COMMUNITY-BASED ALTERNATIVES TO INCARCERATION IN CANADA
Richard M. Zubrycki*
I. INTRODUCTION
Ten years ago Canada, like most other western nations, was experiencing explosive growth of its
prison population. By the mid-1990’s the annual growth rate in federal penitentiaries had reached 10%
per year, outstripping by far the long-term average annual growth rate of under 2.5%. Prison capacity
was seriously exceeded and about half of all federal offenders were double bunked in cells designed forsingle occupancy. Similar patterns of growth and crowding were also being experienced in provincial
prisons.
Today, the size of Canada’s prison population is comparatively low and is stable or dropping. This isdue to complex interacting forces, including significant crime rate reductions, which are not fully
understood.1 However, one important aspect of this positive direction is the conscious efforts that havebeen made to utilize community-based alternatives to imprisonment to the extent possible, consistent
with public safety.
This paper explores some of the characteristics of the Canadian system that support the use ofcommunity alternatives, and recent developments and innovations in that field. The extent to which
community programmes have directly offset prison population levels is difficult to quantify. Nor is it
possible to say with certainty what particular innovative programmes or policies turned the tide
against prison crowding. Nevertheless it is arguable that a wide array of features of the Canadiancriminal justice system support the safe use of community alternatives to reduce upward pressure on
prison populations.
II. THE CANADIAN CONTEXT
Canada is a country of diversity, populated originally by nomadic Aboriginal people and later,
beginning in the 15th and 16th centuries, by Europeans who originated primarily from the British Isles
and France. Early settlement was followed by waves of immigrants from many countries:
predominantly, but not exclusively, Scotland and Ireland in the 18th and 19th centuries, China andEastern Europe during the late 1800s and a mixture of other East and West European, Asian, Far East
and African countries during the last 50 years. Today about one-quarter of a million immigrants arewelcomed to Canada each year, where their distinctive cultures mix and blend into what has often beenreferred to as a “cultural mosaic” in contrast to the assimilation of the “melting pot” that some believe
characterizes the United States to our South.
Canada covers a vast expanse of territory: almost 10 million square kilometres touching the Pacific,
Atlantic and Arctic Oceans and stretching about eight thousand kilometres from Atlantic to Pacific. Yet
we are a sparsely populated nation. Thirty-one million people concentrated for the most part in anarrow band within two hundred kilometres of the U.S.-Canada border, and to a large extent clusteredin a handful of major cities.
Canada was founded on a confederation of colonial entities. Its federal form of government reflects
this diverse history and culture. There are fourteen major jurisdictions: the Government of Canada
which is national in scope, 10 provinces and 3 northern territories.2 There are thousands of municipal
governments within the provinces and territories and over 600 Indian bands spread over 2400 Reserves* Director General, Corrections
Department of the Solicitor General
Canada1

In 1995 the federal penitentiary population stood at 14,386, 5 years later, in 2000 it had dropped to 13,092, a decrease of 9%.
This is particularly notable in that the prison populations of other countries such as the U.S and U.K. continued to rise during
this period (as they continue to do) irrespective of significant reductions in the rate of crime.

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populated by Aboriginal First Nations people, but governed under a complex combination of sharedfederal-provincial jurisdiction.
Criminal justice responsibilities are shared among these various jurisdictions. Sections 91 and 92 of
the Constitution Act (1867) assign to Parliament (i.e., to the federal level of government) responsibility
for establishing the criminal law, while provinces are assigned responsibility for the administration ofjustice within their boundaries, including police and court administration. With regard to correctional
programmes, the federal government is assigned constitutional responsibility for “penitentiaries”
whereas provincial and territorial Legislatures are responsible for the maintenance of “prisons andreformatories”. These terms are not defined in the Constitution Act. Rather, they are distinguished fromone and other in the Criminal Code of Canada (s.743.1), which assigns all sentences of less than two
years (“two years less a day”) to provincial custody and all sentences of two years or more in length tofederal penitentiaries. This is commonly known as the “two year rule”.
Probation is a good example of how the different levels of government must interact in the criminal
justice field. Probation is a sentence that may be handed down by a court pursuant to the Criminal
Code, which is established by Parliament, but it must be administered by the provincial or territorial
jurisdiction where the conviction has taken place. It may be for a period of up to three years and may be
combined with a custodial sentence of up to two years less a day, i.e., in a provincial prison.
Penitentiaries and parole supervision are administered by the Correctional Service of Canada(CSC) under the federal Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA). The National Parole Board(NPB) is the conditional release decision-maker under the same Act. It is an independentadministrative tribunal of government appointees who make case by case release decisions. The various
forms of conditional release in the federal system are set out in the following Table and in Appendix C.
Table 1. Types of Conditional Release
Type of Release

