PERIMETER WORK CLEARANCE

STANDARD OPERATING PRACTICES (SOPs)
(700-13)

Objective

1. To ensure the protection of society when authorizing offenders to perform work assignments outside the perimeter, on the institutional reserve of minimum, medium and multi-level institutions.

Definition

2. Clearance refers to a "perimeter work clearance" or permission for an offender to work outside the wall or fence of a minimum, medium or multi-level facility.

Principles

3. Safety of the public, staff and offenders is the paramount consideration when approving and supervising a perimeter work clearance.

4. All decisions on the type of work to be performed will demonstrate sensitivity to, and respect for diversity.

Responsibilities

5. The Institutional Head shall ensure that there is a clear requirement for work to be done and that the responsibilities of person(s) supervising perimeter-cleared offenders are detailed, including the duration and degree of supervision.

Eligibility

6. All offenders classified as minimum-security are eligible for perimeter work clearance.

7. Offenders classified as medium-security, who are eligible for unescorted temporary absences, may apply for perimeter work clearance, with the exception of those offenders who are awaiting a decision on a referral to the NPB for detention.

8. Offenders classified as maximum-security and detained offenders are not eligible for perimeter work clearance.

Supervision

9. In minimum-security facilities, although direct and constant supervision is not required, supervision requirements must nonetheless be specified.

10. In medium-security and multi-level facilities, offenders with a medium-security classification who have successfully completed an unescorted temporary absence(s) within the last year and offenders with a minimum-security classification shall not require constant direct supervision. Supervision requirements must nonetheless be specified.

11. In medium-security and multi-level facilities, offenders with a medium-security classification who have not successfully completed an unescorted temporary absence(s) within the last year shall require constant direct supervision, i.e. sight and sound.

Frequency and Duration

12. Each perimeter work clearance shall be for a specified duration and shall not exceed 60 consecutive days.

13. Where there is a requirement for a Perimeter Work Clearance beyond 60 days, a new plan must be submitted to the decision-maker for approval.

14. Work assignments may be performed on a daily basis or may include a specific number of days (or hours) per week. Any clearance during a calendar day, for any number of hours, is equal to one day of clearance.

Assessment and Review of Applications

15. Using the content guidelines provided, an Assessment for Decision must be completed within 30 days of receipt of the offender's application for a perimeter work clearance.

16. The Assessment for Decision as well as any other documents that will be used for decision purposes must be shared with the offender prior to the decision.

17. The case of each offender on Perimeter Work Clearance shall be subject to ongoing monitoring to determine the existence of factors that would justify a cancellation of the work clearance and result in a reassessment of the case.

Decision-Making Authority

18.

Notification of Decision

19. The offender shall be notified in writing of the clearance decision and rationale within five working days following the decision.

20. A copy of the decision sheet shall be forwarded to the Program Board to assign work.

Recording of the Clearance

21. The status of a perimeter work clearance will be registered in the Offender Management System (OMS) on the Maintain Offender Program Related Data screen. When approved, indicate "Yes" in the "Security Clearance Req'd" field and enter "Perimeter Work Clearance" as well as the start and end dates of the perimeter work clearance in the Security Comment text box.

Cancellation and Reassessment of a Perimeter Work Clearance

22. An offender's perimeter work clearance shall be cancelled when information or circumstances indicate that the risk is increased.

23. Where a perimeter work clearance is cancelled, a period of custody of at least seven days is required to provide the opportunity for staff to perform a new assessment of the case and determine if another work clearance meets the objectives outlined in the offender's Correctional Plan.

24. Any cancellation of the clearance should be registered in OMS on the Maintain Offender Program Related Data screen by entering "No" in the "Security Clearance Req'd" field.

Redress

25. An offender may appeal a perimeter work clearance related decision through the offender redress system.

Commissioner,

Original signed by:

Lucie McClung

ANNEX 700-13A
ASSESSMENT FOR DECISION
CONTENT GUIDELINES FOR PERIMETER WORK CLEARANCE

General Guidelines

The report should:

• include an analysis of all relevant information about the offender's case. For offenders previously incarcerated in federal institutions, care should be taken to obtain and use the relevant information from archived files.
• address, in the final risk assessment, both the actuarial scores as well as a consideration of clinical factors. Where the actuarial measures are inconsistent with the clinical appraisal, it is important that the assessment specify why this is the case.

If some information cannot be fully shared with the offender, according to section 27 or 141 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, a Protected Information Report can be prepared. When a Protected Information Report is prepared, a gist of the information shall also be cross-referenced to the Assessment for Decision report.

Purpose of Report

Self-explanatory.

Risk Assessment

General - This section should:

• confirm the offender's eligibility for the decision sought;
• not contain excerpts of other reports;
• focus on risk analysis and conclusions;
• include positive and negative factors that are pertinent to the current review.

Assessment of the Probability of Re-Offending

• Analyze the General Statistical Information on Recidivism.
• State the offender's reintegration potential and the progress made.
• Describe the offender's ability to control his or her offence cycle.
• Specify the offender's frequency of offending and crime-free periods.
• Describe the results from relevant psychological and psychiatric assessments.
• Integrate comments from the Institutional Security Intelligence Officer (including dates of consultation).

Assessment of the Severity of Re-Offending

• Describe this offender's usual type of criminal behaviour.
• Integrate the behaviour displayed in the institution.
• Indicate the likelihood of escape and the level of risk to public safety in the event of an escape.
• Integrate the offence descriptions found in police reports.

Assessment of the Offender's Level of Commitment

• Describe the offender's level of commitment (or lack thereof) to his or her supervision plan.
• Describe the offender's current attitude.
• Describe the offender's overall ability to meet commitments, including comments from the current and previous work supervisors.

Overall Level of Risk Conclusion

• Summarize how risk has been addressed during the offender's sentence.
• Summarize the conclusions from the assessments above.
• Determine an overall level of risk.

Appropriateness of the Perimeter Work Clearance

• Give the reason why the perimeter work clearance is appropriate in view of the goals established in the offender's Correctional Plan, and related to the offender's progress to date.
• Summarize any case reviews for clearances for this offender.

Other Information

• Summarize the contributing causes and circumstances of any previously cancelled perimeter work clearance.
• Specify any other relevant factors, such as reasons for a cancelled temporary absence, change in dynamic factors, or community impact that is relevant.

Proposed Plan

• State the frequency and length of the perimeter work clearance.
• Outline the nature and location of the work being conducted.

Supervision Requirements

• Identify the person(s) responsible for supervision and specify the type of supervision required.

Dissenting Opinion

• Specify any differences of opinion and the underlying reasons.

Final Recommendation

• Indicate your final recommendation and any relevant details associated with it (ex: duration, supervision).

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