COVID-19 Planning for Federal Corrections
Date: June 15, 2020
Classification: Unclassified
Branch/Agency: CSC
Issue: Currently, across the country, there is only one remaining active COVID-19 case among inmates across CSC’s 43 institutions, namely, the Federal Training Centre in the Quebec Region. The last outbreak will be declared over by June 16, 2020, if there are no new cases.
Proposed Response:
- The Correctional Service of Canada is committed to protecting the safety and health of staff, inmates, and the public during these unprecedented times.
- The Service is taking measures to ensure the safety and health of its correctional staff and inmates by following the advice of local Public Health agencies and working very collaboratively with its Union partners.
- Currently, across the country, there is only one remaining active COVID-19 case among inmates across the Correctional Service of Canada’s institutions.
- Since the pandemic began, the Service has had outbreaks in five of its 43 institutions, with 360 inmates testing positive out of a total of 13,900 inmates; 357 or 99% have fully recovered; and two inmates have died as a result of complications from the virus.
- When the pandemic began, the Service focused heavily on preventing the introduction of the virus in its institutions by quickly suspending visits from the public; temporary absences, except when medically necessary; work releases; and interregional and international transfers.
- A number of measures were put in place to prevent spread of the virus, including:
- Strengthening infection and prevention control measures and implementing enhanced cleaning/disinfecting protocols
- Providing all staff and inmates with masks
- Actively screening anyone entering institutions for critical work
- Limiting the movement of inmates, and adapting practices to support physical distancing
- Conducting daily wellness checks for signs of symptomatic inmates
- Immediately testing for COVID-19 anyone reporting symptoms
- Medically isolating inmates with symptoms, or who had tested positive for the virus, or who were being admitted to federal custody
- Working with local public health authorities to ensure inmates’ access to local hospital care, if required, and finally
- Implementing our own tracing capability by training over 200 of our employees
- Moving forward and in collaboration with Public Health Agency of Canada, the Service is focusing its efforts on:
- Conducting Infection Prevention and Control and environmental health reviews in all its institutions
- Ensuring access to the necessary personal protective equipment
- Expanding its testing strategy
- Strengthening public health partnerships
- Considering and preparing for a gradual and careful resumption of operational activities
Background: The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) is focusing its efforts on minimizing the risk of spreading COVID-19 to institutions. CSC has strengthened infection and prevention procedures to protect staff, offenders, and volunteers.
CSC is continuing ongoing communications with staff, inmates, and visitors on preventative measures consistent with public health guidance, including hygiene practices, physical distancing and increased signage.
Current Measures
Cases among Inmates
As of June 15, 2020, 360 inmates have tested positive, and 357 or 99% have recovered. Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been outbreaks at five institutions with three of them now fully resolved: Port-Cartier Institution, in the Quebec Region; Grand Valley Institution for Women, in the Ontario Region; and, Mission Institution, in the Pacific Region. There are two institutions with remaining outbreaks: Joliette Institution for Women, in the Quebec Region, which has no remaining active cases, but can’t be declared virus-free until a set period of time has passed without a new case; and, Federal Training Centre, also in the Quebec Region, which has one active case. To date, out of 142 of our employees who have tested positive, 132 or 93% have fully recovered.
Personal Protective Equipment
CSC continue to take exceptional measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in all CSC institutions to limit the risk to inmates and staff, including having everyone at sites wear masks.
Despite the existence of personal protective equipment (PPE), and associated guidelines and training prior to the onset of the pandemic, and given the need for widespread use of PPE during these times, revised information on the use of PPE has been promulgated including posters to guide staff in proper Donning and Doffing procedures (issued April 3) and updated Guidelines for the Use of PPE (issued April 8).
Financial Government Support
On June 9, 2020, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the Honourable Bill Blair, announced the Government of Canada’s intention to provide up to $500,000 to five National Voluntary Organizations (NVOs) for them to develop pilot projects aimed at adapting important services that assist with the reintegration of offenders under supervision at community-based residential facilities (halfway houses), and to develop knowledge to help similar organizations learn from the innovative responses that have been implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Release of Offenders
The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) and the Parole Board of Canada (PBC) are working collaboratively to facilitate the safe release of federal inmates into the community with public safety being paramount in all discretionary release decisions. As mandated by the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA), all releases to the community happen within existing authorities.
CSC and PBC continue to process eligible inmates for release in accordance with the law. A number of considerations go into release decision-making with public safety being the paramount consideration. COVID-19 and other health related issues are only one of the many considerations taken into account when releasing offenders into the community so it is not possible to provide a number of offenders who have been released solely due to COVID-19.
In response to the pandemic, CSC has been proactively reviewing eligible non-violent lower risk inmates and referring them to the PBC for consideration, including those with underlying medical conditions that make them more vulnerable to COVID-19. As noted by the PBC on their website, they will consider the offender’s health or health risk posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, if relevant as part of the risk assessment, along with all other information on file.
CSC and PBC have worked to streamline the case preparation process for offenders. In addition, PBC is working to ensure cases are dealt with as expeditiously as possible, using risk- and evidence-based decision-making.
Since the beginning of March 2020, the federal custody population has declined by 743 inmates (as of June 7, 2020). This reduction is the result of fewer admissions from the provinces and territories coupled with continued releases into the community.
We are engaging with our community partners on an ongoing basis to ensure that offenders on conditional release have a safe, secure and supportive environment to which they can return. This is an important part of any safe and successful release into the community.
Next Steps
To shape the “new normal”, the Commissioner has created a governance structure made up of subject matter experts, union representatives, senior managers from different sectors of CSC and external representatives, to look at different operational activities and make recommendations. As a first step, CSC is preparing to resume some services, activities and programs. These decisions are based on whether there is community transmission of the virus and on public health guidance.
One of CSC’s first priorities is to support offender safe releases; we are therefore looking at resuming group programming in the near future. Group programming will look different than prior to COVID-19. Groups will be significantly smaller, chairs will be spaced 3 meters apart, everyone will be wearing masks, and session lengths may be shorter. CSC will continue to explore and identify with public health authorities how to adapt our environments and infrastructure to increase our ability to prevent the transmission of COVID-19.
For correctional programs, in places where there is no local transmission of COVID-19, we expect to begin resuming correctional programs at some sites by the end of the month.
CSC is hoping that within the next few weeks, if it is safe to do so, and with appropriate infection prevention control measures in place, to have Social Programs Officers, Elders and Chaplains on site, increased yard time, access to gym and equipment for inmates.
Contacts:
Prepared by: Bailey Milne, Officer Parliamentary Relations, 613-315-4555
Approved by: Kirstan Gagnon, Assistant Commissioner, Communications & Engagement, 613-995-6867
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