REPORT ON COMMUNITY CHAPLAINCIES

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

New funding for the community chaplaincy program in CSC was granted by Treasury Board for a three-year period commencing in 1994-95.

The history of this program and the level of funding is described.

The initiative engenders positive support in the community as evidenced by extensive financial and in-kind support, positive media support and the lack of negative media critique.

Some basic funding support from the government seems to be an ongoing necessity.

The rationale for the project is understood in at least three ways, each way having implications for how an individual community chaplaincy formulates its mission and chooses to invest its energies.

Taken as a whole, community chaplaincies are involved in a huge number of activities and a wide range of relationships. Boards and managers of individual projects should be aware of this and examine the work of their particular chaplaincy to see how it can be improved.

The client base, potential and real, of the program is large. Work needs to be done to determine both how the client base should be measured and how reliable information should be gathered.

The relationship with government is in the form of a partnership. Community chaplaincies have a variety of accountabilities which, while more complicated than those contained in a simple contract for services, assure that the work is done in a responsible way. Relationships between the government and the community chaplaincies should respect this more complex situation.

Leadership in both community chaplaincy and in government with respect to community chaplaincy can be more complex than a simple top-down model. Proper selection of persons to work in this context is key.

Part 1 presents an overview of the program. Part 2 gives detailed accounts of each community chaplaincy

REPORT ON COMMUNITY CHAPLAINCIES

PART 1: OVERVIEW OF THE PROGRAM

INTRODUCTION

Purpose

Community chaplaincies have been building a place on the correctional landscape for the past few years. Recent changes in funding procedures have given them greater profile.

This report is a first comprehensive look at the community chaplaincy program. It is intended to convey the nature of the program. It analyzes the nature of the initiative, identifies some measures of effectiveness, and makes recommendations about how to improve leadership, accountability, and delivery of service.

Three groups have a special stake in community chaplaincy. The report is prepared with them in mind: CSC managers responsible for implementing the program, community chaplains and their boards as they plan their activities, and the wider faith community as it looks at its responsibility to receive the offender back into its fellowship.

Treasury Board Support

Treasury Board granted Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) $500,000 in new moneys for the financial year 1994-95 to fund the new initiatives called "Community Chaplaincies". This amount will be reduced to $400,000 for 1995-96 and to $300,000 for 1996-97. Previously these initiatives had been funded through contribution moneys, but cuts had endangered this source of revenue. Given the present fiscal context, requesting and receiving new moneys at this time constituted a recognition by the CSC and Treasury Board that this initiative had the potential to make a substantial contribution to the objectives of the Service, of the Government and to Canadian society as a whole and that it was in line with the way government wants to deliver services.

The submission by the CSC to the Treasury Board argued that "crime is a societal problem and must be addressed with broad-based long term strategies. All levels of government, private organizations and individual citizens must accept their responsibilities and work in partnership to make a coordinated crime prevention strategy work." "The Community Chaplaincy projects represent the efforts of the Faith Communities / Churches to develop a true partnership with the Correctional Service of Canada in ensuring safe reintegration of the offenders within our communities."

History of the Program

"The program had its origins in an attempt to answer a simple yet difficult question, 'Who will be out there to receive the ex-offender and continue the work of the chaplains inside the institutions?'" [Let's Talk , April 1991, p. 9] From this question emerged the Community Chaplaincy concept - a community-based ministry that links ex-offenders and their families with community resources. From its start in the 1980's the initiative has grown steadily so that now there are 23 such ministries from coast to coast.Efforts have been made to gather the community chaplains together to encourage and challenge them in their efforts to develop this work. In December of 1990 representatives from Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton, Prince Albert, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto, Kingston, Montreal, Fredericton, Moncton, Saint John and Halifax attended a meeting in Aylmer, Quebec. In 1992 the community chaplains were identified as an important front line point of intervention to combat family violence and they gathered in Aylmer, Quebec in June to receive training. Most community chaplains have attended regional meetings of chaplaincy teams and the last two triennial national chaplains' conferences.

Methodology

Interviews were held with the chaplain, with representatives of the Board of Directors, and sometimes with representatives of the local parole office. The Regional Chaplain responsible for administering the contract was consulted. If possible some of the activities of the chaplaincy were observed.

The Coverdale Community Chaplaincy for women has not been integrated into this report. It has been thoroughly evaluated by Margaret Shaw under contract to the Secretariat of the Department of the Solicitor General and should be considered separately.

Contact Helpline, with whom there is a small contract in the Ontario Region, is considered in the context of the Toronto Community Chaplaincy.

