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Section 2 - Analysis of Program Activities by Strategic Outcome

This section explains how CSC’s program activities, and the plans associated with them, support the organization’s single strategic outcome, and how progress toward achieving the strategic outcome will be measured and reported in CSC’s 2011-12 Departmental Performance Report.

Fiscal year 2011-12 marks the half-way point of a five-year journey for CSC, begun in 2009-10, to improve correctional results. This plan was initiated in response to the 2007 Report of the CSC Review Panel entitled A Roadmap to Strengthening Public Safety,14 and it concentrated energy and attention on five specific areas: enhancing offender accountability, eliminating drugs, enhancing correctional programs and interventions, modernizing physical infrastructure, and strengthening community corrections. Targets were set to improve results, and they were highlighted in the Reports on Plans and Priorities for the first two of the five years.

In 2010-11, to augment its compliance, CSC, with the Treasury Board Secretariat’s Management Resources and Results Structure, completed its revised Performance Measurement Framework for the first three of its four program activities in the Program Activity Architecture. Therefore, it will align its reporting of results against the Performance Measurement Framework for the final three years and beyond. This means, for the most part, reorganizing important performance indicators so that they link more directly with the Service’s Program Activity Architecture in order to better tell CSC’s story. Specific performance indicators and targets for the program activity “Internal Services” will be added to the Performance Measurement Framework for 2012-13.

Strategic Outcome - The custody, correctional interventions, and supervision of offenders, in communities and institutions, contribute to public safety.

Program Activity: Custody

Strategic Outcome

The custody, correctional interventions, and supervision of offenders, in communities and institutions, contribute to public safety

Program Activities

Custody | Correctional Interventions | Community Supervision | Internal Services

Program Activity Summary: This program activity ensures that offenders are provided with reasonable, safe, secure and humane custody while serving their sentence. This program activity provides much of the day-to-day needs for offenders in custody, including a wide range of activities that address health and safety issues as well as provide basics such as food, clothing, mental health services and physical health care. It also includes security measures within institutions, including drug interdiction, and appropriate control practices to prevent incidents.

Program Activity: Custody
Human Resources (FTEs) and Planned Spending ($ millions)
2011–12 2012–13 2013–14
FTEs Planned Spending FTEs Planned Spending FTEs Planned Spending
11,812 2,104.0 12,686 2,246.9 13,025 2,212.8
Program Activity Expected Results Performance Indicators Targets
Expected Result of Program Activity: CSC manages the custody of offenders in institutions in a safe, secure and humane manner. Rate of assaults with injuries by inmates against staff Meet or exceed (↓) results in the established 2008-09 benchmark (0.46 OPY)
Rate of assaults with injuries by inmates against other inmates Meet or exceed (↓) results in the established 2008-09 benchmark (3.87 OPY)
Rate of violent institutional incidents Meet or exceed (↓) results in the established 2008-09 benchmark (0.87 OPY)
Rate of positive random-sample urinalysis tests Meet or exceed (↓) results in the established 2008-09 benchmark (11.15% OPY)
Rate of urinalysis refusals Meet or exceed (↓) results in the established 2008-09 benchmark (11.07% OPY)
Rate of deaths in custody from other than natural causes Meet or exceed (↓) results in the established 2008-09 benchmark (0.13 OPY)
Number of upheld inmate grievances relating to food services Meet or exceed (↓) results in the established 2008-09 benchmark (288)
Number of upheld inmate grievances relating to health care Meet or exceed (↓) results in the established 2008-09 benchmark (361)
Number of upheld inmate grievances relating to visits Meet or exceed (↓) results in the established 2008-09 benchmark (127)
Number of upheld inmate grievances relating to segregation Meet or exceed (↓) results in the established 2008-09 benchmark (102)

Planning Highlights

CSC manages an operating environment that, as previously noted, is characterized by increasing pressures and demands in a wide range of areas. For this reporting period, these include a growing offender population characterized by increased needs and associated risks, escalating offender mental health needs, a higher likelihood of association with gangs, and a deteriorating physical infrastructure combined with an urgent requirement to add capacity. Over the next three years, the Infrastructure Renewal Team will lead CSC in a vital capacity-building and population-management endeavour that includes the construction of new units at institutions in all five regions across the country.

