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OFFICE OF THE CORRECTIONAL
INVESTIGATOR DEPARTMENTAL PERFORMANCE REPORT
For the period ending
March 31, 1999
__________________________________
Lawrence MacAulay, P.C., M.P.
Solicitor General of Canada
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section I: Message *
1.1 Correctional Investigator’s Message *
Section II: Overview of the Agency *
2.1 Mandate *
2.2 Mission Statement *
2.3 Operating Environment *
2.4 Objective *
2.5 Strategic Priorities *
2.6 Agency Organization *
2.7 Organization Chart *
Section III: Agency Performance *
3.1 Performance Expectations *
Chart of Key Results and Committments *
3.2 Performance Accomplishments *
Section IV: Consolidated Reporting *
4.1 Year 2000 Readiness *
Section V: Financial Performance *
5.1 Financial Performance Overview *
Section VI: Other Information *
Section I: Message
1.1 Correctional Investigator’s Message
I am mandated as an Ombudsman for federal corrections. The Office carries
out this function within an environment that has traditionally been
closed to public scrutiny with a high level of mistrust between the
keepers and the kept.
I am firmly committed to the Ombudsman concept and believe that the
provisions of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act provide
for a process through which the vast majority of individual and systemic
concerns can be reasonably addressed. It is important for all parties to
appreciate that the Correctional Investigator is neither an agent of the
Correctional Service of Canada nor the advocate of every complainant or
interest group that lodges a complaint. I am mandated to investigate
complaints from an independent and neutral position and in cases where
there is evidence of unfairness, make appropriate recommendations
concerning corrective action.
This past year has been eventful for all parties involved in Federal
Corrections. In addition to our participation in the legislative review
of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, we initiated a
review of our operations in response to the Auditor General’s December
1997 report. The Office has taken a number of steps to address the
report’s findings and recommendations and I am confident that our
operations are consistent with our mandate.
I look forward to the challenges of the coming years and anticipate a
continued open and cooperative working relationship with our partners in
the corrections field so as to ensure that offender concerns are
addressed within an environment that promotes openness, accountability
and fairness in decision making.
R.L. Stewart
Correctional Investigator
Section II: Overview of the
Agency
2.1 Mandate
The Office of the Correctional Investigator was established in 1973
pursuant to Part II of the Inquiries Act. With the proclamation in
November 1992 of Part III of the Corrections and Conditional Release
Act, this is now the enabling legislation. The mandate of the
Correctional Investigator, as defined by this legislation, is to function
as an Ombudsman for federal offenders. The Correctional Investigator is
independent of the Correctional Service of Canada and may initiate an
investigation on receipt of a complaint by or on behalf of an offender,
at the request of the Minister or on his own initiative. The Correctional
Investigator is required by legislation to report annually through the
Solicitor General to both Houses of Parliament.
In addition, Section 19 of the Corrections and Conditional Release
Act requires that the Correctional Service of Canada "where an inmate
dies or suffers serious bodily injury" conduct an investigation and
provide a copy of the report to the Correctional Investigator.
The Office of the Correctional Investigator is headed by the Correctional
Investigator who reports to Parliament through the Solicitor General. The
Agency’s resources provide for 17 full-time equivalents, 10 of which make
up the investigative staff. The total resources are $1,540,000 for the
fiscal year 1998-1999.
2.2 Mission Statement
The Office of the Correctional Investigator is committed to maintaining
an accessible independent avenue of redress for offender complaints and
to provide timely recommendations to the Commissioner of the Correctional
Service of Canada and the Solicitor General which address the areas of
concern raised on complaint.
2.3 Operating Environment
It is difficult for the Office of the Correctional Investigator to
accurately project the workload as it is determined mainly by the number
of complaints received by the Office and the complexity of the reviews
associated with these complaints, requests from the Solicitor General and
the number of Investigations completed by the Correctional Service of
Canada pursuant to Section 19 of the Corrections and Conditional
Release Act.
Among other factors which have and will likely continue to impact on the
Office’s operations is the growth of the federal offender population and
the significant increase in the number of penal institutions, notably
with regard to Federally Sentenced Women’s
facilities. Finally, the quality and timeliness of actions taken by the
Correctional Service in response to the Office’s findings and
recommendations will remain of paramount importance.
2.4 Objective
To act as an Ombudsman on behalf of offenders by thoroughly and
objectively reviewing a wide spectrum of administrative actions and
presenting findings and recommendations to an equally broad spectrum of
decision makers, inclusive of Parliament.
2.5 Strategic Priorities
-
Improve management practices and operations strategies;
-
Increase awareness of the Office of the Correctional Investigator’s
mandate;
-
Establish a more effective process, in cooperation with the
Correctional Service of Canada, for resolving both individual and
systemic areas of concern.