It was not possible to meet the community chaplain in Kingston, NS. This chaplaincy is one of four [The other three are Community Chaplaincy for Ex-Offenders (Sydney), Charlottetown Community Chaplaincy and Action Minsntries (Garnd Manan)] small developmental community chaplaincies in the Atlantic Region. The learning from the other three adequately covers any gaps by this omission. The key issues became clearer as the research progressed. Questions asked of chaplaincies visited later in the research were not the same as those asked earlier on. The purpose of the report was to obtain an overall picture of the initiative and to develop frames of reference for future evaluations and planning.In some parts of the report it has been convenient to identify the chaplaincies with numbers. [The numbers are based on the financial coding used by CSC for the different regions: 200 = Atlantic, 300 = Quebec, 400 = Ontario, 500 = Prairies, 800 = Pacific.] A table with names and their numbers follows.

2001	St. John's Community Chaplaincy, Newfoundland In association with the Christian Council for Reconciliation
2002	Halifax Community Chaplaincy, N.S.A Project of Metro Christian Prison Volunteers
2003	Tri-County Community Chaplaincy, A Project of Daybreak Prison Ministries, New Glasgow,N.S.
2004	Community Chaplaincy for Ex-Offenders, Sydney, N.S.
2005	Coverdale Community Chaplaincy, Halifax, N.S.
2006	Charlottetown Community Chaplaincy, P.E.I.
2007	Community Chaplaincy for Ex-Offenders, - Moncton, Inc.
2008	Saint John Community Chaplaincy, N.B.
2009	Fredericton Community Chaplaincy, N.B.
2010	Action Ministries, Seal Cove, Grand Manan, N.B.
3001	Entrée Libre, Maison de ressourcement pour ex-détenus, Montréal, QC
4001	Toronto Community Chaplaincy, ON
4002	The Bridge Hamilton, ON
4003	Project Reconciliation, Kingston, ON
4004	Contact Helpline, Toronto, ON
5001	Community Ministry with Ex-Offenders (C.M.E.O.), Winnipeg, MB
5002	Community Chaplaincy of Saskatoon, SK
5003	Prince Albert Community Chaplaincy, SK
5004	Edmonton Community Chaplaincy, AB
5005	Bridge Ministries Calgary, AB
5006	Red Deer and District Community Chaplaincy, AB
8001	Victoria Community Chaplaincy, BC

Faith Communities and the Criminal Justice System

Faith communities have always been concerned about justice in general and about criminal justice in particular. Many authors have noted the relationship between developments in the criminal justice system and developments in understanding by the faith communities of the nature of justice and of community. There are, throughout history, outstanding examples of faith groups concerned about the reintegration of the released offender into their group and the wider society. Members of the Trinitarian Order were once known for their willingness to give themselves up in hostage to obtain the release of another prisoner. Quakers contributed extensively to the theory behind the modern penitentiary and are now actively involved in moving it further. The Salvation Army has always worked with the prisoner before and after release. The Mennonite community has pioneered in visiting and restorative justice approaches.

The Canadian government has a tradition of cost sharing with the faith communities in many of these initiatives.

There are important voices in the faith community who speak the language of social development. In Canada, the Church Council on Justice and Corrections [See for example Update/À jour , Fall 1994, Youth Justice: A Better Direction for our Country; ibid ., Spring 1994 "The Churches and Criminal Justice: The Challenge"; L Berzins, "Is Legal Punishment Right?", CCJC, 1993] has been in the forefront of those promoting a social development approach to crime prevention. John Perkins [John M. Perkins, The Concept of Christian Community Development , John M. Perkins Foundation, 1581 Navarro Ave., Pasadena, CA 91103 (undated). Rev. Perkins led a conference for persons from the faith community in the Toronto area on community development in the October 1994. This information was gathered at that conference. ] , an advisor to two U.S. presidents on combating poverty and a community developer with successful experience in indigenous development in Mendenhall, Jackson, and Northwest Pasadena, has enunciated principles for community development: meet felt needs; include social action, economic and justice issues in the spiritual mandate; live among the poor; bring people into the community of faith in a reconciling way; redistribute resources to empower the poor; promote the development of local leadership which will stay in the community; and do it all within the context of a nurturing community of faith. The Community Chaplaincy initiative is a new development in that it attempts explicitly to build links between those who work with the offender spiritually before release and those who offer similar resources afterwards. It has the potential to mobilize a wide network of caring relationships that are characteristic of faith communities. Some of the present community chaplaincies were founded before Government funding was a reality, while others have sprung up since. In either case the rationale and potential advantages are similar.

Government Investment

For community chaplaincy most [ Contracts for community chaplaincies in Moncton , Saint John, Fredericton and Toronto were funded from the budget for Operating and Maintenance and are not shown in these figures.] government funding initially came from the contributions envelope. In 1992-94 contribution expenditures for Community Chaplaincy were as follows:

	1992-93	1993-94
Atlantic	46,000	41,400
Quebec	15,000	13,500
Ontario	17,000	15,300
Prairies	73,800	65,777
Pacific	0	0

The new moneys for the Community Chaplaincy have put their funding on a more secure base for a three-year period, and have freed up the remaining contribution budget to respond to other initiatives. Regions have received the following operation and maintenance allotments to fund this work. The amount foreseen for 1995-96 is also shown.

