Corrections in the Northwest Territories—Department of Justice
Opening Statement to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly Standing Committee on Government Operations
Corrections in the Northwest Territories—Department of Justice
(2015 March Report of the Auditor General of Canada to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly)
20 May 2015
Michael Ferguson, CPA, CA
FCA (New Brunswick)
Auditor General of Canada
Good morning everyone. Thank you, Madam Chair, for this opportunity to discuss our report on Corrections in the Northwest Territories—Department of Justice. The report was tabled on March 3rd in the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. With me are members of the audit team: Jerome Berthelette, Glenn Wheeler, and Erin Jellinek.
Corrections is a significant issue. According to Statistics Canada, the Northwest Territories’ crime rate in 2013 was the highest in the country. The Department of Justice is responsible for protecting the public through the supervision of inmates in custody and the operation of correctional programs to assist in their rehabilitation.
Our audit focused on whether the Department of Justice was meeting its key responsibilities for inmates within the correctional system. We did this by examining whether the Department adequately managed inmates in compliance with key rehabilitation requirements under the Corrections Act, and whether the Department adequately planned for and operated facilities to house inmates.
Our audit looked at inmate case management and facility management at the North Slave Correctional Centre and the Fort Smith Correctional Complex (Male Unit) and at capacity planning across the territory’s five facilities.
In the area of inmate case management, we examined the files of 48 male inmates serving custodial sentences. We found that there were serious deficiencies in case management for inmates.
For those inmates with shorter sentences—who made up about half of the inmate population—the Department had not assessed the reasons for their criminal behaviour and did not identify appropriate rehabilitation programs. Without this information, the Department cannot assess whether the programs it offers meet their needs and assist in their rehabilitation.
For those inmates with longer sentences, while the Department identified rehabilitation programs to help address their criminal behaviour, it did not adequately deliver these programs. For example, some inmates who were identified as needing long-term, individual support to help address alcohol or drug dependency were offered only general rehabilitation programs, such as Alcoholics Anonymous. In other cases, inmates did not receive any programs, as the programs were not offered during their periods of incarceration.
These serious deficiencies in case management mean that many inmates who were identified as needing programs to help support their rehabilitation in areas such as substance abuse, sexual offences, and family violence were not receiving this assistance before being released back into their communities.
In the area of facility management, we found that the Department had not adequately met key requirements for its management of correctional facilities.
For example, we found that requirements for annual fire and health inspections were not met at the North Slave and Fort Smith (Male Unit) facilities. This is important because given their limited freedom of movement, inmates are in a vulnerable position and are reliant on the Department to comply with safety and security requirements.
As well, key requirements for the placement of inmates in segregation had not been met at these two facilities. For example, some inmates were held in segregation without the required approvals by wardens. Furthermore, required daily and weekly reviews to determine whether it was appropriate for inmates to remain in segregation were not always done. Spending time in segregation entails risks for inmates. Without proper oversight, the Department does not have assurance that inmates are being managed safely.
In the area of capacity planning, we found that the Department had developed plans to meet current and future needs in facilities, which included replacing the Fort Smith Correctional Complex (Female Unit) in the 2017–18 fiscal year. However, the Department did not have sufficient measures in place to mitigate some serious safety and security concerns at this facility, where female inmates will continue to be housed until the new facility is operational. Concerns included insufficient space for medical clearance of inmates entering the facility and surveillance camera blind spots.
Our audit findings are significant, and addressing them will enable the Department to better prepare inmates for release into the community and to better ensure the safety and security of correctional facilities for inmates and staff. We issued 14 recommendations aimed at making improvements in these areas, and the Department has agreed to all of them.
Madam Chair, your Committee may wish to seek details from Department officials about how it intends to improve inmate case management, facility management, and capacity planning.
Madam Chair, this concludes my opening statement. My colleagues and I would be pleased to answer any questions the Committee members may have. Thank you.