Corrections in Canada. Policy and Practice

438 Pages·1988·6.317 MB·English

by  John W. Ekstedt and Curt T. Griffiths (Auth.)

Corrections in Canada
Policy and Practice
Second Edition
by
John W. Ekstedt
and
Curt T. Griffiths
School of Criminology
Simon Fräser University
Butterworths
Toronto and Vancouver
Corrections in Canada
© 1988 Butterworths Canada Ltd.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
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D & S Publishers, Clearwater
Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data
Ekstedt, John W.
Corrections in Canada
2nd ed.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-409-80159-3
1. Corrections — Canada. I. Griffiths, Curt T.
(Curt Taylor), 1948-. II. Title.
HV9507.E571988 364.6Ό971 C88-093144-2
Sponsoring Editor: Janet Turner
Managing Editor: Linda Kee
Supervisory Editor: Marie Graham
Editor: Kathleen Hamilton
Cover Design: Julian Cleva
Production: Jim Shepherd
To W.R (Bill) Foster and Donald Martin
J.W.E.
To my mother and father
To Dr. R.G. Murphy
C.T.G.
Preface to the Second Edition
During the early eighties, when we first discussed the development
and eventual publication of this textbook, there was a keen
awareness of how important the previous decade had been in
changing the face of corrections in Canada. Much was done at that
time in the way of program development and management
restructuring. Trends were initiated which will continue to have
implications for corrections practice in the future. The number of
internal investigations and inquiries, alone, that were undertaken
during the seventies distinguish that decade as a unique period in
the history of Canadian corrections. Thus the first edition of this
text emphasized those factors and events which were signalling
change, as well as presenting examples of the nature of
correctional decision-making and the problems associated with it.
As we approached the task of providing a new edition of this
material, we were immediately aware that the tone and temper of
the correctional ethos had changed since the seventies. Perhaps the
main change has been that the system itself has become less
change-oriented and more inclined toward operational stability.
This has largely resulted from the requirement for increased cost
efficiency at all levels of correctional activity, because of economic
restraint and the political changes emerging from a more
conservative environment. We note, for example, that discussions
on jurisdictional reform, which were a highlight of the seventies in
federal/provincial negotiations, have lapsed since the end of that
decade. The various correctional bureaucracies are committing
much less energy to internal investigations and inquiries. There
have been relatively few new initiatives in correctional
programming, although some of the trends begun during the
seventies continue to develop.
This is not to say, however, that nothing is changing in the
correctional system of Canada. We are just beginning to see the
effects of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Some court decisions
have already been made with regard to various aspects of
correctional practice, and indications are that the Charter will
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have a continuing effect on correctional policy and practice. It
seems clear, as well, that problems of restraint management and
demands for cost efficiency will continue to motivate the system.
We have added material to the text to help explain the various
ways in which these shifts and changes are evidenced. One
corrections investigation, the Carson Committee Report,
completed since the first edition of this book was published,
concentrated on a review of management practice. The interest in
improving management practice for purposes of cost efficiency and
operational stability reflects in part the changing mood in
corrections since the seventies.
It is interesting, as well, to note the greater interest in
recording, assessing, and interpreting the history of Canadian
corrections. There has been an increase in literature of this kind,
and more attention is being given, especially within the provinces,
to capturing correctional history. This situation, again, may reflect
the changing mood regarding the importance of a sense of stability
and rootedness in correctional matters, after ten or fifteen years of
relative instability and innovation.
As is usually the case, we are indebted to those who assisted us
to research this edition. We would like particularly to acknowledge
Patricia Ratel and Karen Lyons for their extensive work in
reviewing the text for updating. We would like to thank Robbie
Robidoux for calling to our attention some recent changes in the
federal penitentiary system, and Linda Kee at Butterworths for
her continuing support and guidance throughout the development
of this edition.
Preface to the First Edition
The need for a comprehensive examination of Canadian
corrections has become more pressing in recent years with the
expansion of criminal justice and corrections courses at the
university and college level and the development of staff training
programs for correctional personnel. Our experience within the
Canadian correctional system and involvement in teaching
corrections courses at the university has reinforced the belief that
Canadian corrections is a unique and distinctive enterprise — one
which cannot be wholly understood through the study of the
philosophy and operations of corrections in other countries. While
Canadian corrections shares many of the policy perspectives and
program emphases evident in other jurisdictions, particularly the
United States, the unique social and political milieu within which
the correctional system operates exerts a direct and significant
influence on both correctional policy and practice.
While presenting itself as a cultural mosaic, Canada is also a
political mosaic, with jurisdiction distributed between several
levels of government, each of which retains a degree of
independence and authority in the administration of public affairs.
The political organization of Canada is often referred to as
"cooperative federalism" and there are few activities of
government that do not require negotiation and agreement
between political authorities at more than one level. It is this
unique setting that gives Canadian corrections its distinctive