Appreciation

A vote of thanks for persistent and gentle service is owed the persons working in this field. This includes the many volunteers (some of whom are employees of the CSC), ex-offenders committed to helping their peers, the board members and, of course, the chaplains themselves. Byron in Winnipeg years ago gave up the comfortable pew for work with the disadvantaged ex-prisoner at great loss in personal income. Zane in New Brunswick recently put his fishing boat in another person's name so that he could stay behind to offer assistance when the need of the released prisoner arose and the boat could still go out to sea. Judi and Marv in Victoria continue in this work after a lifetime of service to the disadvantaged. Claude in Montreal took an early retirement from CSC to work pastorally at much less income with the released prisoner. Laurie in Edmonton put his arm around a huge client who was threatening to fight anyone nearby and lovingly showed him the door so that another important meeting could go on.

FINDINGS

Public Support

One expected to find the community chaplains working in a hostile atmosphere. The public climate these days is hostile to the prisoner and the released prisoner. "More offenders are being given federal sentences, and longer ones, reflecting the mood of Canadians." [ Commissioner John Edwards, Let's Talk , Volume 19, No. 4, December 1994] Recent legislative developments favour longer time in prison. Parole is granted less frequently. Increasingly, offenders are released at warrant expiry date (WED). The social service network is strained because of cuts and increased requests. The persons released from prison without benefit of any supervision or transition housing can be in very difficult circumstances. The person seeking help finds few friendly voices. The reverse was true. Community chaplaincy is a very acceptable initiative in the eyes of the public. Media attention is positive. In the Pictou County Christmas parade watched by thousands upon thousands of onlookers [The Evening News , November 21, 1994, p.3] the float entered by Daybreak Prison Ministry of New Glasgow won parade awards for most original float and the best religious theme. It is hard to get more positive support. In Edmonton, capital city in a province not known for socialistic leanings, politicians sometimes walk through the community chaplaincy to gain an alternative look at the world.

Goals / rationale

Among the community chaplaincies there are basically three different ways of understanding the rationale.

From one point of view, crime prevention and community peace-making means keeping the ex-offender off the street at times that might be dangerous for recidivism. Some community chaplains invest effort in activities to keep people busy and off the street in safe places. Drop-in Centres, coffee houses, night time activities, camping excursions have some of this quality to them.

From another, it means identifying and meeting some needs. With proper insight this enables the ex-offender to function positively in the community. Both the community and the ex-offender have needs to be met. The ex-offender must be educated and trained to function in the community. Services can be offered for the offender (and family) such as individual counseling, support and growth groups, leisure activities, worship, direct services, advocacy (for clothing, housing, food, employment, legal services, welfare assistance, etc.). The community (including the family of the offender) must learn how to integrate its delinquent members and work to eliminate poverty and exploitative living situations that make criminal responses appealing. All community chaplains are involved in promoting Prisoners' Sunday and in community speaking.

From yet another perspective, relationship becomes the focus. Relationships are, of course, important when working from the points of view mentioned above. However, in this perspective relationships as such become the primary concern. People who look at their work in this way talk about community building and about reconciliation. Needs are met in the context of community rather than in the context of some external service provider. [John McKnight, Director of the Community Studies Program at Northwestern University in Chicago, identifies ways in which service providers have harmful side-effects on communities (like medicine on persons): people become known by their deficiencies and not their gifts, money is put in the hands of the service providers and not in those of needy persons, active citizenship retreats in the face of professional expertise, and services aggregate to form total environments (CBC Radio Works, Ideas, 3,10,17 January 1994). The new kinds of partnership that government is becoming involved in represent attempts to help that take this into account. ] Both ex-offender and the community victimized by his/her crime consciously acknowledge the damage caused by the crime (often acknowledging at the same time previous victimization in other ways), heal as well as possible, and move on to a new stage in their life together. Many communities are angry places these days, partly as a result of crime, and bringing peace is a precious gift. A community that is committed to reconciliation opens a gateway into its caring relationships so that the offender and those working with the offender may benefit from the internal strength and caring of that community. Caring relationships open up new doors to practising justice and healing. Community chaplaincies working from this perspective spend much time on developing relationships.Different community chaplaincies are marked by different emphases which reflect to a certain extent how they interpret the rationale behind the ministry. In particular it is helpful to compare the energy put into the delivery of activities to that put into the building and nurturing of a wide spectrum of relationships.

Recommendation 1: The community chaplain, board members and key leaders, including those from the parole office, should meet to discuss the various ways to understand the rationale and reflect about the implications for the work of their chaplaincy.

Activities

Community chaplaincies undertake a wide variety of activities with a variety of clientele at different key times.