Eligible after Serving

Escorted Temporary AbsenceFirst Day of Sentence

Unescorted Temporary AbsenceOne-sixth or 6 months (the greater)Work ReleaseOne-sixth or 6 months (the greater)

Accelerated Day Parole

One-sixth or 6 months (the greater)

Day Parole (regular)

6 months before Full Parole Eligibility

Full Parole (& Accelerated F.P.)

One-third of the sentence

Judicial Determination (Full Parole)

One-half of the sentence (if ordered by a court)

Statutory ReleaseTwo-thirds of the sentence (presumptive)

The Parole Board only rules on temporary absences for offenders sentenced to imprisonment for life,
the others are delegated to the Correctional Service of Canada. Work Releases are granted solely under
CSC’s authority. The National Parole Board is also the paroling authority for the territories and all but
three provincial jurisdictions. Three provinces 3 administer their own parole boards under authority
delegated to them under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act.
Without going into greater detail, it is easy to see that the Canadian criminal justice andcorrectional systems are multi-layered and complex. They have been referred to as “fractionated”
because of their many cross-cutting lines of jurisdictional division and layers of authority. In this2

Provinces from west to east: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova
Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Northern Territories from West to East: Yukon, Northwest
Territories and Nunavut.

3

British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec.

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context, it is difficult to talk about national programmes or policies, since there is little that can be
simply directed by a central authority. More often national programmes result from extensive
consultation, collaboration and coordination between and among jurisdictions.
III. KEY FEATURES OF THE CANADIAN SYSTEMDavid Rothman (1971, 1980) provides accounts of the emergence first, of the American penitentiaryat the beginning of the 19th century and then, 100 years later, of the start of the community
correctional movement in the form of “aftercare”. Originally focused only on offenders after leaving
prison, the concept of dealing with offenders in the community instead of in prison gave rise to theintroduction of probation and parole. During the past century those notions have taken hold until today,
in Canada, 80% of offenders under sentence (or on remand) are being dealt with in the community as
depicted in the Figure below.
Distribution of Sentenced Adults in Canada 1999-2000
RemandPr ison4%

8%

Penit ent iar y
8%Condit ional Release7%

Condit ional Sent ence
6%
Probat ion
67%

S ourc e : Adult Cor re c t iona l S e r vic e s S ur ve y, 1999/ 2000
Ca na dia n Cr imina l J ust ic e S t a ist ic s, S t a t ist ic s Ca na da

A number of characteristics of the Canadian correctional system may be seen as providing aframework that is conducive to community correctional responses to criminal offending, in particular: aprinciples-based sentencing system, a research and risk-based correctional system, an active andcommitted voluntary sector and community corrections professionals – largely probation and parole
officers – who can secure community acceptance while they implement and operate community
programmes.
A. Principles-Based System
In 1982, Canada’s Constitution was patriated from England where it had originated as a statute of
the British Parliament as the Constitution Act of 1867. In so doing, the earlier Act and subsequent
amendments were reaffirmed and supplemented with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms(Charter). The Charter codified certain rights long established under British Common Law andprinciples of natural justice, as well as contemporary Canadian human rights jurisprudence. The newConstitution Act (1982) provided a valuable framework for the protection of human rights. The Chartersoon became the benchmark against which all Canadian law was measured.
The newly patriated Constitution and the Charter gave rise to an ambitious Criminal Law Review
process led by the Department of Justice. Included within it were a Sentencing Review by a Royal
Commission, and a Correctional Law Review conducted by the Ministry of the Solicitor General. Fromthese reviews emerged a new Corrections and Conditional Release Act (1992), and in 1996, a Bill (C-41)
to amend the Criminal Code of Canada to introduce sentencing reforms.
Consequently the new CCRA contained two statements of purposes and principles to guideapplication of the law in penitentiaries (sections 3 and 4) and for conditional release (sections100 and100

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101). Similarly, purposes and principles of sentencing were placed in s.718 of the Criminal Code (seeAppendix A). Grown from the same root, all three statements have many similarities and parallels:•

