Policy bulletin 554

Policy Bulletin

These policies were amended as a result of a comprehensive review of psychological risk assessment requirements within the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) policy framework. The review was prompted by a number of factors including:

• the increased pressures and demands placed on Psychological Services within CSC,
• redundancy in the area of psychological risk assessments,
• structured risk assessment tools used by CSC are appropriate, valid and reliable measures to be used for program referral.

The results of the review and recommendations for changes to the way in which CSC uses psychological risk assessments was presented to EXCOM in October 2015. EXCOM approved the proposed changes to the psychological risk assessment procedures. The changes have resulted in a streamlined process that reduces duplication of efforts, ensures that sufficient and necessary information is available to staff at the appropriate stages and introduces a consistent format for assessments. The new process also meets CSC’s needs with respect to program referrals, mental health information and Parole Board of Canada (PBC) requirements.

The broad changes to the policy framework are described below. A description of changes made to each Commissioner's Directive (CD) is provided under the heading for the relevant CD.

• The requirement for a specialized sex offender assessment has been eliminated. Under the new process, Correctional Program Officers will use specific tools (Static 99R and Stable-2007) to complete the assessments.
• Referrals for psychological risk assessments with the focus on sexual offending will be at intake for women offenders who meet the sexual offence criteria.
• Psychological risk assessments will continue to be completed when Dangerous Offenders are being considered for a classification of minimum security.
• Psychological risk assessments will continue to be completed for PBC reviews.
• Psychological risk assessments (when consideration is given to medium security for certain offenders) will be replaced by mental health institutional assessments. These assessments will be completed by a mental health professional.
• Psychological assessments will be completed if there are case-specific responsivity or risk management concerns that preclude mainstream program assignment following a case conference between the Parole Officer, the Correctional Program Officer and the mental health professional.
• New guidelines to ensure consistency for completing mental health institutional assessments have been developed and are included in the Integrated Mental Health Guidelines.
• In addition to policy changes related to the psychological risk assessment streamlining, various minor changes, or clarifications were incorporated where necessary.

The following details the changes made to each policy:

CD 705-5 – Supplementary Assessments

• The title of the directive has changed from Supplementary Intake Assessments to Supplementary Assessments.
• Psychological risk assessments will be replaced by a new assessment entitled “mental health institutional assessment” when consideration is being given to classification to lower security for certain offenders. More specifically, Dangerous Offenders serving an indeterminate sentence, offenders serving a life sentence for first or second degree murder and offenders convicted of terrorism offences punishable by life will now require a mental health institutional assessment when consideration is being given to classify them as medium security. This assessment will be completed by a mental health professional in accordance with the Institutional Mental Health Guidelines (CD 800). Therefore, some elements of the CD that previously described a psychological risk assessment have been removed as they no longer apply.
• Referral for a psychological assessment can be made for offenders with case-specific responsivity or risk management concerns that preclude mainstream program assignment as determined in a case conference between the Correctional Program Officer, the Parole Officer and a mental health professional.
• Referrals for a psychological risk assessment with the focus on sexual offending will be made at intake for all women who meet the criteria for sexual offences.
• The requirement for offenders to be referred to a vocational assessment has been removed as there is currently no national assessment.
• The CD no longer indicates that offenders who have a court psychiatric or psychological evaluation on file which includes a risk appraisal do not require an intake psychological risk assessment.
• The CD now specifies that a referral for a psychological risk assessment is made at intake only when an offender is serving four years or less, or within one year of parole eligibility, and one or more of the following criteria are met: persistent violence, gratuitous violence or sexual offences.
• The CD now specifies that the psychological risk assessment for those serving four years or less, or within 1 year of parole eligibility, will be completed 90 days prior to Day Parole Eligibility Date.
• Lastly, the definitions for persistent violence, psychological risk assessment and psychological assessment have been amended and definitions for mental health institutional assessment and case-specific responsivity or risk management concerns have been added.

CD 705-6 – Correctional Planning and Criminal Profile

Annex E

• The mention of mental health assessments/ reports has been added under the Psychological/ Psychiatric/Mental Health History heading to capture the mental health institutional assessment, if applicable.

