Preparing Indigenous Offenders for Release—Correctional Service Canada

Opening Statement to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts

Preparing Indigenous Offenders for Release—Correctional Service Canada

(Report 3—2016 Fall Reports of the Auditor General of Canada)

15 February 2017

Michael Ferguson, CPA, CA
FCA (New Brunswick)
Auditor General of Canada

Mr. Chair, thank you for this opportunity to present the results of our report on how Correctional Service Canada prepares Indigenous offenders for release back into the community. Joining me at the table is Carol McCalla, Principal, who was responsible for the audit.

Almost 3,800 Indigenous men and women were in federal custody at the time of our audit. Correctional Service Canada is mandated to provide rehabilitation programs and services to meet the unique needs of Indigenous offenders. As well, when making case management decisions, staff are required to consider an Indigenous offender’s Aboriginal social history.

Indigenous peoples represent 3 percent of Canadian adults, but they make up a growing proportion of the federal offender population. As of March 2016, Indigenous offenders represented 26 percent of all offenders in federal custody. Although Correctional Service Canada cannot control the number of Indigenous offenders receiving federal sentences, it can provide them with timely access to rehabilitation programs and culturally appropriate services—which can influence how long and how many offenders remain in custody.

We found that as the Indigenous offender population grew, Correctional Service Canada could not provide them with the rehabilitation programs they needed when they needed them. Most Indigenous offenders in federal custody were serving short-term sentences, which means that they became eligible for release after serving one year of their sentences. However, more than three quarters of the offenders we examined were unable to complete their rehabilitation programs in that time, because they were not given timely access to the programs they needed.

Parole supervision is a highly effective way to support the successful return of an offender to the community. However, we found that two thirds of released Indigenous offenders had never been on parole. Half of these offenders were released directly from medium- or maximum-security institutions back into the community, which means that they had less time to benefit from a gradual and structured release until the end of their sentence. Overall, Correctional Service Canada prepared Indigenous offenders for parole hearings less often than non-Indigenous offenders, and when they did it was later in their sentence.

Correctional Service Canada used the Custody Rating Scale to help determine an offender’s security level and need for a rehabilitation program. More than three quarters of Indigenous offenders were sent to medium- or maximum-security institutions upon admission which was at significantly higher levels than for non-Indigenous offenders. Once in custody at higher levels of security, few Indigenous offenders were assessed for a possible move to a lower level before release, even after they completed their rehabilitation programs.

We found that Correctional Service Canada’s assessment tools did not address the specific needs of Indigenous offenders, nor consider their Aboriginal social history, as required. Moreover, these assessment tools could have resulted in higher-than-necessary referrals to rehabilitation programs. Although Correctional Service Canada had developed better tools, it had not yet put them into use.

Correctional Service Canada has provided several culturally specific programs and services for Indigenous offenders. However, access to these services was uneven across institutions. For example, Healing Lodges were designed to meet the unique needs of Indigenous offenders, but they did not exist in all regions. There were none in Ontario, where approximately 500 Indigenous offenders were located. We found that offenders who participated in Healing Lodge programs had very low rates of reoffending upon release, yet Correctional Service Canada has not examined ways to provide greater access to more Indigenous offenders.

Correctional Service Canada also contracts with Elders to work with offenders and deliver culturally specific rehabilitation programs. However, we found that staff did not take this work into account when they made recommendations to the Parole Board of Canada. Without this information, the Parole Board would not able to appropriately consider the offender’s potential for successful release.

We are pleased that Correctional Service Canada has agreed with our recommendations and committed to take corrective action to improve results for Indigenous offenders.

Mr. Chair, this concludes my opening statement. We would be pleased to answer any questions the Committee may have. Thank you.