It must be noted that, in the context of anticipated increases in the offender population and the consequent rise in double bunking, CSC will be challenged to meet its targets with regard to the reduction of assaults and violent incidents in institutions. Everything possible will be done to provide appropriate living conditions that support offender rehabilitation and safe accommodation; however, double bunking is associated with adverse events. Therefore, until the additional accommodation capacity is ready, the organization’s results may fall somewhat short of its targets.

CSC will continue to enhance its drug interdiction initiatives, including further expansion of the drug-detector dog program. Offenders who are drug free in a safe and secure environment are best able to change their behaviour and effectively prepare for a safe return to the community.

Offender health needs are numerous and complex and include a higher-than-average incidence and prevalence of infectious diseases and mental illness.15 In order to deliver on its legal mandate under section 86 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, CSC continues to move to improve the quality and consistency of essential health service delivery. CSC will also enhance preventive security and security intelligence in institutions and in the community in order to ensure a safe and drug-free environment for offenders and staff and so optimize rehabilitation possibilities for all offenders.

In order to achieve the results expected under this program activity, CSC has developed the following plans:

  • Expand bed capacity to meet new legislative demands
  • Expand upon current initiatives to eliminate drugs from CSC institutions
  • Implement additional enhancements to assess and address the health needs of offenders particularly as they relate to physical and mental health
  • Improve safety and security in our institutions
  • Improve the management of the challenging and complex population in institutions
  • Implement initiatives to increase the capacity to intervene and address preventable deaths in custody and self-harm incidents
Benefits for Canadians

Public safety continues to be a priority for the federal government, and CSC has an important part to play in delivering commitments made to ensure public safety. CSC helps offenders change their lives for the better by providing a safe environment for offenders. That safety permits them to take advantage of the support and assistance made available by CSC so they can become law-abiding citizens. CSC also supplies health care and support to remove mental and physical health barriers to safe reintegration. Every time an offender returns to a Canadian community and begins life as a productive and contributing citizen, public safety is enhanced.

CSC’s re-development plan calls for an increase in shared accommodation and double bunking as well as the addition of over 2,700 spaces in federal correctional institutions across Canada to provide for population growth and the necessary re-development of old institutions. The construction of new living units will mean both construction jobs for local communities where the units are to be built, and new hiring at those facilities when the units are ready to be staffed. This is an important part of ensuring tangible economic growth for the communities located around CSC institutions.

Program Activity: Correctional Interventions

Strategic Outcome

The custody, correctional interventions, and supervision of offenders, in communities and institutions, contribute to public safety

Program Activities

Custody | Correctional Interventions | Community Supervision | Internal Services

Program Activity Summary: The Correctional Interventions program activity, which occurs in both institutions and communities, is necessary to help bring about positive changes in behaviour and to safely and successfully reintegrate offenders back into Canadian communities. In collaboration with various partners and stakeholders, this program activity is focused on addressing offender needs across a number of life areas that are associated with criminal behaviour.

Program Activity: Correctional Interventions
Human Resources (FTEs) and Planned Spending ($ millions)
2011–12 2012–13 2013–14
FTEs Planned Spending FTEs Planned Spending FTEs Planned Spending
5,096 520.0 5,380 562.8 5,380 562.8
Program Activity Expected Results Performance Indicators Targets
Expected Result of Program Activity: Offender risks and needs are identified and addressed with targeted correctional interventions. Rate of return to federal custody for a violent conviction within 2 years of warrant expiry Meet or exceed (↓) results in the 2010-11 benchmark
Rate of return to federal custody for a non-violent conviction within 2 years of warrant expiry Meet or exceed (↓) results in the 2010-11 benchmark
Rate of return to federal custody for a violent conviction within 5 years of warrant expiry Meet or exceed (↓) results in the 2010-11 benchmark
Rate of return to federal custody for a non-violent conviction within 5 years of warrant expiry Meet or exceed (↓) results in the 2010-11 benchmark
Rate of offenders who completed a Correctional Program Improve (↑) over five years against 2007-08 benchmark (69.7%)
Average number of volunteer hours per month Meet or exceed (↑) results in the benchmark to be established based on 2010-11 results
Rate of Chaplaincy full-time-equivalents to inmates Meet or exceed (↑) results in the benchmark to be established based on 2010-11 results
Planning Highlights

Increasingly, CSC must consider the complex and challenging offender profile in order to effectively manage the different populations in its institutions. Taking into account the correctional needs of specific segments of the offender population requires both operational adjustments and changes in infrastructure.

