COVID-19 Planning for Federal Corrections

Date: June 15, 2020

Classification: Unclassified

Branch/Agency: CSC

Issue: Currently, across the country, there is only one remaining active COVID-19 case among inmates across CSC’s 43 institutions, namely, the Federal Training Centre in the Quebec Region. The last outbreak will be declared over by June 16, 2020, if there are no new cases.

Proposed Response:

Background: The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) is focusing its efforts on minimizing the risk of spreading COVID-19 to institutions. CSC has strengthened infection and prevention procedures to protect staff, offenders, and volunteers.

CSC is continuing ongoing communications with staff, inmates, and visitors on preventative measures consistent with public health guidance, including hygiene practices, physical distancing and increased signage.

Current Measures

Cases among Inmates

As of June 15, 2020, 360 inmates have tested positive, and 357 or 99% have recovered. Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been outbreaks at five institutions with three of them now fully resolved: Port-Cartier Institution, in the Quebec Region; Grand Valley Institution for Women, in the Ontario Region; and, Mission Institution, in the Pacific Region. There are two institutions with remaining outbreaks: Joliette Institution for Women, in the Quebec Region, which has no remaining active cases, but can’t be declared virus-free until a set period of time has passed without a new case; and, Federal Training Centre, also in the Quebec Region, which has one active case. To date, out of 142 of our employees who have tested positive, 132 or 93% have fully recovered.

Personal Protective Equipment

CSC continue to take exceptional measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in all CSC institutions to limit the risk to inmates and staff, including having everyone at sites wear masks.

Despite the existence of personal protective equipment (PPE), and associated guidelines and training prior to the onset of the pandemic, and given the need for widespread use of PPE during these times, revised information on the use of PPE has been promulgated including posters to guide staff in proper Donning and Doffing procedures (issued April 3) and updated Guidelines for the Use of PPE (issued April 8).

Financial Government Support

On June 9, 2020, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the Honourable Bill Blair, announced the Government of Canada’s intention to provide up to $500,000 to five National Voluntary Organizations (NVOs) for them to develop pilot projects aimed at adapting important  services that assist with the reintegration of offenders under supervision at community-based residential facilities (halfway houses), and to develop knowledge to help similar organizations learn from the innovative responses that have been implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Release of Offenders

The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) and the Parole Board of Canada (PBC) are working collaboratively to facilitate the safe release of federal inmates into the community with public safety being paramount in all discretionary release decisions. As mandated by the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA), all releases to the community happen within existing authorities.

CSC and PBC continue to process eligible inmates for release in accordance with the law. A number of considerations go into release decision-making with public safety being the paramount consideration. COVID-19 and other health related issues are only one of the many considerations taken into account when releasing offenders into the community so it is not possible to provide a number of offenders who have been released solely due to COVID-19. 

In response to the pandemic, CSC has been proactively reviewing eligible non-violent lower risk inmates and referring them to the PBC for consideration, including those with underlying medical conditions that make them more vulnerable to COVID-19.  As noted by the PBC on their website, they will consider the offender’s health or health risk posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, if relevant as part of the risk assessment, along with all other information on file. 

CSC and PBC have worked to streamline the case preparation process for offenders. In addition, PBC is working to ensure cases are dealt with as expeditiously as possible, using risk- and evidence-based decision-making.

Since the beginning of March 2020, the federal custody population has declined by 743 inmates (as of June 7, 2020). This reduction is the result of fewer admissions from the provinces and territories coupled with continued releases into the community.

We are engaging with our community partners on an ongoing basis to ensure that offenders on conditional release have a safe, secure and supportive environment to which they can return. This is an important part of any safe and successful release into the community.

Next Steps

To shape the “new normal”, the Commissioner has created a governance structure made up of subject matter experts, union representatives, senior managers from different sectors of CSC and external representatives, to look at different operational activities and make recommendations. As a first step, CSC is preparing to resume some services, activities and programs. These decisions are based on whether there is community transmission of the virus and on public health guidance.

One of CSC’s first priorities is to support offender safe releases; we are therefore looking at resuming group programming in the near future. Group programming will look different than prior to COVID-19. Groups will be significantly smaller, chairs will be spaced 3 meters apart, everyone will be wearing masks, and session lengths may be shorter. CSC will continue to explore and identify with public health authorities how to adapt our environments and infrastructure to increase our ability to prevent the transmission of COVID-19.

For correctional programs, in places where there is no local transmission of COVID-19, we expect to begin resuming correctional programs at some sites by the end of the month.

CSC is hoping that within the next few weeks, if it is safe to do so, and with appropriate infection prevention control measures in place, to have Social Programs Officers, Elders and Chaplains on site, increased yard time, access to gym and equipment for inmates.

Contacts:

Prepared by: Bailey Milne, Officer Parliamentary Relations, 613-315-4555

Approved by: Kirstan Gagnon, Assistant Commissioner, Communications & Engagement, 613-995-6867

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