CD 705-7 – Security Classification and Penitentiary Placement

• A new paragraph has been added to specify that the SDC is the final decision maker on security classification and penitentiary placement for inmates that transfer to the Special Handling Unit.
• The definitions for psychological risk assessment and mental health institutional assessment have been added to the Definitions section.

Annex E

• A statement has been added to confirm that the Custody Rating Scale has been provided to inmates.
• This Annex has been amended to add that the results of the mental health institutional assessment and/or psychological risk assessment be incorporated into the overall Assessment for Decision for a Security Classification and Penitentiary Placement.

Annex F

• This Annex on Interregional Movements for Offender Intake Assessments and Interregional Penitentiary Placements has been amended to replace the reference to the position of Assistant Deputy Commissioner, Institutional Operations, with Assistant Deputy Commissioner, Correctional Operations.
• Reference to Director, Interventions, has been removed as the position no longer exists.

CD 710-6 – Review of Inmate Security Classification

• A mental health institutional assessment is required instead of a psychological risk assessment for inmates serving a life sentence for first or second degree murder or convicted of a terrorism offence punishable by life who are in a maximum security facility when consideration is being given to medium security reclassification.
• A cross-reference to CD 705-5 – Supplementary Assessments, to CD 702 – Aboriginal Offenders and to CD 784 – Victim Engagement has been added in Annex A.
• A cross-reference to the Integrated Mental Health Guidelines has been added in Annex A.
• Annex A has been amended to include a definition for mental health institutional assessment and a definition for psychological risk assessment.
• Annex B has been amended to add that the results of the mental health institutional assessment and/or psychological risk assessment be incorporated into the overall Assessment for Decision for a Security Reclassification.

CD 712-1 – Pre-Release Decision-Making

• The mandatory referral criteria for the psychological risk assessment now include all sexual offences.
• The wording surrounding the discretionary referral criteria for the psychological risk assessment has been changed.
• The requirements for psychiatric assessments, including the requirements relating to inmates serving a life or indeterminate sentence, have been amended.
• Cross-references to CD 843 – Management of Inmate Self-Injurious and Suicidal Behaviour and the Integrated Mental Health Guidelines and the definitions for psychological risk assessment, psychiatric assessment and sexual offences have been added to Annex A.

GL 726-1 – National Correctional Program Standards

• The responsibilities of the Director, Reintegration Programs, and National Program Manager have been revised to include specific requirements for initial training, quality review and certification for Aboriginal and women offender correctional programs.
• The storage location of paper copies of post-program documentation has been modified. Paper copies of all program documents will now be filed on the Education and Training file.

GL 726-2 – National Correctional Program Referral Guidelines

• Amendments have been made to this directive, including to the definition of sex offender in Annex A, to remove references to the specialized sex offender assessment.
• Modifications have been made to the referral criteria, including override criteria for referral of male offenders to sex offender programs. Program referrals are now based on the results of the SIR-R1 (or CRS for Aboriginal offenders), the Static-99R and the Stable-2007. These assessments will normally be conducted by Correctional Program Officers/Assessors.
• A grid has been added to the Program-Specific Selection Criteria (Annex B) to provide guidance on the recommended level of intervention following Static-99R and Stable-2007 results. The override criteria have also been modified to more accurately reflect the appropriate level of intervention.
• The definitions of the Static-99R and Stable 2007 have been modified to clarify that these tools are to be used only for program referral purposes when completed by a Correctional Program Officer/Assessor.
• Clarification has been made that women sex offenders will not begin the women’s sex offender program until the results of their psychological risk assessment are available.

GL 726-3 – National Correctional Program Management Guidelines

• Amendments have been made to this directive, including to the definition of sex offender in Annex A, to remove references to the specialized sex offender assessment.
• The Correctional Program Officer/Assessor will be required to finalize the Static-99R results once all required information is received and to complete the Stable-2007 prior to starting a main correctional program, or in the case of offenders who score low on the Static-99R, or for whom the Static-99R cannot be scored, prior to the Correctional Plan being finalized.
• The definitions of the Static-99R and Stable 2007 have been modified to clarify that these tools are to be used only for program referral purposes.

These policies were reviewed and amended by the Health Services Sector, the Correctional Operations and Programs Sector and the Policy Sector.

Roles and responsibilities are detailed in the policy documents.

The changes affect all case management staff, all mental health staff, all program staff and all offenders.