Question Period Note: Overrepresentation of Specific Groups in Federal Institutions

• The Government of Canada remains concerned about the overrepresentation of Black and Indigenous peoples in our federal institutions and is taking actions to address the factors that have contributed to the disproportion, which includes:

• The creation of Indigenous Interventions Centres to provide streamlined support to Indigenous offenders, from the commencement of their sentence.

• The streamlining of the Section 84 release process to remove barriers to participation.

• The implementation of several reintegration initiatives that support Indigenous offenders as they transition to a life in the community, including project funding for Indigenous organizations delivering trauma and life skills interventions.

• Implementing the Indigenous Offender Employment Initiative in Prairie, Ontario and Pacific Regions.

• An Ethnocultural Action Framework, whereby over 60 staff members provide key support to ethnocultural offenders at the site level on a volunteer basis.

• Promoting and monitoring Day Parole releases to an ‘Other Location’ for ethnocultural offenders, to enhance access to cultural supports and services in the community.

• Culturally relevant correctional programming for Indigenous offenders and Inuit men offenders as well as training for staff.

• Despite these efforts, we recognize there is more work to be done.

• That is why I asked the Commissioner to create a Deputy Commissioner for Indigenous Corrections position.

• We must also continue to work with our partners to support the rehabilitation of Indigenous offenders and ensure they are provided the tools and services they need to successfully reintegrate into the community.

If Pressed: Progress

• The Correctional Service of Canada is committed to making a positive impact on racialized offenders in its custody.

• There have been some important improvements in performance outcomes for Black, other racialized, and Indigenous offenders, including:

o The percentage of time served from admission to first release for Black offenders with a determinate sentence decreased by 12% over the past decade.

o The rate of Black offenders who had their conditional release suspended, or revoked, while on supervision in the community decreased by over 42% and 45% respectively since 2015-16.

o During the same period, the rate of Black offenders who have been convicted of a serious or violent conviction while on supervision in the community decreased by over 42%.

o Discretionary releases (i.e. day and full parole) of offenders are increasingly successful, with results for Indigenous offenders increasing by almost 10% since in 2015-16.

• Since 2017, CSC has increased its efforts to address Indigenous over-incarceration by enhancing culturally relevant and appropriate programs and support for Indigenous offenders, both in custody and on conditional release.

• There is still much to be done and the Service remains committed to continuing its commitment to improve results.

If Pressed - Indigenous Women

• The Government of Canada is concerned about the overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in our judicial system and is taking meaningful action to address the systemic factors that have contributed to it.

• This includes:

o Ongoing work to increase in successful transfers to Healing Lodges, whereby culturally appropriate services and programs are offered;

o Indigenous teachings and healing being made available at all women’s institutions through Elders and/or Spiritual Advisors.

o Correctional programming for Indigenous women offenders, which include a program continuum from intake to sentence expiry, designed to meet the specific needs of Indigenous women offenders by including ceremonial sessions, culturally relevant materials and Elder involvement.

o In addition, Correctional Service Canada has implemented a National Indigenous Plan to streamline resources and services, and also created Indigenous Interventions Centres to provide support for offenders at the start of a sentence.

• Despite these efforts, we recognize there is more work to do to end the overrepresentation of Indigenous women in our criminal justice system.

• That is why we will continue to work with Indigenous partners to support the rehabilitation of Indigenous offenders and ensure they are provided the tools and services they need to successfully reintegrate into the community.

Indigenous Offenders

The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) continues to see an increase in the proportion of federally sentenced Indigenous offenders. At the end of Fiscal year 2020-2021, Indigenous offenders represented 31.6% of the total in custody population and Indigenous women offenders represented 43.2% of the total in custody women population.

CSC is working to respond to the disproportionate representation of Indigenous peoples in custody, through a variety of programs. The following are examples of such actions taken by the Service.

• The implementation of the National Indigenous Plan, which includes streamlining existing Indigenous resources and services to ensure that those offenders choosing to access the Indigenous Continuum of Care interventions are prioritized for placement at specific sites.
• Indigenous Interventions Centres (IICs) are a key component of regional Indigenous action plans. The IICs integrate intake, programs and interventions, and engage Indigenous communities at the start of an Indigenous offender’s sentence, or at least at two years before their first eligibility date.
• The implementation of the Pathways Initiative for offenders who are committed to following an intensive traditional path of healing which includes the active involvement of Elders. The Indigenous Women’s Pathways Continuum provides opportunities for Indigenous women to engage in intensive healing interventions supported by Elders through specific activities.
• The provision of correctional programming for Indigenous offenders and Inuit men offenders, designed to meet their specific needs by including ceremonial sessions, culturally relevant materials and Elder involvement.
• The development and continued deliverance of Indigenous Social History (ISH) training for staff. The focus of this training is the integration of ISH considerations in decision-making and increased responsiveness to the unique needs of Indigenous offenders in interventions.
• In December 2019, a Sub-Committee of our Executive Committee convened to focus discussions on Indigenous Corrections. This committee identified eight priority areas that span not only in the federal correctional continuum, but also in CSC’s efforts to recruit and sustain an exemplary level of Indigenous staff, enhance Elder interventions, and collaborate across federal government departments as well as with provincial and territorial counterparts.
• CSC has developed and continues to deliver Indigenous Social History (ISH) training for staff. The focus of this training is the integration of ISH considerations in decision-making and increased responsiveness to the unique needs of Indigenous offenders in interventions.
• The Connecting Spirits, Creating Opportunities (CSCO) initiative is a wellness and community-building initiative for Indigenous employees that will support the participants and their managers in career planning. Ultimately, the goal of the CSCO is to promote retention of culturally competent Indigenous employees in support of succession planning.
• In 2017-18, CORCAN commenced implementation of the Indigenous Offender Employment Initiative (IOEI) in the Prairie Region, including expanded construction skills training programs at the three CSC operated Healing Lodges, and the Edmonton Institution for Women, as well as expansions at men’s sites in the region and the opening of two CORCAN Community Industries (Saskatoon and Edmonton). Implementation is continuing over several years, with additional plans in Pacific and Ontario Regions to continue enhancements in 2022-23. IOEI has also resulted in development and implementation of Indigenous men and Indigenous women curriculums for essential skills training related to employment, and most recently in the launching of an Indigenous Entrepreneurship program in the Prairie Region.