All three statements declare their purpose to be to contribute to and maintain “…a just peaceful andsafe society…”;•

The CCRA proclaims as a principle that “…the protection of society [is] the paramountconsideration…” in the corrections process while the Code sets out as principles that it “denounce”
and “deter” criminal conduct;•

To balance the immediately foregoing principles that might be interpreted as favouring
incarceration, there are other integrative principles that would favour community-based measures:
all three statements provide that the “least restrictive measures” available should be chosen,
providing that they are consistent with public safety;•

Both statements of purpose in the CCRA refer to “rehabilitation of offenders and their reintegration
into the community”, the Criminal Code states that one of its primary objectives is “…to assist in
the rehabilitation of offenders”.

Taken together, these principles strike a balance that is supportive of community-based
programmes as realistic alternatives to incarceration when consistent with public safety.
But perhaps the most important implication of a principles-based system is that it leaves discretionin the hands of the courts. Jurisdictions like the United States that have increasingly limited judicial
discretion and come to rely on mandatory forms of sentencing (e.g., “three strikes” laws, mandatory
minimum penalties), have effectively transferred discretion from judges to prosecutors. As aconsequence, these nations have seen their prison populations grow out of control, and to continue to doso even in the face of steep and continuous drops in the crime rate (Garland, 2001, pp.208-209). In a
principles-based system, judges are more able to tailor the sentence to the offence and the offender andin Canada’s case, to apply the least-restrictive principle on a case-by-case basis according to eachunique set of circumstances.
B. Legislative Framework
In addition to leaving sentencing discretion in the hands of the judiciary, the Criminal Code of
Canada provides a structured framework for community forms of sentences for courts to consider:•

Section 717 provides for “alternative measures,” in other words pre-trial diversion, to be usedinstead of judicial processing where a number of conditions are met including an admission of
responsibility for the offence by the accused person and that “…the person considering whether to
use the measures [usually the prosecutor] is satisfied that they would be appropriate, having regard
to the needs of the person alleged to have committed the offence and the interests of society and of
the victim”; (see Appendix B)•

Sections beginning at s.720 provide for pre-sentence reports to be prepared by probation officers –perhaps the best opportunity to help courts understand the behavioural dynamics of the offenderand to consider the appropriateness and feasibility of a community sentence;•

Section 730 creates absolute and conditional discharges. In the latter case a probation order withconditions may be issued to be supervised by a probation officer until the order expires (up to three
years) and the conviction is discharged;•

Section 731 provides for probation orders of up to three years to be given as a sentence in and ofthemselves or in addition to a fine or sentence of imprisonment of two years or less; sections 732.1
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Section 732.1(3)(f) specifies that a condition of probation may be to perform up to 240 hours of workin the community – know as a “community service order” or CSO – under the supervision of aprobation officer;•

Section 732.1(3)(g) authorizes an enforceable condition of probation to require the probationer toattend a specified treatment programme in the community – known as “treatment orders”;•

Section 732 authorizes “intermittent sentences” of 90 days or less to be served several days at a time(usually week-ends) while the intervening periods are supervised by a probation officer;•

Section 736 allows provinces to establish “fine option programmes” so that offenders may work todischarge fines owed to the court, including work while in custody to shorten time being served in
default of payment of a fine;•

Sections 738 and 739 provide for restitution orders to be made by courts and administered byprobation officers where it is so ordered;•

Section 742, introduced in 1996, created a new form of sanction, the “conditional sentence”. It issimilar to a suspended sentence or a probation order but is considered the equivalent of a custodial
sentence although it is served in the community. It is therefore appropriate for more serious
offences where there is no greater risk to the community than if the person were in custody.

