Community Corrections In Canada

Community Corrections in Canada
A Majority of Canada's federal offender population only a portion serve part of their sentences in prison. Canada, like the US offers the chance for offenders to serve in the community, adhering to certain conditions and be supervised by the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC). While the maximum length to be on probation is 3yrs, on any given day there will be about 95,680 more offenders on some form of conditional release supervised by the CSC. The country believes such work is essential because “experience has shown a majority of offenders are more likely to become law-abiding citizens if they participate in a program of gradual, supervised release.” Currently woman account for 20% of those released on

community supervision. Long term and dangerous offenders are about the only ones who will not be eligible for community release. Depending on the length of your sentence is what determines when you are eligible for parole in Canada. The country utilizes community corrections sanctions such as probation, parole and electronic monitoring. Most of the conditions of p/p are the same as in the US. Everyone must remain a law-abiding citizen and depending on the type of sentence special conditions may be given, such as reporting, counseling, and community service. Research has shown them that increased punishment does not produce increase deterrence. However, the extent which community programs are used in Canada is pure evidence that the concept has been overall accepted.
CSC has around 1,355 parole officers and 7,760 correctional officers.

CSC manages and maintains 91 parole offices, 15 community correctional centers and 200+ community residential facilities. In Canada to become employed as a parole/probation officer you must hold a degree in one of the following fields: social work, psychology, sociology, and criminology, possess strong verbal and written communication skills, as well as counselling/assessment skills, and be able to establish and maintain client relationships. Plus, once hired in all new probation/parole officers must successfully complete a comprehensive basic training program that builds on the research and principles of effective correctional intervention and programming. They’re given ongoing training in subjects that’ll help them perform their duties in a professional and effective

manner.
The Parole Board of Canada, has total authority under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, to grant, deny, and revoke parole for offenders serving sentences of two or more years.

They also make the parole decisions for offenders serving sentences of less than two years in all provinces/territories with the exception of Ontario and Quebec, which have their own parole boards. Penitentiaries and parole supervision are overseen by the Correctional Service of Canada under the federal Corrections and Conditional Release Act. The National Parole Board is the conditional release judgement -maker under the same Act. It is an independent administrative tribunal of government appointees who make case by case release decisions. Canada also has a strategic plan for indigenous corrections to respond to their needs in the community due to the high amount that re-enter the system. The first person to be granted ticket of leave in Canada was Henry A. Clermont, who had been convicted of stealing a letter. On November 1899, he was released from St. Vincent de Paul Penitentiary in Montreal. The Canadian Ticket of Leave Act was based almost word for word on the British legislation. There was no reference in the text to the purpose of conditional release, though ticket of leave was generally understood to be a form of pardon. It wasn’t until 1959 when the Parole Board of Canada was created under the Parole Act. Probation is a sentence that may be passed down by a court pursuant to the

Criminal Code, which is established by Parliament, although it must be administered by the provincial or territorial jurisdiction where the crime has taken place. It may be for a period of up to three years and may be combined with a custodial sentence of up to two years less a day, in a provincial prison. Community corrections across the bridge has shown to reduce recidivism slightly. As of now it went from 43-41% with a significant difference in women and men with women dropping from 30-23% with more than half of reconvictions occurring after their sentence was up. Not to mention 93% of men and women combined, have not committed a crime while on parole in the last 10 years and 99% of them not committing a violent new act.
I would have to say after researching it that Canada probably has a better system than the US. In my eyes, the US is a school to prison pipeline. The US is focused more on money and incarceration than they are on rehabilitating offenders. I see the US quick to keep building more prisons but while researching Canada I read over and over how important community corrections are to the county and the citizens. Over in Canada the community is also very involved in helping rehabilitating these offenders back into society. When you have an active community sector, the difference shows. Here in America we kind of shun offenders and even make it tough for them to get jobs. I feel like our system in the US is designed for failure. The US could probably learn a little bit from our neighbors, in my opinion.