Policy bulletin 364

Policy Bulletin

These Commissioner’s Directives (CDs) have been revised to reflect changes to the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA) and other recently passed legislation, to comply with the recommendations of the Policy Review Task Force, and to incorporate information from Case Management Bulletins.

Several technical modifications have been made to the layout of the documents. Extensive editing was done to remove extraneous details, to improve clarity of the direction and to focus on staff responsibilities. Among other changes:

CD 715 – Community Supervision Framework

• Elements of tandem supervision and the staff safety assessment have been moved to CD 715 – Community Supervision, as they are inherent to parole supervision.

CD 715-1 – Community Supervision

• CD 715-1 – Community Transition and Post Release Assessment, and CD 715-2 – Community Supervision and Monitoring, have been amalgamated.
• Contractors are required to follow the requirements of tandem supervision.
• The Area Director remains responsible for authorizing exceptions to tandem supervision within the first 90 days of supervision. Subsequently, removals can be authorized by the Parole Officer Supervisor.
• The policy clarifies that the initial interview must occur within one working day of release, including for those offenders who are released into custody (e.g. outstanding charges).
• The Correctional Plan must be updated every six months or annually. The ability to review via a Casework Record has been removed.
• Modifying the level of intervention to level D no longer requires that an offender have no special conditions.

CD 715-2 – Post-Release Decision Process

• Clarifies who completes the Criminal Profile addendum for suspended offenders.
• Defines the process for notifying the Parole Board of Canada of offenders whose release has become inoperative.
• Implements a notification process for loss of jurisdiction.
• Addresses the automatic suspension of conditional release when an offender receives an additional sentence.
• The Report Outline has replaced Content Guidelines, creating a standardized approach to report writing, while focusing on reducing repetition and emphasizing risk analysis and professional discretion.

CD 715-3 – Community Assessments

• The Report Outline has been amended to direct the writer to address elements relevant to the request. In the case of international transfers, the information to be assessed has been revised to reflect the recent changes to the International Transfer of Offenders Act.
• If a home visit is not necessary, the institutional Parole Officer can update a previously completed Community Assessment.

CD 715-4 – Case Preparation and Supervision of Women Offenders with Children Residing at a Community-Based Residential Facility

• The title was changed to clarify that this policy applies only to women with children at a CBRF .
• The responsibilities of the CBRF versus the Parole Office are clearly defined.

These policies were updated by the former National Policy Review Team and were the subject of a national consultation. They were then revised collaboratively by the Strategic Policy Division and the Correctional Operations and Programs Sector.

The Assistant Commissioner, Correctional Operations and Programs, is accountable for these CDs. Responsibilities for the various levels (i.e., National and Regional Headquarters, institutions and districts) are outlined in the individual policy documents.

All staff involved in community supervision and related case management activities.

None.

• Director
• Community Operations Division
• Community Reintegration Branch
• 613-943-7485