COMMISSIONER'S DIRECTIVE

ETHNOCULTURAL OFFENDER PROGRAMS

Policy Bulletin 111

POLICY OBJECTIVE

1. To ensure that the needs and cultural interests of offenders belonging to ethnocultural minority groups are identified and that programs and services are developed and maintained to meet those needs.

AUTHORITIES

2. Corrections and Conditional Release Act, paragraph 4(h), sections 75, 79-84.1;
Corrections and Conditional Release Regulations, sections 100 and 101;
Canadian Multiculturalism Act, section 3;
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, sections 2, 15 and 27.

CROSS REFERENCE

3. Commissioner's Directive 726 - Management of Correctional Programs.

DEFINITION

4. "Ethnocultural minority group offender" refers to any individual or group of individuals who differ from the majority because of their racial, linguistic or cultural characteristics, their system of beliefs and their will to protect their cultural identity.

RESPONSIBILITIES

5. Operational units shall encourage the offenders of designated groups to self-identify and to assist in achieving equitable treatment by clearly articulating special needs.

6. Institutional Heads and District Directors are accountable for achieving ethnocultural offender program objectives stemming from this policy.

7. The Regional Deputy Commissioners shall ensure that operational units are aware that racial harassment and discriminatory behaviour will not be tolerated.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

8. Operational units accommodating ethnocultural offenders who have a demonstrated need for linguistic, cultural or spiritual programs shall make every reasonable effort to meet those needs by offering specialized programs and services, either within the institutions or in the community.

9. Where community services are available for social or cultural activities, operational units shall facilitate and foster access to such services.

10. Persons responsible for designing and delivering programs and services to meet the criminogenic treatment needs of offenders must take into account ethnocultural differences.

11. Operational units shall make every effort to ensure that ethnocultural offenders have access to regular programs, services and activities available at their institution and in the community.

12. In the present policy, paragraphs 8, 9, 10 and 11 must be implemented within reasonable financial limits.

13. Operational units shall make every effort to integrate ethnocultural offenders into the general inmate population. Range placements shall be determined on the basis of risk and of the individual's needs as identified in his or her correctional plan and not on the basis of race, language, religion or ethnic origin.

14. Communications from regions, operational units and National Headquarters shall respect the need to portray ethnocultural minority group members fairly and to avoid stereotyping. Consideration shall also be given to making key work materials available in other languages for those with special needs.

DATA REGARDING ETHNOCULTURAL OFFENDERS

15. The Offender Management System shall include a reliable mechanism for tracking, through the self-identification process, the numbers, the proportions and the needs of offenders belonging to ethnocultural minority groups.

ETHNOCULTURAL ADVISORY BODIES

16. The Regional Deputy Commissioners shall ensure that regional and operational unit Citizen's Advisory Committees reflect regional ethnocultural diversity in order to provide advice on regional ethnocultural issues, and to ensure liaison and consultation, as required, with the ethnocultural communities.

17. A regional ethnocultural advisory group shall be composed of selected employees and of representatives from ethnocultural organizations, including selected members mentioned in paragraph 16. The group shall assist the region in establishing and coordinating activities for ethnocultural offenders, and in promoting a better understanding of multiculturalism issues among staff and offenders.

18. Regions, as well as operational units and National Headquarters, shall liaise with outside ethnocultural communities and promote the participation of volunteers from these communities.

CULTURAL GROUPS/ASSOCIATIONS

19. Operational units shall permit offenders to form cultural or multicultural groups or associations in order to pursue their cultural needs and interests, provided the prospective groups develop and submit, for approval, terms of reference that are congruent with the spirit of the Mission of the Correctional Service of Canada and statutory requirements.

MONITORING

20. The regions shall report on an annual basis:

1. on their performance against ethnocultural offender program objectives;
2. on the activities they carried out in compliance with the Canadian Multiculturalism Act.

POLICY IMPLEMENTATION

21. Executive Committee submissions pertaining to offender management, including programs and services, shall contain, where appropriate, an analysis in relation to the needs of offenders from ethnocultural minority groups.

22. National guidelines for the implementation of this policy shall be established in consultation with regions and operational units.

Original signed by
Lucie McClung, Commissioner

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