The Target Groups are ex-offenders, offenders, spouses (legal or common law), families as a whole, the community, victims and youth at risk. The latter two are really more at the thinking stage than the activity stage and that only for some community chaplaincies, but their identification has a logic that goes with the community chaplaincy in question.

Some community chaplaincies focus more on one group than another because of special training, special gifts, or other reasons. The two women working in this field have an interest and commitment to work with families, as do at least two of the men. Some of the newer (and smaller) ones concentrate at this point in their life on working with the prisoner so that a relationship will be established that can be pursued after release. In one community chaplaincy project there is an interest in youth at risk that goes back to the original founding goal of that particular chaplaincy, a period well before they received any government support. In another the possibility of work with victims was raised after the chaplain contacted a victims' group.

The Timing of the activity in terms of the correctional cycle is an important consideration. It may take place in the prison prior to release; it may occur at the time of release (within a day or two), or during the time of supervision (parole or mandatory); or it may be timed to take place after WED.

Work with families and spouses takes place throughout the correctional experience, and the needs vary as it progresses. Increasingly work with ex-offenders after WED is becoming an important and demanding consideration. Correctional officials are conscious of the risk of releasing some people at WED with absolutely no opportunity to provide community support or supervision. They welcome the willingness and the ability of community chaplaincy to lend a hand. There is great publicity surrounding the release of some of these persons, and the risks of failure have consequences for the work of the

There are several Categories of activities: counseling, group work, drop-in services, direct help, worship, advocacy, community education, and institutional work.

Volunteer training is an important form of community education. In Saint John's Newfoundland it was a key factor in overcoming resistance to the opening of a CCC in the City. It takes energy and commitment. The volunteers then assume leadership in the activities of the chaplaincy, and they are able to build alliances in the communities from which they come. Some of the volunteers are ex-offenders as well. In Kingston, some volunteers are taken on staff - some previous clients, other willing workers. Other volunteers remain unpaid but assume well defined, time-limited responsibilities.

The table below is a summary of the activities by categories undertaken by the chaplaincies as a whole. The choice of activity is based on the perceived need of the client and on the ability of the chaplaincy to deliver it. Individual chaplaincies don't do them all. The summary by individual chaplaincies are listed in the appendix. Some chaplaincies concentrate on a relatively narrow group, others are able to offer a much larger spectrum. In general chaplaincies who have networked with other agencies are able to offer the largest spectrum of activities. One may not always be sure who precisely runs any given activity, the linked agencies or the chaplaincy, but for the leaders and the beneficiaries, it doesn't matter. The activity is there and the chaplaincy is closely involved.

Activity summary:

Counseling Crisis intervention Growth and support M2W2, sponsorship program Group work Overcomers Bible Study Cope Life Skills Relapse Prevention Alternatives to Violence Project Discussion Woodwork/hobbies Discovery Night Sex-offender Programs Drop-in service Informal counseling, support, fellowship Worship On-site Escort to local churches

Direct Service Clothing depot Release kits Food bank Lodging Child Care Employment Voluntary work experience Advocacy Employment Social services Lodging Community education Prisoner's Sunday Literature Distribution Using local volunteers Volunteer training Student training Faith & Crime Conference Talks in schools Talks in churches

Attending ministerial meetings E-mail Community consultation Local industry Annual Banquet Open lunches Special Xmas projects Town Council Developing police contacts Seeking United Way recognition Institutional work Prisons: visit counseling growth groups Half-way houses: Contact with parole officers visit counseling group work

Recommendation 2: Community chaplains, members of their board and key leaders include an examination of this list of activities in planning their own work.

Recommendation 3: Training should be provided so that successful programs (Overcomers, Cope, Relapse Prevention, Life Skills, etc.) could be more widely used.

Recommendation 4: Community chaplains should be introduced to the correctional strategy in CSC which matches needs and programs for offenders.

Linkages

Community chaplaincies have a capacity to build relationships in areas where other agencies might have difficulty. Persons who operate from a spiritual world view, while not exempt from criticism, are usually perceived as builders of peace and safety. This initial "prejudice for good" facilitates efforts to develop wide relationships.

Community chaplaincies have access to the faith community. At the very least this is the faith group of which the chaplain is a member. However, in many cases it goes far beyond this to include coalitions, sister church agencies, and parachurch organizations. Toronto Community Chaplaincy sponsored a "Faith and Crime Conference" to bring as many different players from the faith community as possible into dialogue. This access extends even to parts of the faith community fundamentally different from their own. The community chaplain in Toronto (a Baptist) found a warm welcome among the leaders of the Muslim community because they sensed a similar spiritual commitment to work for the disadvantaged.

The "spiritual connection" also enables chaplaincies to build relationships in the industrial world, often through board members, increasing the possibilities of providing employment opportunities and thus of integrating the ex-offender into the working world.