C. Voluntary Sector
Canada is fortunate to have a very active voluntary sector. Community organisations, many of themnational in scope, owe their longevity, values, energy and innovativeness to a base of members andleaders drawn from local communities. Today, in addition to other activities, they provide services on a
non-profit fee-for-service basis to both provincial and federal correctional services by providing
residential, parole supervision and other services to support the re-integration of the offender into thecommunity. These voluntary organisations owe no particular allegiance to any single level orjurisdiction of government and their services are often shared among correctional systems, often on ashared-use basis with federal correctional services.
Although the Criminal Code and CCRA bring a degree of uniformity to the national scene, there are
significant gaps in policies and practices of the various jurisdictions. Further uniformity andintegration is achieved by agreement that is reached in a variety of ad hoc and continuing consultative
bodies. Consequently there are regular meetings of the Heads of Corrections and Heads of Community
Corrections from all jurisdictions, Canadian Association of Paroling Authorities (CAPA), and senior
officials of Justice and Solicitors General to name a few. Ministers and Deputy Ministers meet on aregular basis to discuss matters of mutual interest. Similarly in the voluntary sector, nationalorganisations such as the Canadian Criminal Justice Association and the National Associations Activein Criminal Justice bring together voluntary and official criminal justice workers on a national scale toshare information, plans and priorities.
Not only are voluntary sector representatives important partners in implementing community
based programmes today, but they have been perhaps the most effective innovators of new community
programmes during the past century and longer. In the 1800s, voluntary organisations in Canada, as
elsewhere, motivated by altruistic and religious values, invented the concept of “aftercare” inrecognition that many offenders leaving prison could benefit from some support, guidance andassistance to adjust successfully to the community. Today the Canadian Criminal Justice Association,
John Howard Society and Elizabeth Fry Societies are examples of direct descendents from thoseearliest organisations. They have been instrumental in the invention of probation, parole, court
workers, half-way house residences and community service orders to name a few. Today, while
continuing to innovate and create new programmes these organisations and many more (theDepartment of the Solicitor General provides core funding to 14 such National Voluntary sector groups)deliver residential, counselling and supervision programmes in partnership with federal and provincial/territorial government agencies.

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An active voluntary sector with a strong partnership with government agencies is one of the key
ingredients for the mobilization of community–based programmes. They often provide the ideas andhuman resources to bring the programmes about, but as important, they provide a bridge to community
acceptance that is essential to success. Some theorists make a distinction between community-based
programmes that are simply “in” the community as opposed to those who are “of ” the community (Fox,1977 p.1, Lauen, 1990, p.12). Lauen discusses “community managed” programmes that are arguably
the most effective because they are created and operated by the community for its members – bothoffenders and non offenders. Programmes that are simply operated in the community by the official
correctional system are arguably less effective because they and their clients are less accepted, indeed
may even be rejected by the community.
D. Research and Risk
Research is essential to understand what works best with which kind of offender. Actuarialassessment of risk helps us understand, among other things, which offenders can be managed in thecommunity and what risk factors they need to work on to maintain a crime-free lifestyle.
Perhaps the most fundamental thing that has been learned from research over the past fifty years
or so is that increased punishment does not produce increased deterrence. This appears counterintuitive in societies, including Canada, that have long based their criminal justice systems on a firm
belief in deterrence. However, recent meta-analyses that combine literally hundreds of studies andhundreds of thousands of subjects confirm this conclusion. Smith, Goggin and Gendreau (2002)
compared the impact on recidivism of incarceration and of intermediate sanctions.4 They concluded thatincarceration has no greater impact on recidivism than community sanctions and, in fact incarceration
may actually increase later recidivism – by 2-3% overall and as much as 7% in some cases.
Cutting-edge research on the actuarial assessment of risk has a variety advantages. The ability toplace offenders in risk categories, and to measure the outcome of different treatments with different
risk categories, helps to greatly refine our knowledge of what works better with which groups. So, forexample we are able to conclude with some degree of certainty that interventions with low risk
offenders that are too intense, can actually increase their risk, while more intense treatments work bestwith the highest risk offenders. For example, a recent evaluation of electronic monitoring (EM) in three
Canadian provinces (Bonta, Wallace-Capretta and Rooney, 1999) found that EM had no different effecton outcomes than did community supervision by itself when risk and criminogenic needs were
controlled. However, in the one jurisdiction that a) included moderate risk offenders in its programme,
and b) combined EM with a programme of treatment provided by a voluntary community organisation,
positive results were found for this group.
Being able to better differentiate between more and less effective treatment programmes not only
helps policy makers and programme managers decide where to invest their resources, it helps makemore effective correctional decisions about programme placement, security classification and degrees ofliberty that are appropriate for individual offenders. Perhaps most important, by helping to identify
criminogenic need areas (factors associated with their pattern of offending) for individual offenders towork on, risk prediction techniques lead to more successful outcomes in terms of lowered recidivism.
A number of tools exist for this purpose – the Wisconsin Offender Classification System and LSI-R(Levels of Service Inventory – Revised) are two of the most widely used (Andrews and Bonta, 1998). In
Canada today virtually all jurisdictions utilize one or a combination of risk prediction tools (with theCanadian-developed LSI-R being the most common) to help make risk-based decisions. While thedegree of knowledge and understanding of risk prediction technology and its appropriate uses still
varies across jurisdictions and across professional groups (e.g., judges, prosecutors, prison and parole
officials), it nevertheless has been instrumental in helping chart a path that is more and more travelledin Canada’s criminal justice system.

