Prevalence of Sexual Coercion and Violence (SCV) in Federal Custody
Description
Public Safety Canada (PS) is committed to reducing crime and enhancing the safety of our communities through effective prevention, policing, and corrections. With respect to federal corrections, the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) is responsible for maintaining a safe environment for inmates and staff working in correctional institutions. This includes freedom and protection from sexual coercion and violence.
In its 2019-2020 report, the Correctional Investigator (CI) recommended that "the Minister of Public Safety directs that CSC designate funds for a national prevalence study of sexual coercion and violence involving inmates in federal corrections" (Office of the Correctional Investigator, 2020). Currently, the prevalence of sexual coercion and violence in federal correctional institutions is unknown. PS is committed to addressing this gap.
The overall objective of the project, led by the Research Division, Crime Prevention Branch, PS, is to (1) estimate the prevalence of sexual victimization (i.e., sexual coercion, sexual violence, and sexual harassment) in Canadian federal correctional institutions, and (2) elucidate the nature and extent of the problem for racialized and at-risk groups (e.g., Indigenous individuals, Black Canadians, other racialized/ethnic minority groups, women, individuals with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQQIA+). The results of this research are intended to inform program and policy development aimed at preventing, tracking, and responding to sexual coercion and violence in federal institutions.
The project consists of at a minimum, the development of a research methodology and a pilot study to test the methodology. Dependent on the results of the pilot study, a national study may be conducted if there is satisfactory participation. Both the pilot and national studies will be conducted with offenders who were incarcerated in federal institutions within the last 5 years, but are currently under community supervision, including residents of Community-Based Residential Facilities (CRFs) and Community Correctional Centers (CCCs).
This project has concluded following the pilot study due to insufficient response rates. As a result, PS will not proceed to the national study phase for offenders under community supervision.
Why a privacy impact assessment was completed
A Privacy Impact Assessment was completed to identify and mitigate potential privacy risks associated with this study.
Additional information
This project is conducted on behalf of Public Safety Canada by an external independent expert (researchers at Ontario Tech University) with experience and capacity to conduct research on this topic in a correctional setting. PS is the Project Authority for this external contract and provides consultative oversights throughout the entire project, including the development of the methodology and reviewing deliverables. CSC will provide personal information about potential participants to PS for the purpose of recruiting participants and obtaining informed consent. As such, for both pilot and national studies conducted with those currently under community supervision, PS will be responsible for participant recruitment, and the contractor will be responsible for data collection from the anonymous survey and data analysis/reporting. The independent contractor will not be given any personal information about the prospective participants and will provide PS with anonymous survey data and related analysis.
The information obtained from participants through the survey consists of the following:
- Demographics: Race, official language, gender identity, sexual orientation, health conditions/disability status, residency, incarceration length.
- History of witnessing SCV in federal custody: Participant responses to questions about whether they have witnessed another inmate or staff member coerce, harass, threaten, or physically force someone into having sex or sexual contact.
- History of experiencing SCV in federal custody: Participant responses to questions about whether they have personally experienced another inmate or staff member coerce, harass, threaten, or physically force them into having sex or sexual contact.
- Information on the impacts of SCV: Participant responses to questions about how experiences of SCV impacted them psychologically/ emotionally, and whether they have received support.
Related personal information banks
This bank describes information related to individuals who participate in outreach activities sponsored by government institutions. Such activities may involve consultations through various means, including hard-copy correspondence, e-mail, contests and competitions, success stories or the use of social media platforms including wikis, blogs, and other collaborative Internet technologies that are used or hosted by the institution. In some cases, individuals will be given prior notice that consultations will be recorded (audio or video). Types of activities may include surveys, symposia, conferences, forums, roundtables, seminars, and workshops. Personal information may include: name, contact information, biographical information, credit information, dietary restrictions and preferences, employee identification number, employment equity information, financial information, Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, medical information, and opinions and views of, or about, individuals.
For more information about this privacy impact assessment
Seung Lee, Research Advisor
Email: seung.lee@ps-sp.gc.ca
Phone : 343-597-9720
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