Over the next three years, CSC will continue the systematic development of its Integrated Correctional Program Model and closely monitor the effectiveness and efficiency results leading towards the final evaluation. Preliminary results show improved uptake and completion of program components.

CSC will continue to implement a full continuum of initiatives and strategies that are culturally appropriate for Aboriginal offenders as all CSC sectors and operational sites will consider and address the needs of Aboriginal offenders and staff.

In order to achieve the results expected under this program activity, CSC has developed the following plans:

  • Enhance case management procedures
  • Enhance correctional reintegration program delivery
  • Improve employment and employability of offenders
  • Improve offender accountability
  • Improve the Service’s capacity to provide gender and culturally appropriate services
  • Strengthen communication and partnership initiatives
  • Enhance offender correctional results in the community
Benefits to Canadians

CSC continues to make investments in modernizing its employment program strategies to better provide offenders with the kinds of job skills that will be required once they return to the community. When offenders obtain meaningful employment after release, they are more likely to succeed in becoming productive, tax-paying citizens, and that would reduce the financial burden they might otherwise be on significant others, Canadians at large, and social services systems.

Research has shown that the most effective correctional programs are those that target the factors associated with criminal behaviour and that consider an individual’s unique characteristics, including gender and ethnicity. Correctional programs that follow these principles are better able to mitigate offenders’ risk for re-offending, support safe reintegration, and thereby improve public safety for all Canadians.

CSC continues to strengthen and improve case management. The Parole Officer Induction Training has been updated and enhanced and will be released in 2011-12. Furthermore, case management policy has been streamlined and integrated.

CSC has made it a priority to focus attention on building and maintaining relationships with Canadians and Canadian communities that are essential to the correctional enterprise. As one example, Citizen Advisory Committees are in place at local and national levels, and their advice is both sought and taken seriously by senior management. CSC’s commitment to strengthening community engagement through renewed partnerships will ensure that Canadians have a voice in decisions that will make their communities safer.

CSC will continue to provide services to Canadians who have been victims of crime, providing them with information to help them better understand both the correctional process to the extent they wish, and the correctional decisions made about the person(s) who victimized them. In this way, CSC gives a voice to Canadians who have been asking to be heard. Empowering victims in this way contributes to the overall well-being of Canadian communities.

Program Activity: Community Supervision

Strategic Outcome

The custody, correctional interventions, and supervision of offenders, in communities and institutions, contribute to public safety

Program Activities

Custody | Correctional Interventions | Community Supervision | Internal Services

Program Activity Summary: The Community Supervision Program ensures that eligible offenders are safely reintegrated into communities through strong management of the community corrections infrastructure, accommodation and health services, where required, as well as comprehensive supervision for the duration of the offender’s sentence. The expected result for this program activity is that offenders will be maintained in the community as law-abiding citizens.


Program Activity: Community Supervision
Human Resources (FTEs) and Planned Spending ($ millions)
2011–12 2012–13 2013–14
FTEs Planned Spending FTEs Planned Spending FTEs Planned Spending
303 153.5 312 164.1 321 167.5
Program Activity Expected Results Performance Indicators Targets
Expected Result of Program Activity: Offenders are reintegrated into the community as law-abiding citizens while under supervision. Rate of offenders on conditional release successfully reaching Warrant Expiry Date without re-offending. Meet or exceed (↑) benchmark levels based on 2010-11 results.
Rate of offenders under community supervision who incur new convictions for non-violent offences Meet or exceed (↓) benchmark levels based on 2010-11 results.
Rate of offenders under community supervision who incur new convictions for violent offences. Meet or exceed (↓) benchmark levels based on 2010-11 results.
Planning Highlights

When offenders exit institutions on conditional release, CSC has an obligation to work with them and help them reintegrate more successfully. Over the next three years, CSC will enhance supervision of offenders in the community by increasing interventions with and monitoring of offenders in the community. The Electronic Monitoring Program will help strengthen the supervision options that are available to community parole officers. As well, community security intelligence capacity will be strengthened.