Community chaplains have access to offenders and ex-offenders through their links with the institutional chaplaincies and, better still, through word of mouth advertising. In New Glasgow, N.S., Ray, himself an ex-offender, operates a huge, full-time clothing depot for offender's families and ex-offenders. He is trusted and the clients feel he understands their needs.

They have varying access to parapublic and public organizations in terms of advocacy on behalf of the needs of their clients. Politicians in Alberta (usually very conservative) wander through the Edmonton community chaplaincy locale to get an alternative view of the world. The chaplaincy in Calgary has such good relations with the police that they were able to find a policeman who would present an alternative voice to calm down a WED sex-offender who was in a rage of anger and on the verge of reoffending because of treatment he had received by other police.

The Community Chaplaincy in Edmonton, so convinced of the importance of networking the various faith groups and other agencies in matters of criminal justice, and blessed with staff with computer skills, has developed and put in place a software program to work on the information highway that enables these persons to communicate by electronic mail by bulletin board.

Chaplaincies with very limited external relationships miss a golden opportunity for ministry and fail to take advantage of one of their most important resources. A list of many of the relationships and linkages built by the program as a whole follows. A list by individual chaplaincies is in the appendix.

Examples of linkages built by community chaplaincies

PRIVATE SECTOR

Faith Community

• Churches, synagogues, mosques, etc.: Roman Catholic, Salvation Army, Mennonites, United Church of Canada, Anglican, Moravians, Pentecostal, Baptist groups, Vineyard Christian Fellowship, New Life Christian Center, Christianview Church, Evangel Temple, Community Christian Organization, Church of the Nazarene, Christian Missionary Alliance, Presbyterian Church, Community Churches, Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, Methodist. Council of Imams, Cornerstone Free Church, Mustard Seed churches,

• Parachurch organizations

Gedeon Bible Society, Coalition of Prison Evangelists, Coverdale Community Chaplaincy (for women), 700 Club, Daybreak Prison Ministries, Cons for Christ, Women in the Shadows (WITS), Cursillo movement, The Bridge Brampton, Connecting Link, Broken Shackles, World Vision, Media (Catholic Register, Canadian Baptist, Christianity Today ), Wesley Urban Ministries, Canadian Christian Festival, Saskatoon Native Circle, Edmonton Center City Church Corporation, M2W2, Catholic Social Services, Community Justice Ministries, Christian Motorcyclists,

• Coalitions: Christian Council for Reconciliation, local ministerials, other community chaplains, Church Council on Justice and Corrections, Prisoners' Week Committee, Working Group on Faith and Crime, Baptist Urban Ministers, Toronto Inner City Ministries, Women Elders,

• Personal: prayer group, local doctor provides counsel and space,

Ex-offenders: Peers on staff

Non-profit agencies: John Howard Societies, Hope Foundation, Harbour Light, YMCA, Canadian Legion, Trillium Foundation, Hamilton Foundation, Seventh Step Society, Elizabeth Fry Societies, Bridge House, Lifers' In-Reach Program, Transition Homes, AA, NA, ACOA, Friendship Inn, Indian Metis Cultural Center, Tribal Council, Excalibur, Society for the Retired, Food Banks, Clothing Depots, Tearman House (for battered women), United Way, Crisis Center, Crisis Nursery, Native Counseling Services, Edmonton Community Preparation and Integration Project, Optimist Club, Elks.

Educational institutions: Acadia University, University of New Brunswick, University of Moncton, local schools, Queen's Theological College, Canadian Association for Pastoral Practice and Education, Alternatives to Violence Project.

Industry: Quality Dry Cleaners, BFI Waste Disposal, Sobeys, MacHomes Trucking, Fishing Boats, Cable TV, City TV, Media (Hamilton Spectator), Reimers Trucking, Winner Industries, J&H Enterprises, Flexicost, Rhode Construction, Marlborough Inn, Precision Digital Imaging.

PARAPUBLIC SECTOR

Health Care Institutions: Public Health Nurse, Alternatives (mental health), Spousal Program, Alberta Hospital, Royal Alexander Hospital, Calder Center (for Addictions), Poundmakers Lodge, Calgary Urban Project Society.

PUBLIC SECTOR

Police: Edmonton, Calgary, Moncton.

Social Services: Legal Aid, Welfare, Interval House, Child Welfare, Children's Aid Society,

Human Resources Development - Employment Centers

Town Council Social Action Committee, Volunteer Bureau

Correctional Institutions (CSC, other) Various provincial detention centers and federal penitentiaries

Community Corrections (CSC, other) Various federal and provincial parole offices, Community Correctional Centres, Community Residential Facilities

Recommendation 5: Community chaplains, their board members and key leaders should examine their linkages in the wider community to see if suggestions are in order about enlarging, shrinking or nurturing them.

Recommendation 6: CSC encourage the participation of community chaplaincies in the ENABLE E-mail system being developed at Edmonton Community Chaplaincy.

