Our Role

What We Do

The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) is the federal government agency responsible for administering sentences of a term of two years or more, as imposed by the court. CSC is responsible for managing institutions of various security levels and supervising offenders under conditional release in the community.

What We Do Not Do

CSC does not:

• determine the guilt or innocence of persons charged under the Criminal Code or other related statutes;
• set sentences for convicted offenders;
• decide whether an offender should be granted a conditional release;
• administer sentences of young offenders.

CSC’s involvement in the criminal justice process begins once an offender is sentenced to a term of incarceration of two years or more. Offenders given probation sentences or sentenced to incarceration of less than two years are the responsibility of the provinces/territories. Juvenile corrections, which are governed by the Young Offenders Act, are also administered by the provinces/territories.

Decisions on the conditional release of offenders are the responsibility of the National Parole Board. CSC is responsible, however, for preparing offenders for consideration by the National Parole Board and for supervising federal offenders on conditional release in the community until the end of their sentences.