4Intermediate sanctions include: intensive supervision, arrest, fines, restitution, boot camps, scared straight, drug testing andelectronic monitoring.

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E. Community Correctional Professionals
A network of supportive and enabling criminal justice professionals5 is essential for communitybased correctional programmes to become an established component of a criminal justice system. Somemust be dedicated to such programmes, others at least accepting and supportive of them. In a federal
system it is unrealistic to expect that these professionals would all be part of one national, internallyconsistent programme. Rather, they represent various roles and jurisdictions but are bound together by
the concept of community corrections to which they all subscribe in varying degrees. Keeping in mind
that personal philosophies differ and that some aspects of community corrections are controversial, itcannot be expected that the field is uniform and internally consistent. Nevertheless, the extent to which
community programmes are used in Canada is evidence that the concept has been well accepted
overall.
Judges, of course are crucial. They must see community alternatives as appropriate or they would
simply not use them. And prosecutors are arguably the most crucial figures in “front end” (early in the
judicial process) diversionary programmes. Without their initiative or at least their consent no preconviction diversion would be possible. To some extent, these actors may still be motivated by
expediency as Rothman (1980) found them to be at the turn of the last century. Without recourse tocommunity sanctions courts would arguably be burdened with more trials than they could handle.
Similarly prosecutors (Crown Attorneys) would be overwhelmed with the workload of prosecuting many
more contested cases. The offer of an agreed-upon community sanction is a welcome plea-bargaining
tool to help deal efficiently with the less serious cases and to concentrate prosecutorial resources on
those that are the most serious and contested. Writing in 1999, Jonathan Rudin still found that “…oneof the major reasons for the increasingly widespread support of alternatives among these players in thejustice system is the growing backlog of cases in many provincial courts” (p. 296). This pragmatism,combined with altruism and the search for effective correctional programmes, has proven to be fertile
ground for community-based corrections.
Police too may see some expediency in supporting community-based programmes. “First offenders
classes” and “john schools” (discussed below) allow for some intervention to take place with groups of
low-risk, usually first-time offenders but without costly court procedures. But expediency alone does not
explain the national policy of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Canada’s national police force) andwidespread implementation of family group counselling techniques in their nation-wide Community
Justice Forums (see below).
Many of the foregoing officials as well as others are committed to community-based programming
which they see as the more effective and least harmful among potential options, particularly traditional
incarceration. Probation services are operated by every provincial and territorial jurisdiction with themission to work with appropriate offenders in the community. They usually work closely with voluntary
sector service providers and match offenders with appropriate programmes to control their criminal
behaviour and help them return to a crime-free lifestyle in the community. These same voluntary sector
workers collaborate with institutional and paroling authorities as well to help ease offenders back into
the community as soon as it is considered safe to do so.
Institutional officials, particularly at the federal level where sentences are longer and offenders
most serious, recognize their first mission to be to maintain the safe and secure custody of offenders
who are under sentence. But they also recognize their ultimate responsibility to be the return ofinmates to the community in a safe and effective fashion. Therefore, institutional programming isgeared to help offenders deal with their criminogenic needs. By matching cognitive-behaviouralprogrammes to needs and levels of risk, research-tested programmes help reduce and manage risk sothat ultimately release will be more successful. Gradually, therefore, more offenders are being managed
in the community for longer periods of time with fewer new offences (Corrections and Conditional
Release Statistical Overview, 2001).

5

The term “professional” is used here to include volunteer and paid employees of voluntary sector (not-for-profit) organisations
as well as full-time officials of state organisations irrespective of their level of training.