 
Indigenous Women Offenders

Since late December there have been articles published on data from Dr. Zinger detailing that the number of Indigenous women incarcerated in federal prisons was very close to the 50% mark.

On May 5th, an article was published in the Globe and Mail detailing that there is now an equal 50/50 ratio of imprisoned Indigenous women compared to non-Indigenous women.

The article also questioned progress on the creation of a Deputy Minister for Indigenous Corrections highlighting its inclusion in the Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ (MMIWG) 231 calls for justice. It is acknowledged that while the government eventually agreed to prioritize the hiring of a deputy commissioner for Indigenous corrections, it has not yet begun a hiring process.

CSC’s approach to working with Indigenous women is holistic, women-centred, and founded on the principles identified in the 1990 Creating Choices report, the 1997 National Strategy on Aboriginal Corrections, and the 2006-2011 Strategic Plan for Aboriginal Corrections. Creating Choices specifically advocated for the creation of a Healing Lodge for Indigenous women inmates that would focus on traditional healing practices in a culturally relevant environment. The opening of the Okimaw Ohci Healing Lodge (OOHL) in 1995 was a major milestone towards meeting the healing and reintegration needs of this unique population. OOHL provides culturally appropriate programming and traditional healing practices, facilitated by Elders and Spiritual Advisors. To better meet the needs of Indigenous women, the capacity of OOHL was expanded from 44 to 60 beds in 2016.

In September 2011, CSC and the Native Counselling Services of Alberta collaborated on the opening of the first section 81 facility for women, Buffalo Sage Wellness Centre, which provided 16 multi-level beds for women offenders with four beds designated as section 84 releases. In November 2017, the Agreement was expanded and an additional 12 beds were added for a total of 28 beds. (Section 81 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act allows CSC to enter into an agreement with an Indigenous community for the provision of correctional services to Indigenous offenders.)

In July 2019, CSC signed an agreement with the Indigenous Women’s Healing Centre (IWHC)’s Eagle Women’s Lodge (EWL) to convert EWL from a Community Residential Facility (CRF) into a Healing Lodge. This agreement provides a greater number of women with timely access to beds in a Healing Lodge closer to their community. This multi-level facility will accommodate up to 30 women classified as minimum and, on a case-by-case basis, medium security and conditionally released federally sentenced women.

An Indigenous women’s Healing Lodge has opened in Toronto, Ontario. Indigenous healing is facilitated at all women’s institutions through Elders and/or Spiritual Advisors, and is supported by both Indigenous Correctional Program Officers and Indigenous Liaison Officers.

Pathways Healing Units were established at Fraser Valley Institution, Edmonton Institution for Women and Grand Valley Institution to meet the healing and correctional needs of Indigenous women in preparation for either release to the community, or transfer to OOHL, or a section 81 healing lodge (i.e. Buffalo Sage Wellness Centre or Eagle Women’s Lodge). As of 2016, a full Women Offender Pathway Continuum was introduced at these three institutions to provide opportunities to women inmates at all three security levels to participate in the initiative. Also, in 2009, Nova Institution introduced an Aboriginal healing house that provides cultural interventions similar to those offered in Pathways Units.

Black Offenders

At the end of 2020-21, there were 8.6% of incarcerated offenders who had identified themselves as Black, while there were 7.1% of offenders supervised in the community did so. From 2016-2017 to 2020-2021, the proportional decrease of incarcerated Black offenders showed a decrease of 7.2%, in contrast to incarcerated Caucasian offenders which was 23.2%, and during the same period.

CSC reviewed how ethnocultural offenders are reintegrating in the community in terms of program participation, employment opportunities and successful completion of sentence. It is anticipated that the full research report will be available in Spring 2022. CSC invested $20,000 for this project, in addition to approximately a 1.5 full time employee equivalent from CSC’s Research Branch (combination of research managers, analysts and students). CSC used a combination of internal and external resources, in collaboration with Nipissing University.

Currently, Black offenders are offered varied interventions and services aimed at supporting their reintegration. These initiatives include:
• addressing cultural employment and mentorship needs;
• receiving virtual community in-reach from community service providers and volunteers, when possible;
• providing culturally-relevant materials for personal development purposes; and
• when appropriate, recommending and facilitating Day Parole releases to “other locations”, as defined by the Parole Board of Canada, which may include offenders’ home communities in order to support access to enhanced cultural supports.

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