Women Offender Programs and Issues

Report on Self-Injurious Behaviour in the Kingston Prison for Women

Section 6: Contract Proposal

    As outlined in the Statement of Work, Appendix "D," Contract 89-90-ONT-280, 16 days have been allocated for implementation of the proposed programme and for training of relevant personnel. It is proposed that these days be utilized in the following manner:

• 5 days for assisting the psychology department in outlining specific course content and support in training the first crisis/support team. It is assumed that given the current work load of the psychologists that they will need this support at least initially to ensure that the implementation of this programme does not put an unfair burden on them.
• 5 days for training health care services staff. As this department will be working closely with the crisis/support team, it is imperative that any concerns about meeting programme needs be addressed through adequate training.
• 6 days to monitor the programme and deal with the inevitable problems that will arise. It is important to acknowledge in advance that with every new programme there will be aspects of its implementation that have to be modified and/or changed. By ensuring in advance that there is a vehicle for addressing implementation issues, there will be a greater probability of programme success. Thus, I propose that I spend two days a month for the first three months meeting with the crisis/support team and with other relevant personnel to address concerns and/or problems that may arise in the early stages of the programme.

    In closing, I would like to thank all individuals interviewed for their openness and honesty. In addition, the support I received while at the prison made a difficult task much easier to accomplish.