Policy bulletin 667

Commissioner’s Directive 767 – Ethnocultural Offenders: Services and Interventions

CD 767 – Ethnocultural Offenders: Services and Interventions was changed in order to reflect the Correctional Service of Canada’s (CSC) organizational structure that took effect in March 2015, and to include new requirements in the management of ethnocultural offenders.

Significant changes have been made to CD 767. Responsibilities have either been added or revised. Those impacted will need to familiarize themselves with the details contained in the updated policy.

• The Assistant Commissioner, Correctional Operations and Programs, in consultation with the Deputy Commissioner for Women, as appropriate, is now responsible for ensuring that results of services and interventions that meet the identified needs of ethnocultural offenders are delivered and monitored.
• The Assistant Commissioner, Communications and Engagement, now has the responsibility to ensure the National Ethnocultural Advisory Committee (NEAC) is in place, and supported, as outlined in the Charter of Mutual Commitments between the NEAC and the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC).
• The Director, Reintegration Services, in consultation with the Director General, Women Offender Sector, as appropriate, is responsible for managing, coordinating, and monitoring the development and implementation of processes to identify the specific needs of ethnocultural offenders as well as ethnocultural interventions and services.
• The title of National Manager, Ethnocultural Services Section, was changed to the National Manager, Ethnocultural and Social Development Services.
• The responsibilities of the National Manager, Ethnocultural and Social Development Services, have been revised to more accurately reflect their advisory and assistance role with regard to the development of processes , and the development and monitoring of services and interventions for ethnocultural offenders.
• The Regional Deputy Commissioner now has the responsibility to ensure a Regional Ethnocultural Advisory Committee (REAC) is in place, and supported, as outlined in the Charter of Mutual Commitments between the NEAC and CSC.
• The Regional Administrator, Communications and Executive Services, will now ensure that the Regional Ethnocultural Strategic Plan is implemented and report regularly to the Regional Management Committee on regional services, interventions, activities, and considerations.
• The Regional Manager, Communications, will now provide updates on the implementation of the Regional Ethnocultural Strategic Plan and oversee its implementation.
• The Project Officer, Citizen Engagement and Ethnocultural Services, is now responsible for preparing the Regional Ethnocultural Strategic Plan which includes the REAC’s recommendations, where feasible, and for facilitating the implementation of ethnocultural initiatives in the regions to address the needs of ethnocultural offenders.
• Responsibilities of the Institutional Head were expanded to ensure that staff receive cultural competency training and that specific needs and cultural interests of ethnocultural offenders are considered in the development of Correctional Plans.
• The responsibilities of the Program Manager were revised. The Program Manager, in collaboration with relevant employees (such as Social Program Officers and Parole Officers), and ethnocultural offenders, will ensure access to ethnocultural activities, services and/or interventions is provided.
• The Social Program Officer will contribute to the assessment of ethnocultural offenders’ needs and provide information regarding the offenders participation in their Correctional Plan.
• The Parole Officer’s responsibilities regarding ethnocultural offenders have been articulated to reflect the recent addition of visible minorities in paragraph 4(g) of the CCRA.
• Procedures and required timelines were added for the establishment of an Ethnocultural Wellness Committee.
• The community Volunteer Coordinator is now responsible for recruiting and training volunteers from ethnocultural communities and for developing community resource materials for offenders.
• The NEAC’s responsibility to provide advice on CSC’s efforts to obtain a workforce representative of the diverse ethnocultural population was removed from the policy.
• The requirements of the NEAC and REACs to meet in accordance with the schedule outlined in the Charter of Mutual Commitments between the NEAC and CSC were clarified and their responsibility to provide the highlights of their activities and results to the Commissioner and Regional Deputy Commissioner was added.
• The list of reference policies was updated in Annex A.
• The Ethnocultural Wellness Committee Protocol has been added in Annex B.

This policy was reviewed and amended by the Correctional Operations and Programs Sector, in collaboration with the Policy Sector and a national working group, which included members of the NEAC. Consultations were held with internal and external stakeholders.

The changes will affect all staff working with ethnocultural offenders and/or responsible for ethnocultural services and interventions.

Roles and responsibilities are detailed in the policy document.