Question Period Note: Structured Intervention Units

Media is reporting on the implementation of CSC’s Structured Intervention Units and the experiences of inmates inside the Units.

• Our government passed legislation that ended administrative segregation in November 2019, replacing it with a new model that provides targeted interventions, programs and healthcare.

• There are significantly fewer inmates in Structured Intervention Units than in the former model, as they are being used only as a last resort following efforts to manage inmates within the mainstream inmate population.

• An inmate in a Structured Intervention Unit is visited daily by staff. This could include their parole officer, health care professionals, correctional officers, primary workers, Elders and Chaplains as well as other inmates and visitors.

• As the Correctional Investigator has highlighted, Structured Intervention Units provide greater access to services, staff, programs and interventions targeted to the needs of inmates.

• As a result of the recommendations provided by independent review bodies, the Service has taken a number of actions, including:

o Enhancements to monitoring and reporting, while replicating best practices across the country.

o Updates to information management systems to produce accurate data and demonstrate compliance with the legislation.

Structured Intervention Units (SIUs) allow CSC to separate inmates who cannot be managed within a mainstream inmate population while continuing to provide these inmates the opportunity to access rehabilitative programming and interventions. On a daily basis, inmates in an SIU:

• Receive offers of interventions and programming specific to the reasons that led to the transfer, and to assist in facilitating their return to mainstream population;
• Have an opportunity to be outside of their cell for at least four hours a day, and have an opportunity to interact with others for at least two hours;
• Receive a visit from the Institutional Head;
• Receive time to shower; and
• Receive daily visits from healthcare professionals who may recommend for health reasons that the inmate’s conditions of confinement be altered or that they not remain in the unit.

SIUs are for inmates who cannot be managed safely within a mainstream inmate population. An inmate could be transferred to an SIU if they are a threat to any person or the security of the institution, their safety is in jeopardy or their placement in the mainstream population would interfere with an investigation, and there is no reasonable alternative.

Inmates in SIUs are provided with opportunities to participate in structured interventions, hobbies, leisure and physical activities, as well as research-based programming to address their specific risks and needs, with the goal of facilitating their reintegration into a mainstream inmate population as soon as possible. It is expected that SIUs will enhance correctional outcomes, as well as assist in reducing the rate of institutional violent incidents, resulting in a safer environment for staff, inmates and visitors.
Structured Intervention Unit Statistics
As of April 7, 2022 there were 156 inmates in an SIU across Canada. This represents less than 1.5% of total number of inmates in federal custody.
At the middle of fiscal year 2019-2020, there were 266 inmates in administrative segregation, a decrease of 63% compared to the number of inmates in administrative segregation at the beginning of fiscal year 2014-2015. On average, the number of inmates in SIUs during the month of January 2022 was 165.

Independent External Decision Makers
Independent External Decision Makers (IEDM) provide oversight related to an inmate’s conditions, frequency, and duration of confinement in an SIU and review cases.
As of March 31, 2022, there have been 2,170 condition of confinement reviews under CCRA section 37.83(1) that resulted in a determination by IEDMs. In 80% of these cases, it was determined that all reasonable steps were taken to provide inmates with opportunities for time out of cell and interaction with others and encourage them to take advantage of these opportunities.
In the remaining 20%, the IEDMs have made recommendations to CSC. Once the decision from an IEDM is received, CSC has 7 days to act upon it.
Structured Intervention Unit Regional Disparities
CSC is aware of the statistical disparities across regions and there are several factors that could explain this, including the profile of SIU inmates. SIUs respond to inmates with different needs, just as different institutions in different regions accommodate different inmate profiles, based on factors such as Security Threat Group affiliation or type of index offence.
There are also differences in geography and infrastructure across the regions, which can affect SIU operations. In addition, some regions have been more severely impacted by COVID-19, including higher rates of community transmission, outbreaks and public health restrictions. We are working to further understand this and are sharing best practices from different sites with others across the country.
Structured Intervention Unit – response to external reports

In response to the independent reports issued to CSC by Dr. Doob, CSC has undertaken a number of initiatives to improve the collection of data and ensuring its compliance with its legislated mandate. For example, since the inception of the SIU and the LTE-SIU project, there have been several version releases. Most notably is the 1.6 release, which occurred on October 30th, 2021. With this release, the LTE-SIU application has the ability to collect information required to align with the legislative requirements, such as:

• The ability to track Section 36 (1) of the CCRA (CSC’s minimum requirement: inmates are offered 4 hours out of cell and 2 hours of interaction time).
• Language in the application matches the legislation; and

In addition to data improvements, CSC has created and shared guidelines of best practices with all regions, consulted with SIU sites through frequent town halls, meetings and general communications, and the management of SIUs remain a standing item on CSC’s labour management committees. Finally, CSC continues to seek strategies for managing inmates who refuse to participate in daily activities.
Voluntary limited association ranges (VLAR)
SIUs are different from the Voluntary limited association ranges (VLAR), which is one type of mainstream inmate population amongst others and are separate from the SIU model. VLARs are alternative living ranges in which inmates voluntarily agree to reside when they usually feel that they are not ready to fully integrate into a larger mainstream inmate environment. These ranges provide and adhere to the same mainstream institutional routine as other mainstream units.

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