Correctional Service of Canada Prison Libraries from 1980 to 2010

The last three decades have seen many developments in Canadian prison libraries. This article follows the history of the libraries in federal Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) from the 1980s to the present, concentrating on the libraries in the Pacific Region. A chronological overview of the major legislative changes, reports, and events of the last thirty years highlights the increased profile of prison libraries and their role in supporting Correctional Service of Canada’s Mission and Goals. Some of these changes include the adoption in 1992 of the Corrections and Condition Release Act (CCRA) and Regulations, modifications to Commissioner’s Directive 720 (2007a; under which libraries fall), and the adoption in the Pacific Region of Library Policy Guidelines. In addition to legislative and policy changes, Canadian society itself has also changed during this thirty-year period. As the face of Canada has become more diverse in age and ethnicity, as well as in social and technological expectations, so has the face of the prison population. These changes have, of course, also impacted on prison libraries. This article examines how prison libraries have met the challenges created by these societal and technological changes. Introduction The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) is a federal agency within the government of Canada’s Public Safety Portfolio. CSC administers courtimposed sentences of two years or more, managing institutions of various security levels, preparing inmates for safe and timely release, and supervising offenders under conditional release and long-term supervision in 387 ings & joslin/canada the community. CSC has approximately 13,208 incarcerated offenders and 8,720 offenders supervised in the community. Institutional libraries offer services only to the incarcerated population. In addition to healing lodges, parole offices, and community correctional centers, CSC manages fifty-seven institutions of various security levels (Correctional Service of Canada, 2009). Canada has two official languages: English and French. In this article either language may be referred to as primary or secondary. Population Profile Between 1997 and 2005, CSC identified the following changes to the offender population: • Nine out of twenty offenders have previous criminal convictions. • Thirteen percent of offenders are classified as maximum security at time of admission. • One in six men and one in ten women have known affiliations with gangs or organized crime. • More than one of four male offenders is serving a sentence for homicide. • Twelve percent of male and 26 percent of female offenders are identified with very serious mental health problems. • There are an increasing number of offenders with learning disabilities and other functional disabilities. • About four of five offenders arrive with a serious substance abuse problem, with half having committed their crime under the influence. • There is an increasing rate of infectious diseases, in particular Hepatitis C. CSC statistics show an increase in the number of offenders serving sentences of three years or less, while one of four male offenders and one of five female women offenders are serving life sentences. Aboriginal offenders are disproportionately represented at all levels of the Canadian criminal justice system. At the end of March 2009, Aboriginal people comprised 17.3 percent of federally sentenced offenders, while the general Aboriginal population is 2.7 percent of the Canadian adult population (Correctional Service of Canada, 2010b). A 1997 CSC report (Boe, 1998) found that of offenders admitted into the custody of CSC, 64 percent had not completed their high school diploma, and of those, 30 percent had not even completed the eighth grade. Standard literacy testing of offenders entering federal custody confirmed these statistics: Seventy percent score below a Grade 8 literacy level; more than 86 percent test below Grade 10; and the average inmate scores at approximately Grade 7.5. 388 library trends/winter 2011 Correctional Process After sentencing, an offender is admitted to a Regional Reception Centre for assessment. Based on the assessment results, CSC develops a detailed correctional plan for each offender to help address his or her criminogenic factors. During this process, the offender’s security classification (minimum, medium, or maximum) is also determined. The correctional plan is updated throughout the offenders’ incarceration. Once placed at an institution, the offender is assigned to a case management team (CMT). The CMT’s objective is to help the inmate resolve his or her criminogenic problems and to have the inmate’s security classification reduced before release. When day parole or statutory release eligibility dates approach, case preparation begins in cooperation with members of the community into which the offender will be released under supervision. In the community, the offender continues to work with a CMT, following a correctional plan that is regularly updated to indicate progress and compliance with conditions established by the National Parole Board. The CMT continues to reinforce progress and works to mitigate risk. Lifers remain under CSC jurisdiction for life, whether they are incarcerated or under community supervision (Correctional Service of Canada, 2007b). Correctional Programs With the objective of ensuring the offender’s safe return to the community and enhancing his or her chances for getting and holding a job, CSC offers a variety of accredited cognitive intervention programs to help address attitudes and thinking patterns that lead to committing crimes, and to improve social and educational skills. These correctional programs focus on • cognitive skills • anger management • violent behavior and prevention • substance abuse • sexual deviance • family violence • education • literacy • Aboriginal programming • women-specific programming (Correctional Service of Canada,