In order to achieve expected results under this program activity, CSC has developed the following plans:

  • Enhance community management and capacity
  • Enhance integration between the institutional and community continua of care
  • Improve CSC’s capacity to supervise offenders in the community
  • Improve safety and security in communities
Benefits to Canadians

The vast majority of offenders will be released to Canadian communities at some point, either through a form of conditional release or because their sentences have expired. Ensuring that those offenders are effectively and efficiently supervised is the work of community corrections staff. They provide a safety net for both communities and offenders when they assess offenders, assign correctional interventions that meet offender reintegration needs, and monitor offender progress through the supervision period. In that way, offenders are helped through challenges they will inevitably meet as they re-acclimatize to life in the community. If the challenges prove too great, it is a time when they can be readmitted to custody for a period to further enhance their preparation for release. In this way, supervision of offenders on conditional release is essential to public safety.

Matching the right levels of control and supervision to the offender’s risks and needs ensures that community-based resources are appropriately aligned to best protect Canadians. Reviewing and improving the Service’s use of community-based residential facilities, whether operated by CSC or contracted from community agencies, will ensure that public safety is maintained while concomitantly supporting offender community reintegration.

When offenders exit institutions on conditional release, CSC has an opportunity to work with them and help them reintegrate more successfully. Over the next three years, CSC is strengthening community supervision through the development and implementation of the Community Corrections Strategy. Further, CSC is enhancing the tools available for supervision, such as the electronic monitoring programs, as well as community security capacity. Strategies such as this one will result in strong community supervision, thereby reducing risk, and so contribute to public safety.

CSC works with partners to provide specialized community-based services and supports that focus on unique sub-groups within the offender population, such as women, Aboriginal offenders, and those with mental health issues. As well, in areas like health, an advisory committee of community-based professionals is in place to provide expert advice to help CSC ensure it is providing appropriate care to offenders that meets its legislative mandate. These interventions further mitigate risk for re-offending and enhance public safety for all Canadians.

Program Activity: Internal Services

Strategic Outcome

The custody, correctional interventions, and supervision of offenders, in communities and institutions, contribute to public safety

Program Activities

Custody | Correctional Interventions | Community Supervision | Internal Services

Program Activity Summary: This program activity includes corporate and administrative services supporting the effective and efficient delivery of operational programs and activities across the organization, and it contributes meaningfully to horizontal and/or government-wide initiatives.

Program Activity: Internal Services
Human Resources (FTEs) and Planned Spending ($ millions)
2011–12 2012–13 2013–14
FTEs Planned Spending FTEs Planned Spending FTEs Planned Spending
3,197 204.4 3,335 204.4 3,335 204.4
Program Activity Expected Results Performance Indicators Targets
Expected Result of Program Activity: Efficient and effective organizational functioning. Rate of participation for CSC’s performance management exercise, specifically the setting of objectives and subsequent appraisals (for performance agreements and performance evaluation reports) Exceed benchmark of 70% (↑) in 2009-10.
  Number of adopted Common Human Resource Business Processes Adopt processes for 3 of the planned 7 human resource management streams.
  Rate of on-time responses to Access to Information requests Meet or exceed (↑) the benchmark set in 2008-09.
  Overtime costs for the organization Meet or exceed (↓) benchmark set in 2008-09.
  Number of on-time and on budget completions of new units in the infrastructure and accommodation plan Complete all scheduled initiatives within planned timeframes and within budget.
  Proactive promotion and coordination of communications with Canadians Implement CSC’s External Communications Strategy 2010-13.
  Management Accountability Framework rating for the “Values and Ethics” area of management Meet or exceed (↑) benchmark levels based on 2010-11 results.
  Ethical Climate Survey results Meet or exceed (↑) the results of the survey conducted in 2008-09.
Planning Highlights

As noted in Section I of this document, CSC is facing significant challenges in the area of its physical infrastructure, and steps are being taken to address those issues in the short, medium and long term. As well, CSC is working to enhance its relationships with partners and stakeholders in order to improve correctional results. Further, CSC is engaged in major government-wide initiatives such as Public Service Renewal, and it is an effective partner in horizontal initiatives such as Canada’s efforts to improve conditions for Aboriginal peoples.

Identifying specific targets for Internal Services is a challenge because when they succeed, it is often visible only in results reported by the operational program activities: custody, correctional interventions and/or community supervision. For instance, the success of CSC’s learning and development program may be seen in improved safety in institutions because staff are better prepared to identify and deal with the challenges presented on a daily basis by offenders.