Financial Considerations

In addition to moneys received from CSC, community chaplaincy revenue dollars also come from private sector donations and, in some cases, from other government jurisdictions. Community chaplaincies also generate substantial amounts of in-kind donations - through voluntary labour, and through linkages with a variety of other agencies whose work is inseparable from the mission of the community chaplaincies because of their close relationship.

CSC revenue combines synergistically with resources in the private sector to generate activity on behalf of the released offender. The following chart shows this in a dramatic way. [The information is based on the figures where available and on "best guesses" by the community chaplain about in-kind donations of various sorts. See the detailed figures in the appendix.]

Recommendation 7: Representative board members from community chaplaincies should meet to develop long term financial strategy. The details of this resource base are shown below.

Included are other real dollars received by the community chaplaincy as revenue, an estimate of the in-kind donation of the chaplain based on a comparison of wages received and time worked with expectations of an institutional chaplain, work donated by volunteers valued at an average of $10 per hour, other in-kind donations such as free or subsidized rent, food, clothes, furniture, etc, and finally the benefit that alliances with other agencies have for the work of the community chaplaincy.

Client Base

A picture of the potential for good of community chaplancies can also be gathered by looking at the client base with which they work. This, however, is not an easy picture to draw.

Community chaplains all keep records, but the nature of these reports varies from one chaplaincy to another. In one the total number of contacts is recorded, in another the hours of work, in another the various activities sponsored, etc. The variety is perhaps to be expected because the question of what to look for when considering the client base is not an easy one to answer.

In every community chaplaincy there are persons with whom there is regular contact and persons with whom there is occasional contact. This is a quantitative approach to the nature of the contacts. Depending on the perception of the reporter, "regular" can mean once per week, twice per week or twice per month; and "occasional" can mean once per week up to once a year. There is no consistent way from chaplaincy to chaplaincy that this is measured.

In some cases the contacts are characterized qualitatively: as signficant or casual. A "significant" contact implies the creation of a relationship in which there is insight or the beginning of change. A "casual" contact means that there is not yet such a relationship, but that the contact is part of the developing trust which is a necessary perequisite of important relationships. Once again, the subjective nature of each estimate makes comparison difficult between community chaplaincies.

It would be interesting to know how many persons are involved in the total number of contacts over a period of one year. None of the chaplains contacted kept records of this nature. While each chaplain could make a reasonable analyis of the "case load" at any given time; none felt confident about projecting it over a year. Some regular contacts last three months, some occasional contacts last several years.

Furthermore, many of the "contacts" made in community chaplaincy may not include the chaplain. Community chaplaincies are not only in and of the community, they are a "community". As such there are many persons other than the chaplain available to enter into relationship with the clients. This is evident from the large number of linkages most of these projects have and from the important role of volunteers and family members. There are no records of these contacts. In estimating the efficacy of these projects some measure of these contacts would be helpful, too.

In the client base, it would be interesting to know how many are actually in prison (many of the contacts are made during visits to the prison), how many are under legal supervision outside of the prison, and how many are beyond WED. It would be interesting to know how many are under or have completed federal sentences and how many provincial sentences. It would be interesting to know what the profile of the ex-offender who benefits most from these chaplaincies is or even if there is one such profile.

It would be interesting to know how many are family members, and whether they are parents or spouses or children.

Part of the "client base" of each community chaplaincy is neither prisoner, ex-prisoner or prisoner family. It is the local faith community and citizenry, the focus of the community education work of the community chaplaincies.

These considerations suggest that a proper analysis of the client base of the community chaplaincies should be the subject of a separate study.

Some idea of the potential may be gathered from the following picture. However, it is a picture painted with a brush of questionable measurements, hesitant assumptions and unclear meaning. Of the eight community chaplaincies who offered to estimate their client base, the total of regular and occasional contacts with offenders, ex-offenders and family members was about 4,375 persons. Averaged and projected over the 23 projects, this suggests a total contact base of 12,600 persons.

Recommendation 8: Chaplaincy Management Team should recommend guidelines for gathering information about contacts made by the community chaplaincy program.

DISCUSSION

A unique opportunity

The dual relationship of the community chaplain with the faith community and the Mission of the CSC constitutes a unique opportunity. The spiritual mandate is a key that opens many doors. It is welcomed even by faith communities different from that of the chaplain, and by persons such as those in some victims groups, who though not necessarily spiritually defined or committed, interpret this spiritual commitment as a guarantee of respect for the person. An informed and sympathetic understanding of the peace-keeping role of the CSC can help these communities collaborate more effectively.

