Commissioner's Directive

Date:
2012-06-13

Number:
705-5

SUPPLEMENTARY INTAKE ASSESSMENTS

Issued under the authority of the Commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada

Bulletin politique 359

Policy Objective

1. To establish requirements and procedures regarding supplementary assessments in order to facilitate intake assessments, Correctional Plan development, placement processes, program referrals, and risk management.

Authorities

2. Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA), sections 3.1, 4, 15.1, 23, 24, 25, 76, 77, 80, 81, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87 and 88

Corrections and Conditional Release Regulations, sections 14, 17 and 18

Application

3. This Commissioner's Directive applies to staff responsible for requesting and/or completing supplementary intake assessments.

Responsibilities

4. The Deputy Warden or Associate District Director will ensure the completion of mental health screening, mental health assessments, psychological risk assessments, psychological assessments, and specialized sex offender assessments, when required.

5. The Assistant Warden, Interventions, or Area Director will ensure completion of educational and vocational assessments, substance abuse assessments, Elder Reviews, and family violence risk assessments, when required.

6. The Manager, Assessment and Interventions/ Manager, Intensive Intervention Strategy, or Parole Officer Supervisor will review and approve the Correctional Plan to ensure that the results of supplementary intake assessments are incorporated in the Correctional Plan, when required.

7. The offender is expected to participate in the supplementary intake assessment process to assist in the development of his/her Correctional Plan.

Procedures

8. Upon receipt of additional information, or if there are reasons to believe that the assessment(s) may assist in clarifying the overall risk posed by the offender, staff may refer him/her for supplementary intake assessments.

9. Supplementary intake assessments should be completed during the intake assessment process, particularly for offenders serving four years or less, or near release eligibility.

Mental Health Screening and Assessment

10. Mental Health Services will complete the mental health screening within 14 days of admission. The results of the screening will be documented as per CD 840 – Psychological Services and CD 850 – Mental Health Services.

11. Staff will immediately refer an offender for additional mental health or psychological services, as per Referral Form – Psychology/Institutional Mental Health Services (CSC/SCC 0450), when there is evidence of:

  1. situational adjustment problems – severe anxiety, withdrawn, panic, vulnerable and inadequate behaviour;
  2. mental health concerns – prior psychiatric admission, current psychotropic medication;
  3. suicide – prior attempts, current ideation or current plan;
  4. history or current threats of self-injury; or
  5. other concerns identified during the mental health intake screening process.

Psychological Risk Assessment

12. A referral for an intake psychological risk assessment is made only when an offender is serving four years or less, or within one year of parole eligibility, and one or more of the following criteria are met:

  1. persistent violence or
  2. gratuitous violence.

13. For sex offenders, refer to the section on Specialized Sex Offender Assessment.

14. The following offenders require a psychological risk assessment when consideration is being given to classification to medium security:

  1. Dangerous Offenders serving an indeterminate sentence;
  2. offenders serving a life sentence for first or second degree murder; or
  3. offenders convicted of terrorism offences punishable by life.

15. A Dangerous Offender requires a psychological risk assessment when consideration is being given to minimum security classification.

16. These psychological risk assessments will focus on the following elements:

  1. risk and institutional adjustment, including the risk to the safety of the public, staff or other offenders;
  2. the behavioural interventions needed to facilitate stabilization and adaptation; and
  3. other issues or factors related to the offender's ability to adapt to reduced security.

17. Offenders who already have a court psychiatric or psychological evaluation on file which includes a risk appraisal do not require an intake psychological risk assessment.

18. With the exception of offenders meeting the criteria for a specialized sex offender assessment, psychological risk assessments will not be completed for offenders who present as low risk and low needs.

19. The intake psychological risk assessment will normally be completed 50 days after admission or 40 days from referral and prior to completion of the Correctional Plan and penitentiary placement. For women offenders, the psychological risk assessment will be executed prior to the completion of the Correctional Plan.

