Correctional Service Lacks Compassion Dealing with Families of Inmates Who Die
"Canada's prison watchdog has issued a scathing report
on how the federal correctional service communicates with next of kin
when an inmate dies. Correctional investigator Howard Sapers says the
service has not been compassionate, open or transparent with families.
The report cites a case where a family member arrived to view the
body of his loved one at the appointed time, but was informed the inmate
had already been cremated.
"'o make matters worse, sometime later, the ashes were couriered to
him without prior notice'" reads the report. It quotes the family member
saying, 'They cremated him and they sent him by Purolator … sending
someone in the mail … it's just not right.'
Sapers says his office decided to conduct a formal review because after
years of raising his concerns, Corrections Canada has not changed its
ways."
View the Report
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Showing posts with label Correctional Investigator. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Correctional Investigator. Show all posts
Overcoming Barriers to Reintegration: An Investigation of Federal Community Correctional Centres
"The 2013-2014 Annual Report of the Office of the Correctional Investigator (CCI) features a special focus on the safe and timely reintegration of offenders into the community. The Office has become concerned that indicators of effective community corrections have been trending in the wrong direction in recent years. Parole grant rates are declining (20% in the last 5 years), offenders are serving longer portions of their sentence behind bars before first release, the majority of releases from federal penitentiary are now by statutory release rather than day or full parole and the number of waived or postponed parole hearings has been increasing. The Office continues to receive complaints regarding the quality of case management practices in which some inmates claim to have little or no contact with their assigned Institutional Parole Officer. Finally, the operating budgets to prepare offenders for resettlement and safely maintain them in the community have seen no new investments and are set to decline in real terms in 2014-15 and beyond."
"The 2013-2014 Annual Report of the Office of the Correctional Investigator (CCI) features a special focus on the safe and timely reintegration of offenders into the community. The Office has become concerned that indicators of effective community corrections have been trending in the wrong direction in recent years. Parole grant rates are declining (20% in the last 5 years), offenders are serving longer portions of their sentence behind bars before first release, the majority of releases from federal penitentiary are now by statutory release rather than day or full parole and the number of waived or postponed parole hearings has been increasing. The Office continues to receive complaints regarding the quality of case management practices in which some inmates claim to have little or no contact with their assigned Institutional Parole Officer. Finally, the operating budgets to prepare offenders for resettlement and safely maintain them in the community have seen no new investments and are set to decline in real terms in 2014-15 and beyond."
The greying of the prison population
Penitentiaries were never meant to be nursing homes or long-term-care facilities, but Canada’s corrections ombudsman says more prisoners are moving about with walkers and wheelchairs as the population behind bars grows older.
A report released Tuesday by Howard Sapers, the Correctional Investigator, looks at the problems faced by elderly convicts, saying the segment of the incarcerated population that is over the age of 50 increased by 50 per cent in the past decade.
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