A partnership with government

Fundamental changes are occurring in the environment which favour government entering into various forms of partnerships [A discusion of government partnerships can be found in an article by A. Rodal and N. Mulder, "Partnerships,devolution and power-sharing: issues and implications for management," Optimum - The Journal of Public Sector Management , Winter 1993, Volume 24-3, pp. 27-48, and in another article in the same issue by Alti Rodal, "Managing Partnerships", pp. 49-63.] and community chaplaincies represent a good example of the issues involved. Community chaplaincies make and implement their own decisions about priorities and methods of operation. They are independent of government. However the partnership is mutually beneficial. The relatively small investment by government in these operations has positive implications for both parties. Community chaplaincies are in close relationship with both offender and the receiving community and are therefore well positioned to analyze the problems of reintegrating society and to bring about solutions. They are close to the world affected by crime, and can help that world assume responsibility for overcoming its negative impact. As in other partnerships, "citizens, as the major stakeholders, can and should play a very active role". [Rodal and Mulder, op. cit., p.30] The government can bring its knowledge of criminal justice matters as advice and a resource for the chaplaincy.They can bring a wide range of volunteer service into action for the common good, an important feature of many government partnerships. [Ibid. , p. 31] Their wide range of linkages can bring a perspective to the government agenda that might be difficult to obtain in other ways. [Ibid.] On the other hand, the government perspective can enrich the work of the community chaplaincy.In a time of diminishing resources partnership with community chaplaincies enables the government to be in relationship to a wide range of community resources, and the involvement of the government stimulates the faith communities to take the initiative. Risk to the government is diminished.

Accountability

Community chaplaincies have a variety of accountability lines.

All community chaplains have a Board, either a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board (Toronto and Calgary). These boards are accountable for the work of the chaplaincy and take it very seriously.

All community chaplains are members of a faith community that has structure and standards. The chaplain is accountable to this group as a person. The work of the chaplaincy should also be acceptable to this group. While the faith community as such only occasionally assumes any formal responsibility for the work of the chaplaincy, there is an accountability dimension in the relationship through the person of the chaplain.

Some community chaplaincies are under the umbrella of a wider networking organization, such as the Christian Council for Reconciliation in the Atlantic Region. This group accepts a measure of accountability for its member groups, moving to improve a situation when things aren't going very well.

The Interfaith Committee on Chaplaincy, which advises the CSC on religious and spiritual programming, includes in its concerns the delivery of these programs in the community. It has a concern and a mandate for accountability with respect to community chaplaincies.

There is also accountability to the people being served. When something goes wrong in community chaplaincy it is revealed in a loss of energy for effective intervention. It results in declining numbers and unhappy clientele. Instead of service for improvement and community development, there is status quo.

Entering into a partnership with community chaplaincies is one example of a variety of new partnerships for the government which have become important channels of influence. These "open new channels of accountability - for example, to the community or to constituencies represented by the various partners." [Ibid. , p. 37] Traditionally, accountability procedures have been associated in a linear way with monthly payments. Invoices indicate hours worked, the number of visits / contacts, hours spent in volunteer supervision, program administration, etc. The disadvantage of this traditional approach is that it falls short of capturing the important qualities of relationship-building and community development and the degree to which the community chaplaincy is responsive to the needs, standards and approaches of the constituency it represents. There are other ways.The model in use for institutional chaplaincies seems to be more appropriate as a way of bringing these various accountabilities together. The time interval should be considerably longer than the monthly billing process and the various accountability frameworks should be in touch with each other.

Recommendation 9: Agreements between the CSC and community chaplaincies should outline the accountability structures that the Community Chaplaincy will follow.

Recommendation 10: The Regional Chaplain should periodically invite persons involved in the accountability map of each community chaplaincy to meet so that concerns and suggestions may be tabled in a synergistic manner.

Leadership issues

Leadership is always a challenge, and especially so in this type of partnership. It requires persons "who can act as leaders, with the appropriate attitudes, expertise and training to be able to communicate and build consensus among stakeholders around what they perceive to be in the public interest." [Ibid.] Effective community chaplains are able to influence a wide variety of partners. The Boards of the community chaplaincies play an important leadership role, both in their role as board and individually in the various constituencies they come from.Faith communities require leadership and community chaplains can play an important role. The faith communities themselves are not without anger. Some of the resistance to community residential facilities for offenders on supervision or to the new women's prisons have come from faith groups. However, other voices of peace and reconciliation exist. Community chaplains have sometimes succeeded in being this alternate voice, or in informing these alternate leaders, or in enabling the voices of these leaders to be heard in conferences they have sponsored. From the government side, the type of leadership exerted by the chaplaincy division of the CSC has been to promote and develop the rationale through the production of a video, through speeches at fund-raising banquets and in small group meetings; through responding to needs where possible and facilitating communication between the community chaplaincies. It has enabled the chaplaincies to benefit from training developed under the government-wide Family Violence Initiative. It has offered advice and resources for program and policy development, and promoted a broad and knowledgeable approach to the work. It could, perhaps, do more: provide orientation training if requested and contribute to efforts to improve communication among the chaplaincies. However, government has avoided a direct hands-on style of leadership. [In general the acceptability of this style of government involvement is declining. Many more centers of authority and responsibility are emerging in the community which are closer to those most affected by particular issues. It has been possible to retain a leadership role in important areas of facilitation and policy development by consulting stakeholders and encouraging wide ownership in seeking out solutions. See ibid. , pp. 38-39] Recommendation 11: Community chaplains, representative board members and CSC managers should be convened for the purposes of improving their ability to achieve their goals, to communicate better with each other and to appreciate their accountability frameworks.