Specialized Sex Offender Assessment

20. A referral for a specialized sex offender assessment will be made as soon as possible after admission, when one or more of the following criteria are met:

  1. acurrent offence is a sexual offence or sexually motivated offence;
  2. history of sexual offences or sexually motivated offences;
  3. an admission of guilt for a sexually motivated offence without conviction; or
  4. CSC has reliable and accurate information that an offender has committed crimes of a sexual nature,whether or not these have resulted in a conviction.

21. When the Psychologist determines that a full specialized sex offender assessment is not required, and involvement in a sex offender program is not required, the reason(s) must be clearly documented in a Specialized Psychological Report.

22. The specialized sex offender assessment will be completed 50 days after admission or 40 days from referral and prior to completion of the Correctional Plan and penitentiary placement.

Elder Review

23. Offenders who have expressed an interest in following a healing path, as per CD 702 – Aboriginal Offenders, will be referred by the Aboriginal Liaison Officer for an Elder Review as soon as possible.

24. Where Elders are available during the intake assessment process, the Elder Review will be completed within 50 days after admission or 40 days from referral and prior to completion of initial security classification and penitentiary placement. Every effort will be made to complete the Review while the offender is in the Intake Assessment Unit, particularly for offenders serving four years or less.

25. The Elder's recommendations will be incorporated into the Correctional Plan and any subsequent updates.

Substance Abuse Assessment

26. A referral for a substance abuse assessment will be made as soon as possible for all offenders. 

27. The substance abuse assessment will be completed as soon as possible within 21 days of an offender's admission.

Educational, Vocational and Employment Assessments

28. All offenders will be referred for educational testing unless there is official documentation of grade level attainment as per CD 720 – Education Programs and Services for Inmates.

29. All offenders that meet the grade level requirement (grade 6) will be referred for a vocational assessment. Priority should be given to those offenders serving a sentence of four years or less as per CD 720 – Education Programs and Services for Inmates. Exceptions to the assessment may be made in cases where there is official documentation of specialization or trade certification.

30. Educational and vocational assessments will be completed as part of the Offender Intake Assessment process. The results of the assessments will be documented in the Dynamic Factor Assessment Report and incorporated in the Correctional Plan.

Family Violence Risk Assessment (Male Offenders)

31. The Parole Officer will conduct the family violence risk assessment on all male offenders, prior to the completion of the Correctional Plan.

32. The Parole Officer will update the family violence risk assessment upon receipt of additional relevant information.

Enquires

33. Strategic Policy Division
National Headquarters
Email: Gen-NHQPolicy-Politi@csc-scc.gc.ca

Commissioner,

Original signed by
Don Head

Annex A: Cross-References and Definitions

Cross-References

National Correctional Programs Referral Guidelines

Definitions

Dangerous Offender:
an offender who is subject to a designation by the court under section 753 of the Criminal Code.
Family violence risk assessment:
evaluates the level of risk an offender presents to his/her partner.
Gratuitous violence:
excessive violence beyond that which is "required" to meet an end; or evidence of sadistic behaviour, torture.
Persistent violence:
three or more of Schedule 1 offences where each conviction leads to a sentence of at least six months duration and where the offences occurred on different days.
Psychological assessment:
an evaluation of a person's mental, emotional and social functioning. The assessment process may include, but is not limited to, the gathering, integration and interpretation of psychological data through the use of tests, interviews, case studies, behavioural observations, collateral information, and file review, and specifically designed devices and measurement procedures. The type and nature of assessment are guided by the referral question and the needs of the offender. Two major types of psychological assessment are mental health assessments and criminal risk assessments.
Psychological risk assessment:
an evaluation of offender risk, needs, responsivity and the manageability of risk, done from a psycho-social perspective, utilizing a variety of scientifically-validated assessment methodologies in an integrated process. It also includes reference to appropriate strategies for the management of risk.
Supplementary assessments:
assessments designed to provide information about the nature and severity of the specific dynamic factor to assist in decision making and program referrals.