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ARCHIVED - Office of the Correctional Investigator - Report


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Section II: Analysis of Program Activities by Strategic Outcome

Strategic Outcome: The problems of offenders in the federal correctional system are identified and resolved in a timely fashion

Program Activity: Ombudsman to federal offenders

Program Activity Descriptions

Through this program activity, the Office of the Correctional Investigator conducts investigations of individual offender complaints regarding acts, omissions, decisions and recommendations of the CSC. It also has a responsibility to review and make recommendations on CSC’s policies and procedures associated with the areas of individual complaints, to ensure that systemic areas of complaint are identified and appropriately addressed, and to review all Section 19 investigations performed by CSC following the death of or serious injury to an inmate.


2010-11 Financial Resources ($ thousands)
Planned Spending Total Authorities Actual Spending
$2,785 $3,345 $3,263


2010-11 Human Resources (FTEs)
Planned Actual Difference
24 26 2


Expected
Results
Performance
Indicators
Targets Performance
Status
To provide accessible and timely Ombudsman services to federal offenders. Ratio of completed institutional visits by security level. 90% meet standard Mostly met. The organization was successful in this regard due primarily to having a full investigative complement for the entire reporting period which resulted in additional visits to institutions and additional offender interviews.
  Average response time to offender problems. 85% meet standard Somewhat met. The Office of the Correctional Investigator was less successful in this regard with an average response time of 74%. This is reflective of the shift towards more systemic investigations as well as adjustments being made to the data capture requirements relating to the closing of inmate files.

Performance Summary and Analysis of Program Activity

Investigative staff carried out professional, timely and responsive analysis of offender complaints and investigations throughout the reporting period. The number and frequency of institutional visits and offender interviews across the country was up in comparison to the previous reporting period. This increased presence within the institutions resulted in the continuing demand for the Office’s services and a greater awareness of what can be done in defence of offender rights. The challenge in the reporting period remained in striking a workable balance between managing daily complaints and involving investigative staff in the completion of systemic reviews. A secondary related challenge involved the required competencies in performing systemic investigations, namely analytical skills and the ability to write effectively.

Additional information on the six key priorities can be found at www.oci-bec.gc.ca in the organization’s 2010-11 Annual Report.

Lessons Learned

Access, timeliness and quality of investigations are core elements of the Ombudsman function. To ensure these elements were adhered to, the Office of the Correctional Investigator embarked on a strategic planning and training exercise which culminated with the update of its Investigative Policies and Procedures Manual and a clearer understanding of expectations with regards to the investigative process. From this review, a more streamlined organizational structure will also allow a better allocation of resources to address priority areas and systemic concerns. This new structure is founded on six investigative priorities: conditions of confinement; access to mental health services; deaths in custody; Aboriginal issues; access to programs and federally sentenced women. The delivery mechanisms envisioned include the establishment of an investigative team mandated to tackle these priorities at a national level and the assessment of these key areas during institutional visits. Finally, expertise will continue to be sought from private and academic sectors.

 

Strategic Outcome: The problems of offenders in the federal correctional system are identified and resolved in a timely fashion

Program Activity: Internal Services*

Program Activity Descriptions

Internal Services are groups of related activities and resources that are administered to support the needs of programs and other corporate obligations of an organization. These groups are: Management and Oversight Services; Communications Services; Legal Services; Human Resources Management Services; Financial Management Services; Information Management Services; Information Technology Services; Real Property Services; Materiel Services; Acquisition Services; and Travel and Other Administrative Services. Internal Services include only those activities and resources that apply across an organization and not to those provided specifically to a program.

*Due to the limited number of FTEs involved in the delivery of internal services, the Office of the Correctional Investigator has not established performance indicators, targets or expected results for the Internal Services activity. The organization has several memoranda of understanding in place with departmental service providers who provide basic corporate services to the organization, i.e., financial services, pay and compensation, contracting, staffing and other HR services.


2010-11 Financial Resources ($ thousands)
Planned Spending Total Authorities Actual Spending
$772 $772 $770


2010-11 Human Resources (FTEs)
Planned Actual Difference
4 4 0


Expected
Results
Performance
Indicators
Targets Performance
Status
n/a n/a n/a n/a

Performance Summary and Analysis of Program Activity

The Internal Services program activity is committed to ensuring full compliance with Government of Canada policies and guidelines, legislation as well as OCI-specific policies and directives. This is accomplished through the development of internal processes and the provision of training in key corporate areas. In addition, employees working in this field demonstrated an enhanced sense of client service to the organization, its employees and members of the Public Safety Portfolio. Finally, the Office of the Comptroller General completed an audit of this activity in the reporting period. The results of this audit conclusively demonstrate that the organization is compliant with only the most minor variances identified by the auditors. A management action plan was developed and implemented to address two minor recommendations.

Lessons Learned

As stated earlier, Internal Services staff provided focused training in three specific corporate areas in the reporting period – ATIP, financial administration and travel. These areas were given training priority over several other corporate areas for which there is also a need, namely, information management, contracting and human resources. This requirement will be managed on a priority basis going forward.