Religions other than Christian

All of the present community chaplaincies are rooted in the Christian community. All of them reach out to all people in their need. None of them deal exclusively with committed Christians. The Toronto Community Chaplaincy has made intentional efforts to relate to the Muslim and Jewish communities. The Saskatoon Community Chaplaincy is intentional in its efforts to embrace the Aboriginal peoples and their spirituality. This combination of spiritual rootedness and openness to human need is essential to successful community chaplaincies and it is quite conceivable that some kind of support for community chaplaincies other than Christian become a reality in the near future.

Selection criteria

Agreement by CSC to enter into partnership with a community chaplaincy should involve an assessment of the leadership potential, of strong links to a particular part of the faith community, of the ability to provide a variety of appropriate services, of the ability to build community relationships, and an appreciation and acceptance of the need to work in a complex set of accountability structures.

CONCLUSION

The community chaplaincy projects impress by the enormous range of activities they offer ex-offenders, their families and families of offenders. They impress perhaps even more by their ability to establish relationships with a wide variety of community associations to form a web of support and healing for a community attempting to deal with crime. An investment by government is multiplied many times by a combination of community and individual monetary and in-kind donations. Community chaplaincies provide an alternative route from the more publicized path defined by a reactive desire to increase punishment. Community chaplaincies are liked by the communities. They are seen as a presence for good.

On the other hand, it is very difficult for them to survive without some government help. None have succeeded in becoming totally self-supporting.

The reader is invited to read the accounts of individual community chaplaincies, Part 2 of this report, to capture a more detailed perspective on individual community chaplaincies, and to nourish a more lively appreciation of the initiative as a whole.

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS

Recommendation 1: (p.7) The community chaplain, board members and key leaders, including those from the parole office, should meet to discuss the various ways to understand the rationale and reflect about the implications for the work of their chaplaincy.

Recommendation 2: (p. 8) Community chaplains, members of their board and key leaders include an examination this list of activities in planning their own work.

Recommendation 3: (p. 9) Training should be provided so that successful programs (Overcomers, Cope, Relapse Prevention, Life Skills, etc.) could be more widely used.

Recommendation 4: (p. 9) Community chaplains should be introduced to the correctional strategy in CSC which matches needs and programs for offenders.

Recommendation 5: (p. 11) Community chaplains, their board members and key leaders should examine their linkages in the wider community to see if suggestions are in order about enlarging, shrinking or nurturing them.

Recommendation 6: (p. 11) CSC encourage the participation of community chaplaincies in the ENABLE E-mail system being developed at Edmonton Community Chaplaincy.

Recommendation 7: (p. 11) Representative board members from community chaplaincies should meet to develop long term financial strategy.

Recommendation 8: (p. 14) Chaplaincy Management Team should recommend guidelines for gathering information about contacts made by the community chaplaincy program.

Recommendation 9: (p. 16) Agreements between the CSC and community chaplaincies should outline the accountability structures that the Community Chaplaincy will follow.

Recommendation 10: (p. 16) The Regional Chaplain should periodically invite persons involved in the accountability map of each community chaplaincy to meet so that concerns and suggestions may be tabled in a synergistic manner.

Recommendation 11: (p. 17) Community chaplains, representative board members and CSC managers be convened for the purposes of improving their ability to achieve their goals, to communicate better with each other and to appreciate their accountability frameworks.

REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

Edwards, Commissioner John, Let's Talk, Volume 19, No. 4, December 1994

McKnight, John, "Community and its Counterfeits", Interviewed on Ideas, CBC Radio Works, 3,10,17 January 1994

Naklik Productions, Friends on Main Street, Community Chaplaincy with Ex-Offenders, Ottawa, Ontario, 1991

Perkins, John M., The Concept of Christian Community Development, John M. Perkins Foundation, 1581 Navarro Ave., Pasadena, CA 91103 (undated).

Rodal, Alti and Mulder, Nick, "Partnerships, devolution and power-sharing: issues and implications for management," Optimum - The Journal of Public Sector Management, Winter 1993, Volume 24-3, pp. 27-48

Rodal, Alti, "Managing Partnerships", Optimum - The Journal of Public Sector Management, Winter 1993, Volume 24-3, pp. 49-63.

Shaw, Margaret, Evaluation of the Coverdale Community Chaplaincy Project (draft), Secretariat of the Department of the Solicitor General, 1994