Correctional Service of Canada

The Correctional Service of Canada (French: Service correctionnel du Canada), or CSC, is a Canadian government agency responsible for the incarceration and rehabilitation of convicted criminal offenders.

The Correctional Service of Canada came into being on December 21st, 1978, when Queen Elizabeth II, signed authorization for the newly commissioned agency and presented it with its Coat of Arms.

The Commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada is an executive appointment in the Public Service of Canada. This appointed position reports directly to the Minister of Public Safety Canada and thereby accountable to the public via the Parliament.

The current Commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada is Dr. Keith Coulter, who is a lifelong public servant and decorated military veteran.

Mission statement
"The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC), as part of the criminal justice system and respecting the rule of law, contributes to public safety by actively encouraging and assisting offenders to become law-abiding citizens, while exercising reasonable, safe, secure and humane control."

Legislative jurisdiction
The operation of the CSC is governed by federal statute under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act and Corrections and Conditional Release Regulations. In addition, the statute provides for discretion under the directive of the Commissioner. However, all Commissioner's Directives must remain within the parameters of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Corrections and Conditional Release Act.

The Correctional Service of Canada only has jurisdiction over offenders in Canada for court-imposed sentences greater than 24 months (two years).

International treaties applying to CSC operations

 * United Nations Charter
 * Universal Declaration of Human Rights
 * Convention on the Rights of the Child
 * International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
 * International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
 * Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
 * Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners

Court-imposed sentencing
There are two types of court-imposed sentences:
 * 1) a determinate sentence;
 * 2) an indeterminate sentence.

A determinate sentence is a sentence with a completion date (example five years, seven months), called a "Warrant of Expiry". This date is court imposed, at which time the Correctional Service of Canada no longer has jurisdiction over the offender.

An indeterminate sentence is a sentence that is commonly referred to as a "life sentence". The Correctional Service of Canada has jurisdiction over the offender until the offender passes away. Although the court does impose a minimum number of years before the offender can apply to the National Parole Board for conditional release. Thus, a court-imposed sentence of life with no parole for twenty-five years would indicate that the offender would be incarcerated for a minimum of twenty five years prior to consideration for a potential conditional release to the community, under the supervision of a community parole officer.

Security classification of offenders
There are three levels of security within the Correctional Service of Canada. They include maximum, medium, and minimum. Case management is completed by institutional parole officers (IPO) within institutions, and by community parole officers in the community. The National Parole Board has the complete responsibility in making liberty decisions at the point in the court-imposed sentence where an offender is allowed to live in the community on conditional release.

Once an offender is sentenced by a court, the offender comes under the jurisdiction of the Correctional Service of Canada. An institutional parole officer completes a comprehensive assessment of the offender's criminality and formulates an "offender security classification report" and a "correctional plan". It is this correctional plan that the offender will be assessed against for the entire court-imposed sentence. For offenders who receive a life sentence, there is a mandatory two year residency at a maximum security institution, regardless of the offender's behaviour.

Employees
A Correctional Officer is an employee of the Public Service of Canada. All CSC Correctional Officers are uniformed and are designated as federal Peace Officers under Section 10 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act.

The rank structure in CSC begins at entry as a Correctional Officer I, otherwise known as CXI. More senior ranks include: Correctional Officer II, or CXII; and Correctional Manager, or CM. The Correctional Manager is the Institutional Supervisor, and historically had been referred to as the "Keeper of the Keys", or in short the "keeper". It should be noted that up until the year 2007, a correctional supervisor was what is now deemed a correctional manager. All rank insignia is worn on the shoulder of the uniform as either 1, 2, or 4 gold bars. One of the two exceptions to this ranking structure are those Correctional Officers who are specifically designated for Federally Sentenced Women (FSW). These Correctional Officers are called Primary Workers and have an entry rank of CXII. The other exceptions are Security Intelligence Officers (SIO's), who wear 3 bars (the same as the former Correctional Supervisor rank).

Presently, uniformed Correctional Officers employed by CSC are unionized with and supported by the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers (UCCO). Grievances filed in relation to potential breaches of the union contract have three appeals. The first level grievance is within the institution, the second level at the regional headquarters, and the third being the national headquarters. If resolution with the management, at the lowest level does not transpire, then the issue is sent forward to the Public Service Labour Relations Board. The decision of the Board is then legally enforcable and binding on both parties, as it is with all other government departments.

All support personnel are plain clothed including, Parole Officers, Program Facilitators, Psychologists, Staff Training Officers, Unit Managers, Security Intelligence Officers, Deputy Wardens, and the Institutional Head, called the "Warden". Each Region of Canada has a "Deputy Commissioner" who reports directly to the Commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada, who is based in the National Capital Region (Ottawa, Ontario).

Year of the Veteran Participation
In 2005, the Department of Veterans Affairs had the year designated the Year of the Veteran. A Correctional Officer at Kent Maximum Security Institution submitted a proposal for all Correctional Officers who were also Veterans, to be able to wear the Year of the Veteran pin on their uniforms. The Commissioner of Corrections, with the support of the Chief of the Defence Staff, authorized the wearing of the pin, via a national memorandum to all staff, on the left breast pocket until December 31, 2005. This being in recognition of continued service to the Public Service of Canada.

CSC institutions
Atlantic
 * Nova Institution for Women
 * Atlantic Institution
 * Dorchester Penitentiary
 * Springhill Institution
 * Westmorland Institution

Quebec
 * Archambault Institution
 * Cowansville Institution
 * Donnacona Institution
 * Drummond Institution
 * Federal Training Centre
 * Joliette Institution
 * La Macaza Institution
 * Leclerc Institution
 * Montée St.-François Institution
 * Port-Cartier Institution
 * Regional Reception Centre
 * Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines Institution

Ontario
 * Grand Valley Institution for Women
 * Bath Institution
 * Beaver Creek Institution
 * Collins Bay Institution
 * Fenbrook Institution
 * Frontenac Institution
 * Isabel McNeil House
 * Joyceville Institution
 * Kingston Penitentiary
 * Millhaven Institution
 * Pittsburgh Institution
 * Regional Treatment Centre
 * Warkworth Institution
 * Prison for Women

Prairies
 * Edmonton Institution for Women
 * Bowden Institution
 * Drumheller Institution
 * Edmonton Institution
 * Grande Cache Institution
 * Grierson Centre
 * Okimaw Ohci Healing Lodge
 * Pê Sâkâstêw
 * Regional Psychiatric Centre
 * Riverbend Institution
 * Rockwood Institution
 * Stony Mountain Institution
 * Saskatchewan Federal Penitentiary

Pacific
 * Fraser Valley Institution for Women
 * Ferndale Institution
 * Kent Institution
 * Kwìkwèxwelhp Healing Lodge
 * Matsqui Institution
 * Mission Institution
 * Mountain Institution
 * Regional Health Centre
 * William Head Institution

Institutional Emergency Response Team
Similar to those of Canadian police forces including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the CSC has formed Emergency Response Teams to support existing security functions. The IERT will respond to situations that require or may require a use of force or a special tactical response. These teams can be established across an entire region or within a single institution, depending on the size.