meeting of the Steering Committee and the Task Force to report on progress, provide clarification and enhance understanding. This meeting is to be held midway through the study.

The Task Force will be led by Ken Peterson. Its members will include:

Linda McLaren, Correctional Programs, CSC,
Jim Murphy, Offender Reintegration, CSC
Simonne Ferguson, National Parole Board
René Durocher, In-Reach Worker, Stony Mountain
Yvon Lacombe, Quebec Region, CSC
Lou Drouillard, Community representative, Windsor

Should it be determined over the course of the Task Force work that additional expertise is required, it will be made available.

The Task Force will work under the full-time direction of Ken Peterson until all matters within its mandate have been addressed.

Oversight of the Task Force's work will be provided by a Steering Committee comprised of:

Ole Ingstrup, Commissioner, CSC
Lucie McClung, Senior Deputy Commissioner, CSC
Brendan Reynolds, Deputy Commissioner, Ontario Region, CSC
Willie Gibbs, Chairman, National Parole Board
Edward Graham, Executive Director, St. Leonard's House, Windsor
John Braithwaite, National Resource Group
Wilton Goodstriker, Aboriginal Advisory Committee
Nancy Stableforth, Deputy Commissioner for Women, CSC

 

Approved by:

______________ Ole Ingstrup, Commissioner Correctional Service Canada

______________ Willie Gibbs, Chairman National Parole Board

______________ John Braithwaite National Resource Group

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3 The National Resource Group is a consultative body with representatives from CSC, NPB, the research community, community-based organizations and successful lifers.