attributes, and it is against this backdrop that we examine the
major areas of the correctional enterprise.
In addition to utilizing a framework which identifies and
illuminates the distinctive characteristics of Canadian
corrections, the relationship between policy and practice in the
delivery of correctional services is highlighted. It is hoped that this
thematic choice will serve both to illustrate the particular nature
of Canadian corrections and to offer a perspective on correctional
practice. Moreover, every effort has been made to systematically
present the manner in which correctional policy is formulated, as
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well as to examine the results of various policy and program
initiatives. What emerges from our consideration of the various
areas of policy and practice is that Canadian corrections is an
exceedingly complex enterprise, one in which both correctional
personnel and the clients of the system often struggle to
understand the processes at work as well as the consequences of the
decisions which are made.
The complexity of the correctional system, however, should in
no way diminish efforts to understand it, to examine the manner in
which policy is formulated, and to attempt to assess the
consequences of policies and programs. It is hoped that the
materials presented in this volume will provide the impetus for the
development of conceptual and theoretical frameworks through
which the correctional enterprise can be studied, informed, and,
where required, changed. The reader will note that the volume
does not proceed from a particular ideological perspective, but
rather attempts throughout to identify the various competing
perspectives and their efficacy in addressing the issues under
study. Obviously, it has not been possible in one volume to fully
address all of the dimensions of correctional policy and practice.
However, it is the authors' hope that the materials and discussions
presented will provide the basis for further dialogue and research
on the correctional enterprise. Should the volume serve these
functions, we will have achieved our objectives.
The authors are indebted to many individuals who
participated, directly and indirectly, in the completion of this work.
In the first instance are the many persons involved in the
correctional enterprise in Canada and the United States with
whom the authors have interacted over the years, including
correctional administrators, inmates in Canadian federal and
provincial and U.S. state and federal institutions, individuals
associated with private correctional agencies, politicians
responsible for corrections, and correctional line personnel.
Substantial contributions to the authors' thinking on corrections
have also been made by the many students whom they have taught
over the years.
While the book is the product of a collaborative effort, each
author would like to acknowledge those individuals who made a
significant contribution to both the perspective presented and the
materials utilized. John Ekstedt would like to acknowledge the
invaluable assistance of Gregg Macdonald, Associate Director of
the Simon Fräser University Institute for Studies in Criminal
Justice Policy, in editing the chapters on correctional policy,
administration, planning and reform, and in providing ongoing
Preface to First Edition ix
advice and assistance. Curt Griffiths would like to express his
gratitude and appreciation to his former mentors at the University
of Montana — Drs. Gordon Browder, Robert W. Balch, and Richard
D. Vandiver — for introducing him to the study of corrections and
assisting the development of a "critical eye." A further debt is owed
to Frank Mann, Eddy Williams, Stan Williamson, and AI Heide.
Both authors would like to acknowledge the research
assistance of Hollis Johnson, Linda Weafer, Alison Hatch, Ron Rea
and Linda Graham. In a work of this kind, someone must cope with
the seemingly endless drafts of the manuscript. In this regard, a
special thanks must go to Mrs. Lynn Hill and to Alison Hatch for
the innumerable hours of assistance provided in typing, editing,
and computer entry. Throughout the writing of the volume, advice
and editorial comments were provided by several of our colleagues
in the Department of Criminology at Simon Fräser University —
Drs. Raymond R. Corrado, Simon N. Verdun-Jones and F. Douglas
Cousineau. Their ongoing support for our efforts was much
appreciated. At Butterworths, Janet Turner and Linda Kee were a
constant source of encouragement, and Shirley Corriveau
contributed valuable editorial expertise.
Finally, but importantly, we were fortunate to have the
support, encouragement and understanding of our families,
without which the project could not have been completed.
JohnW.Ekstedt
Curt T.Griffiths
Simon Fräser University
Burnaby, British Columbia, 1984
Tables
l&ble 1.1 Justice Services: Percent of Tbtal
Expenditures, 1977-78 11
Table 2.1 Historical Development of Law and Punishment 17
Table 3.1 Canadian Correctional Models 73
Table 3.2 Provincial/Territorial Expenditures on
Community Supervision Services, 1979/80 and
1985/86 85
Table 3.3 Legal Adult Age by Province 90
Table 3.4 Ministries and Departments Responsible for
Adult Corrections 91
Table 5.1 The Data Base in Correctional Planning 143
Table 7.1 Federal Correctional Institutions by
Security Classification 192
Tkble 7.2 Correctional Treatment Modalities 205
Table 9.1 Provincial Correctional Agencies' Community
Services for Adults 258
l&ble 10.1 Summary of Options Considered Related to
the Federal/Provincial Split in Corrections
Jurisdiction (1976) 309
Tible 10.2 Assessment of Options for the Split in
Jurisdiction in Corrections 310
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Figures
Figure 4.1 Internal and External Influences on the
Formulation of Correctional Policy Ill
Figure 6.1 Structure of Management and Administration
in Corrections 161
Figure 6.2 Organization of the Government of
British Columbia Cabinet Committee
Structure (1979) 164
Figure 6.3 The Context of Policy Management in
Government 166
Figure 6.4 Organization of the Secretariat of the Federal
Ministry of Solicitor General 171
Figure 6.5 Organization of the Ministry of Corrections,
Province of Ontario (1981) 172
Figure 6.6 Distribution of Average Per Diem Costs —
Federal Corrections 1980-81 179
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