2.6 Agency Organization
Business Line - Office of the Correctional Investigator
The Office of the Correctional Investigator has one Business Line which,
as detailed in Section 167 of the Corrections and Conditional Release
Act, is to conduct investigations into the problems of offenders
related to decisions, recommendations acts or omissions of the
Commissioner of Corrections or any person under the control and
management of, or performing service for or on behalf of the Commissioner
of Corrections that affects offenders either individually or as a group.
2.7 Organization Chart
Section III: Agency Performance
3.1 Performance Expectations
Chart of Key Results and Committments
To provide Canadians with: |
an independent and impartial review agency to investigate problems
of federal offenders related to decisions, recommendations, acts or
omissions of the Correctional Service of Canada.
|
to be demonstrated by: |
-
the number of offenders using the services of
the Office
-
the Office’s accessibility to the offender
population
-
the offender population’s confidence in and
understanding of the Office
-
the opinions of government and non-government
agencies involved in federal corrections
-
the results of the actions taken by the Correctional Service in
response to the Office’s findings and recommendations
|
achievement reported in: |
- DPR Section 3.2, pages 8-10
|
In response to a report by the Auditor General of Canada in December
1997, the Office addressed the following performance recommendations, in
keeping with its strategic priorities:
-
Improved management practices and operations strategies;
-
Increased public awareness of the Office of the Correctional
Investigator’s mandate;
-
Establishment of a more effective process, in cooperation with the
Correctional Service of Canada, for resolving both individual and
systemic areas of concern.
3.2 Performance Accomplishments
Resources Utilized Towards
Accomplishments
Office of the Correctional
Investigator |
Planned Spending |
$1 484 000 |
Total Authorities |
$1 540 000 |
1998-99 Actuals |
$1 530
000 |
The main function of the Office is the investigation of complaints lodged
against the Correctional Service of Canada by persons under its
jurisdiction. The primary function of the Correctional Investigator is to
investigate and bring resolution to individual offender complaints. The
Office as well has a responsibility to review and make recommendations on
the Service’s policies and procedures associated with the areas of
individual complaint to ensure that systemic areas of concern are
identified and appropriately addressed (i.e. transfers, case management,
etc.). In so doing the Office aims to assure the Canadian public that the
federal correctional system is managed efficiently, equitably and fairly.
All complaints received by the Office are reviewed and initial inquiries
made to the extent necessary to obtain a clear understanding of the issue
in question. After this initial review, in those cases where it is
determined that the area of complaint is outside our mandate, the
complainant is advised of the appropriate avenue of redress and assisted
when necessary in accessing that avenue. For those cases that are within
our mandate, the complainant is provided with a detailing of the
Service’s policies and procedures associated with the area of complaint.
Where deemed necessary, an interview is arranged with the offender.
In addition to responding to individual complaints, the Office meets
regularly with inmate committees and other offender organizations and
makes announced visits bi-annually at each institution during which the
investigator will meet with any inmate, or group of inmates, upon
request.
TABLE 1
From 1 April 1998 to 31 March 1999, the Office received a total of 4,529
complaints from or on behalf of offenders, a reduction of some 900 from
the previous fiscal year.
TABLE 2
Also, in the course of the present reporting year, the Office’s
investigative staff spent 280 days at federal penitentiaries and
conducted 2,213 interviews with inmates, some 700 interviews less than in
the previous year.
These decreases reflect the Office’s growing obligation to divert its
already limited resources to non-investigative endeavors. In order to
comply with the recommendations of the Arbour Commission, the Office
reviewed 243 Institutional Emergency Response Team (IERT) videotapes and
supporting documentation, compared to 120 during the previous year. We
also reviewed 131 Correctional Service Investigation reports pursuant to
section 19 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA).
Further to these reviews, the Office formulated a significant number of
recommendations to the Correctional Service of Canada.
In addition, the Office has been actively involved in the legislative
review of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, inclusive of the
public consultation process.
During the past year, the Office has as well invested considerable
resources in responding to the Auditor General’s recommendations
implementing the Auditor General’s recommendations. The Office has
finalized a Policy and Procedures Manual which more clearly details our
investigative process and links that process to our legislative
responsibilities. A staff training program and adjustment to our data
collection process have as well been initiated consistent with the policy
and procedural changes. In addition, an information package has been
developed which details both the Office’s mandate and method of
operation. This information will be forwarded to all federal
penitentiaries and parole offices as well as community facilities which
house federal offenders and will soon be available on our Website.
All of the above has been achieved with a budget that has not measurably
increased since the promulgation of the Corrections and Conditional
Release Act in 1992 (although Treasury Board has now provided some
additional funds for the next fiscal year). This success is largely due
to the creativity and determination of a very committed staff.