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Parole officers and their voluntary sector partners assist offenders to develop and implement
community release plans that address their residential, education, employment and criminogenic needsin the community. A variety of voluntary organisations operate over 190 halfway houses across Canada
and are able to accommodate close to 2,000 offenders at a given time. They may offer programmes
related to specific needs such as substance abuse, or simply basic room and board. In addition, over
10,000 individuals volunteer in various roles with the Correctional Service of Canada. They help
provide pro-social role models and often continue to offer support and assistance in the community after
release.
Support of the voluntary sector also extends beyond the end of the sentence. Established voluntaryorganisations founded in the traditions of aftercare have never regarded the boundaries of a sentence toconfine their activities where there was a need. Recently, this philosophy has led to the creation of anew programme model called Circles of Support whereby groups of community members (usually faithgroups) provide on-going friendship and practical support as well as setting limits and monitoring
accountability targets for high-risk offenders. In some instances the Circles of Support collaborate with
police who are also targeting the same high-risk offenders, and who have recruited local social agencies
to assist. These support networks are very promising, especially with serious sex offenders. More will beknown about them as they are evaluated.
In Canada, Aboriginal people face special challenges having been isolated on Indian Reserves for
decades with unequal access to employment, education, health care and many other social andeconomic advantages. Today they represent under 3% of Canada’s population but over 17% of its
penitentiary inmates. In some provinces where they are concentrated, Aboriginal inmates approach
100% of the prison population. On average, Canada incarcerates Aboriginal people at eight times therate of non-aboriginals. Culturally appropriate community services and programmes are often lacking
for Aboriginal people making their re-integration into both Aboriginal and urban communities. At thesame time, Aboriginal culture has much to teach the non-Aboriginal culture, particularly about healing
the spirit as well as the person. Restorative Justice (see below) is a new way of thinking about criminal
justice that is both consistent with and inspired by the culture and traditions of Aboriginal people.
Significant adjustment will be needed for the mainstream criminal justice system and processes toaccommodate this promising new style of doing criminal justice, and increasing numbers of Aboriginalpractitioners and programmes at all levels need to be further developed.
IV. COMMUNITY-BASED CORRECTIONAL PROGRAMMESIn 1994, it was estimated that if the then-current rate of growth were to continue, the penitentiary
population would double its size within 10 years. Provincial and territorial jurisdictions wereexperiencing the same phenomenon and the future looked untenable. Concerted efforts were called forby all governments. In May 1995, federal, provincial and territorial Ministers of Justice and Solicitors
General asked senior officials to consider ways that could reduce upward pressure on prison
populations. Federally, a number of measures were introduced as discussed below. Jointly, the various
jurisdictions formed a Working Group of the Heads of Corrections from all the jurisdictions and focusedon what could be done jointly and individually, and four Annual reports were prepared for Ministers(1996-2000).
In the first Population Growth Report (1996) a set of principles were recommended to Federal,
Provincial and Territorial Ministers at an annual meeting. The principles were derived from andconsistent with similar statements in the CCRA and Criminal Code as well as U.N. international
instruments6. The principles were significant because, irrespective of various differences of view andpolitical philosophies, all jurisdictions at all senior bureaucratic and political levels agreed to support
existing and innovative programmes based on these principles. While they do not carry the same
weight as similar statutory statements and could be disavowed at any time by any jurisdiction, so far
they have not been. Probably the greatest impact of the principles statement is the encouragement,even empowerment, it gave to correctional administrators to advance non-custodial programmes
6

For example the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, the Universal Declaration on Human Rights andthe International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

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without (or at least with less) fear of being countermanded at higher levels of authority. The Statementof Principles read as follows:
While it is recognized that there are differential approaches to similar policy issues acrossjurisdictions, and such diversity must be respected, there are many principles and objectives thatare held in common which could be made explicit and endorsed. Some of these would be:• The criminal justice system is a social instrument to enforce society's values, standards andprohibitions through the democratic process and within the rule of law;
• The broad objective of the criminal justice system is to contribute to the maintenance of a just,peaceful and safe social environment;• Public safety and protection is the paramount objective of the criminal justice system;• The best long-term protection of the public results from offenders being returned to a law abiding
lifestyle in the community;• Fair, equitable and just punishment that is proportional to the harm done and similar to likesentences for like offences is a legitimate objective of sentencing;• Offenders are sent to prison as punishment, not for punishment;• Incarceration should be used primarily for the most serious offenders and offences where thesentencing objectives are public safety, security, deterrence or denunciation and alternatives toincarceration should be sought if safe and more effective community sanctions are appropriate
and available. (as amended in February 1997)• The criminal justice system is formed of many parts within and across jurisdictions that must
work together as an integrated whole to maximize effectiveness and efficiency.7
The Population Growth project helped create an environment where emphasis was placed on
maximizing the use of community-based corrections at all stages of the criminal justice process where
possible, consistent with the foregoing principles. While the principles provided a policy framework tofurther amplify the statutory framework that existed at that time, strong motivation also came fromthe fact that correctional institutions everywhere were crowded and all the indicators were that thistrend would continue and even worsen.
In 1997 the Canadian incarceration rate stood at a record high of 133 per 100,000 of the general
population.8 Both institutional and community caseloads had been rising steeply since the mid-1980s
and had increased by 29% and 40.8% respectively between 1985 and 1995 (Population Growth Paper,
1996, p. 2). Moreover, although the number of adults charged with crimes each year had declined by
11% during the previous five years, the rate of offenders admitted to custody increased by 30% (from485 to 630 per 10,000 persons charged) – more people were being sent to prison and penitentiary eventhough the crime rate was beginning to decline (Corrections Population Growth, 1996, Summary Table
4).
The first Population Growth report made 11 recommendations to Ministers to promote non-carceralmeasures such as:•••

