Audit at a Glance—Corrections in Yukon—Department of Justice

Audit at a Glance Corrections in Yukon—Department of Justice

What we examined (see Focus of the Audit)

This audit focused on whether the Department of Justice was meeting its key responsibilities for offenders within the corrections system. We audited how the Department met these responsibilities

• for offenders in the Whitehorse Correctional Centre, and
• for offenders under community supervision.

We also examined whether the Department adequately planned for and operated the Whitehorse Correctional Centre.

We did not examine court services, sentencing decisions, or community justice programs. We also did not audit the management of youth in custody.

The audit covered the period between 15 March 2012 and 1 September 2014.

Why we did this audit

This audit is important because the corrections system plays a critical role in protecting the public by supervising offenders in custody and those serving community sentences, with a view to their rehabilitation.

The Department of Justice is responsible for correctional services in Yukon, as outlined in the Corrections Act (2009) and its regulations. Under the Act, the Department must develop and provide access to programs and services that promote accountability and behavioural change so that offenders may be rehabilitated, healed, and reintegrated into the community. In 2013–14, more than $14.6 million was allocated to correctional services within the Department of Justice.

What we concluded

We concluded that the Department adequately planned for and operated the Whitehorse Correctional Centre. However, it did not adequately manage offenders in compliance with key requirements. Therefore, we concluded that the Department of Justice has not met its key responsibilities for offenders within the corrections system.

What we found

Offender management

Overall, we found that the Department is missing two key opportunities to improve offenders’ chances for rehabilitation and successful reintegration into the community: the first is when offenders begin serving their custodial sentence in the Whitehorse Correctional Centre, and the second is when they make the transition to serve their sentence under community supervision. The Department is required by its offender case management policies to identify offenders’ rehabilitation needs and major areas of risk of reoffending, and to provide them with programs that have been identified in their case plans to meet those needs.

However, we found that most offenders who were not offered the core rehabilitation programs identified for them while in the correctional centre were also not offered the programs while they were under community supervision. As a result, those offenders completed both their custodial and community sentences without getting access to all the core rehabilitation programs identified for them.

This finding matters because the primary goal of Yukon Correctional Services is the safe reintegration of offenders into communities as law-abiding citizens. By not doing all that is required to help offenders with their rehabilitation, healing, and reintegration into the community, the Department is not meeting this goal.

• The Department is not adequately preparing offenders for successful reintegration into the community

  Recommendation. The Department of Justice should comply with its case management policies both in the Whitehorse Correctional Centre and in community supervision for the purpose of helping to rehabilitate, heal, and reintegrate offenders by

  • completing needs and risk assessments for all offenders,
  • developing case plans and ensuring that they are reviewed and updated as required,
  • developing transition plans for all offenders, and
  • conducting return-to-custody interviews with offenders who reoffend and are returned to custody at the Whitehorse Correctional Centre.

  Recommendation. The Department of Justice should ensure that its core rehabilitation programs are accessible to offenders in the Whitehorse Correctional Centre as well as in the community. This includes making sure that offenders who live outside of Whitehorse have access to the programs.

• The Department is not adequately managing many aspects of community supervision

  Recommendation. The Department of Justice should review its support for probation officers and identify the tools and resources—such as training and clear policies and procedures—that the probation officers need to help them in their case management of offenders.

  Recommendation. The Department of Justice should provide training in First Nations cultural heritage to all probation officers.

  Recommendation. The Department of Justice should continue to work with the Department of Health and Social Services to collaborate on providing mental health services to offenders who need them.

• The Department is not yet meeting its obligations to incorporate the cultural heritage and needs of Yukon First Nations into its programs and services

  Recommendation. The Department of Justice should take steps to address the challenges it faces in delivering correctional services and programs that incorporate the cultural heritage of Yukon First Nations and meet the needs of offenders who are First Nation members.

Facility management

Overall, we found that the Department of Justice adequately planned the Whitehorse Correctional Centre. The facility was designed and built to meet the territory’s identified current and future needs for housing inmates, which included taking into account the Department’s requirements for space to ensure the safe and secure custody of inmates and to meet its program obligations for inmates. Within the operations of the correctional centre, we also found that the Department is working to address recruitment challenges and its reliance on overtime. This is important because the Department has a duty to house inmates and spend public funds in a cost-effective manner.

• The Whitehorse Correctional Centre was designed and built to meet the territory’s identified current and future needs for housing inmates

• The Department is working to address human resource challenges at the Whitehorse Correctional Centre

Entity Responses to Recommendations

The Department of Justice agrees with our recommendations and has responded (see List of Recommendations).

Details of the audit

For more information

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