By focusing on sound management practices and undertaking targeted communications and outreach activities with Canadians and other key stakeholders, CSC will create an integrated and sustainable environment in which staff, offenders, volunteers and visitors can together advance the ultimate goal of all CSC’s correctional endeavours, which is public safety for all Canadians. This includes building greater understanding of the organization’s mission and mandate by enhancing current communications tools and practices to reach our publics in a digital, 24/7 environment. Strong performance on Internal Services and overall management functions is critical to achieving and sustaining the gains made in all program activities.

With the expected increase in offender populations and the corresponding rapid increase in staffing levels, it is reasonable to expect increases in ethical risk, exposure to potential wrongdoing and interpersonal conflict. The Values, Integrity and Conflict Management Branch is well situated to provide national and regional support to staff and management during this period of growth and transformation as outlined in the Values, Integrity and Conflict Management Strategic Plan. To mitigate these risk areas, the Office of Values and Ethics will promote the new values statement and the supporting communications and awareness activities, administer a new Ethical Climate Survey to establish baseline data for future surveys and continue the delivery of Ethics Workshops and the Ethical Leadership Program. As well, the Branch will continue to support and promote the creation of local ethics committees. To promote the awareness of rights and responsibilities surrounding the Public Service Disclosure Protection Act, the Office of Internal Disclosure will embark on a comprehensive awareness campaign. The Office of Conflict Management will continue to offer training to prevent and mitigate interpersonal conflict as well as conduct individual and group interventions.

In 2010-11, CSC’s Evaluation Branch developed a five-year strategic evaluation plan with forward planning to 2018 in order to both comply with Treasury Board Secretariat’s new Policy on Evaluation and ensure that key initiatives were covered. As part of its ongoing efforts to measure and report on performance, CSC is undertaking evaluations in several key areas now and throughout this reporting period. These include the Strategic Plan for Aboriginal Corrections, the Institutional Mental Health Initiative, and correctional interventions in the community.

In order to achieve the results expected under this program activity, CSC has developed the following plans:

  • Improve Human Resource Management
  • Enhance Information Management and Technology Services
  • Enhance infrastructure and accommodation
  • Enhance Financial Management Services
  • Enhance systematic acquisition and assessment of information to assist the decision-making process
  • Enhance change management processes
  • Enhance communications and outreach with Canadians
  • Renew Values Statement
Benefits for Canadians

Enhancing information management and technology services will heighten CSC’s ability to maintain safe custody of offenders, to safely manage offenders on supervision in the community, and to enhance its ability to work with police and other criminal justice partners in the management of intelligence information. Increased capacity to track offenders and monitor information related to criminal activities improves CSC’s overall contribution to public safety in Canada.

Improving CSC’s communications and outreach to Canadians will build greater understanding of, and support for, the work undertaken every day in institutions and communities across Canada, and it will support the organization’s ability to deliver effective correctional results. Ultimately, efforts in this regard will expand the communication of improved correctional results to a larger target audience, facilitate a well-maintained program of public and private sector education about the operations of the Service, and have a positive impact on human resource recruitment and retention strategies.

CSC will continue to monitor financial transactions and controls in order to maximize the investments that Canadians have made in their correctional service. This is particularly important in difficult economic times, as Canadians want to know that their tax dollars are wisely invested in the corrections aspect of their criminal justice system.

As previously noted, CSC’s re-development plan calls for construction projects in various places across Canada to provide accommodation for offender population growth and the necessary re-development of old institutions. Construction of new living units will mean both construction jobs for local communities where the units are to be built, and new hiring at those facilities when the units are ready to be staffed. As noted, this is an important part of ensuring tangible economic growth for the communities located around CSC institutions.

CSC’s Strategic Plan for Human Resource Management (http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/pblct/hrstrat/index-eng.shtml) (2009-10 to 2011-12) includes a more streamlined and effective recruitment process with stronger ties to universities and community colleges. The plan includes measures to improve official languages capacity at CSC , as well as measures to ensure that the workforce is reflective of the Canadian mosaic. Improved efficiency of hiring qualified personnel and effectiveness in management will allow CSC to become an employer of choice where staff can expect to grow personally while making an important contribution to Canada.