Section IV:
Consolidated Reporting
4.1 Year 2000 Readiness
Year 2000 Readiness of our Agency’s management information network has
been thoroughly assessed and no significant problem area has been
identified. From an internal perspective, we have determined that no
Government Wide Mission Critical system is involved. However, we have, in
compliance with central agency requirements and for our own purposes,
prepared a detailed contingency plan.
Section V: Financial
Performance
5.1 Financial Performance
Overview
The resources afforded this Office have not increased measurably since
the promulgation of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act in
1992, although the latter broadened the Office’s mandate and other
factors, detailed below, have subsequently added to an already very
demanding working environment.
The Office is required by Section 19 of the Corrections and
Conditional Release Act to annually review approximately 150 security
investigations conducted by the Correctional Service of Canada. As a
result of the Arbour Commission (1996), it must also review every year a
growing number of videotapes and the supporting documentation with regard
to intervention by Institutional Emergency Response Teams (IERTs). Over
the last six years, the Office has also had to contend with a significant
increase in the number of federal offenders and of federal institutions,
notably with regard to Federally Sentenced Women facilities (from 100
federally sentenced women in one institution in one region to 300
federally sentenced women in 11 institutions in 4 regions).
Additional pressures on its resource base flowed from recent
recommendations by the Auditor General of Canada. The Office has had to
again shift some of its focus away from is primary mandate to rewrite its
policies and procedures, redesign its database, train its staff and
elaborate a new communications strategy.
In an attempt to cope with these budgetary constraints, the Office has
consolidated and revamped its travel practices to facilitate the use of
cheaper airfares and decrease the frequency of our visits to some
regions. The Office has also reduced from 5 to 1 the number of phone
lines resulting in a significant reduction of its telephone costs.
In the final analysis, the Office’s resources were stretched to their
limit and beyond. The performance of the past fiscal year has only been
possible because of extraordinary efforts by the investigative staff.
Additional resources for the next fiscal year were recently approved by
Treasury Board and should provide some measure of relief from these
exacting conditions.
The following financial tables are those which apply to the agency.
Financial Table 1 Summary of Voted Appropriations
Financial Table 2 Comparison of Total Planned Spending to Actual Spending
Financial Table 3 Historical Comparison of Total Planned Spending to
Actual Spending
Financial
Table 1 Summary of Voted
Appropriations
Authorities for 1998-99 Financial Requirements by
Authority (thousands of dollars)
|
Vote |
1998-99 Planned Spending
|
1998-99 Total Authorities
|
1998-99 Actual |
Office of the Correctional
Investigator
1 Operating expenditures |
1 484 |
1 540 |
1 530 |
Total Agency |
1 484 |
1 540 |
1 530
|
Financial Table 2 Comparison of Total
Planned Spending to Actual Spending
Agency Planned
Versus Actual Spending (thousands of dollars)
|
|
1998-99
|
Business Line |
Planned |
Total Authorities |
Actual |
FTEs |
17 |
17 |
16 |
Operating |
1 484 |
1 540 |
1 530 |
Capital |
|
|
|
Voted Grants and Contributions |
|
|
|
Subtotal: Gross Voted Expenditures |
1 484 |
1 540 |
1 530 |
Less: Respendable
Revenues |
|
|
|
Total Net Expenditures |
1 484 |
1 540 |
1 530 |
Other Revenues and Expenditures |
|
|
|
Non-respendable Revenues |
|
|
|
Cost of services provided by other
departments |
200 |
200 |
200 |
Net Cost of the Program
|
1 684 |
1 740 |
1 730
|
Financial Table 3 Historical Comparison
of Total Planned Spending to Actual Spending
Agency Planned versus Actual Spending
by Business Line (thousands of dollars) |
|
Actual 1996-97 |
Actual 1997-98 |
Planned Spending 1998-99
|
Total Authorities 1998-99
|
Actual 1998-99 |
Office of the Correctional Investigator
|
1 264 |
1 398 |
1 484 |
1 540 |
1 530 |
Total |
1 264 |
1 398 |
1 484 |
1 540 |
1 530 |
Section VI: Other
Information
Contacts for further
information and Agency web site *:
Name |
Title |
Address |
Tel. No. |
Fax No. |
|
|
|
|
|
R.L. Stewart |
Correctional Investigator |
275 Slater Street Room 402 Ottawa,
Ontario K1P 5H9 |
(613) 990-2689 |
(613) 990-9091 |
|
|
|
|
|
Ed McIsaac |
Executive Director |
275 Slater Street Room 402 Ottawa,
Ontario K1P 5H9 |
(613) 990-2691 |
(613) 990-9091 |
* The Office of the Correctional Investigator does not have a web site at
the present time.
Legislation and Associated Regulations
Administered
Corrections and
Conditional Release Act, Part III. (R.S.C., 1992, Ch. 20).
Statutory Annual
Reports and Other Agency Reports.
Annual Report of the
Correctional Investigator.
|