COVID-19 Planning for Federal Corrections
Date: May 4, 2020
Classification: Unclassified
Branch/Agency: IEB/CBSA
Issue:
The Correctional Service of Canada has successfully implemented a number of measures to protect the inmate population from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Proposed Response:
- The Correctional Service of Canada is committed to protecting the health and safety of staff, inmates, and the public during these unprecedented times.
- The Service has put in place additional health and safety measures and protocols to protect its employees and offenders. These include wearing masks, physical distancing, hand hygiene, active health screening of anyone entering an institution, and increased cleaning and disinfecting.
- As of November 19, 2020, there are 53 active COVID-19 cases among inmates.
- The inmates who have tested positive are medically isolated and CSC is closely monitoring them.
- CSC is working closely with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), local public health authorities and all of their labour partners and stakeholders.
- At this time, some institutions in Quebec, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia have temporarily suspended visits.
- These precautions have been taken in response to instances of COVID-19 in the community, including among staff members.
- As of November 20, 2020, out of 258 of our employees who have tested positive, 211 or approximately 82% have fully recovered.
- When an employee becomes symptomatic or tests positive for COVID-19, they are required to self-isolate at home until cleared to return to work. Contact tracing is immediately conducted to ensure that close contacts are self-isolating, and additional testing is conducted, as needed.
- Staffing levels are monitored and assessed daily, and adjusted as required to meet the operational requirements of running the institution.
- The Correctional Service of Canada has also implemented its own contact tracing capability by training over 250 employees and its own testing capacity.
- The Correctional Service of Canada continues to proactively offer mass testing to inmates and staff in institutions where community transmission rates are higher (offered 37 clinics to date). This strategy can help detect any asymptomatic cases.
- The Correctional Service of Canada has also worked with the Public Health Agency of Canada and local health departments and community experts to have independent, expert-led reviews completed in all of its 43 institutions.
- The Correctional Service of Canada is implementing lessons learned and recommendations from these Infection Prevention and Control or Environmental Health reviews to reinforce its practices.
Background:
The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) has successfully implemented a number of measures to protect staff and the inmate population from COVID-19.
Current Measures
Cases among Inmates
As of November 19, there are 53 active cases of COVID-19 among inmates across Canada. Further cases are expected.
Personal Protective Equipment
CSC continues 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. Additional personal protective equipment is available to employees that need it, including health care staff.
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
While being a full participant in the Canada-wide public health effort to fight COVID-19, CSC continues to fulfill its obligations with respect to the care and custody of inmates to prepare them for safe release into the community.
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.
CSC, in consultation with PBC, has worked to streamline the case preparation process for offenders. In addition, PBC is working to ensure cases are dealt with as expeditiously as possible, while continuing to use risk- and evidence-based decision-making.
Since the beginning of March 2020, the federal custody population has declined by 1,292 inmates (as of November 15, 2020). This reduction is the result of fewer admissions from the provinces and territories coupled with continued releases into the community. This downward trend in the federal inmate population is expected to continue over the coming months.
CSC is 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.
Suspension of Visits to Institutions
CSC took additional measures to limit the potential spread of COVID-19 in its Quebec, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia institutions and community correctional centres (CCCs). CSC suspended visits, temporary absences and work releases at some sites in Quebec, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia.
Offenders will continue to participate in on-site programming and activities that support their rehabilitation. Health services will be maintained and temporary absences for medical and compassionate reasons will continue, as needed. Offenders are encouraged to continue connecting with their families and loved ones by telephone or video visitation.
The additional measures do not currently affect sites in other provinces. This is an evolving situation and CSC continues to work with public health authorities to monitor the situation and take additional actions, as needed.
Reduced Staffing Due to Self-Isolating
Staff members at a number of CSC institutions have tested positive for COVID-19.
CSC is collaborating with public health authorities to conduct contact tracing to ensure that close contacts are self-isolating at home and additional testing is conducted, as needed.
CSC assesses operational decisions around schedules and activities on a regular bases when taking into consideration staffing levels. Staffing levels are monitored and assessed daily and adjusted, as required. Staff on-site are showing flexibility and some have worked extended hours to meet the operational requirements of running institutions.
Contacts:
Prepared by: Bailey Milne, Officer Parliamentary Relations
Approved by: Kirstan Gagnon, Assistant Commissioner, Communications and Engagement, 613-995-6867
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