Making greater use of diversion programmes (many of which already existed);
Develop charge-screening policies to move appropriate cases into diversion programmes;
Use risk prediction techniques more widely;

7

Amended as noted in 1997 in vol.2 of the Population Growth reports.

8

Includes youth as well as adults, and both sentenced and those on remand. Compares to the United Kingdom at 99 andAustralia at 89.

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Develop Aboriginal community pilot projects;
De-incarcerate low risk offenders.
Over the next three years all jurisdictions contributed information about the measures they weretaking to comply with these recommendations and the results they were achieving. By the time of the
fourth report in 2000, there had been significant changes in the criminal justice environment. Although
by no means attributable to these efforts alone, they surely made an impact if only by promoting achange of attitude that increasingly accepted incarceration as an extreme measure to be reserved only
for the most serious cases that clearly required it.
By 2000, the incarceration rate had declined to 123 per 100,000 general population. And, while
community caseloads continued to grow, institutional populations had begun a steady decline. Thebalance between community and custodial sentences had also begun to shift. Whereas about 77% of the
combined federal, provincial and territorial correctional caseload was in the community in fiscal year
1994-95, it was about 79% in 1998-99 (Corrections Population Report Fourth Edition, 2000, Summary
Table 2, p.39). Attention had shifted further toward community-based sentencing and correctional
alternatives right across the spectrum of the criminal justice process.
A. Pre-Charge Diversion – Police
Diversion from the formal criminal justice system can begin as early as at the police investigative
stage. Police may play a role by a) identifying appropriate candidates for diversion and b) operating
diversion programmes. Such programmes may vary from one police agency to another. Normally, withthe approval and/or participation of the Crown Attorney, cases are identified using established criteria.
One of those criteria is always that the subject must be prepared to admit responsibility for the alleged
offence. Section 717 of the Criminal Code (alternative measures, 1996 – see Appendix B) prohibits suchan admission from being used as evidence in court should the case eventually go to trial. The prosecutor
is also required to establish that the offence could be effectively prosecuted of it did go to trial. Then,
when the offender has successfully fulfilled an agreed-upon course of action, the prosecutor will notproceed with the charges.
Two types of programmes police have introduced are First Offender Classes and John Schools. The
former tends to be operated for youthful, first time offenders. It is usually in the form of a class that
deals with the law and the consequences of law breaking, including the long-term consequences of
having a criminal record, impact on family and friends, and on victims. John Schools are similar but aredesigned for men who attempt to solicit a prostitute in an unlawful manner (contrary to s. 213 of the
Criminal Code – communicating for the purpose of prostitution). Again, in the form of classes, men are
educated about the consequences of being convicted of such an offence, impact on their family andreputation, and public health implications – often with former prostitutes lecturing on the damage thatwomen experience by a life of prostitution.
Police often partner with community organisations to help deliver these programmes. They arehighly efficient in that they occupy a minimum of resources of the formal system because they are
initiated so early in the process or, as it is sometimes called, at the “front end”. They are more efficient
yet because they deal with groups of offenders rather than one case at a time. Some critics of theseinformal programmes question their effectiveness suggest they may simply “widen the net” byincluding very minor offenders who often would not be prosecuted in any event.
Perhaps the best recognized police-based diversion programme is Family Group Conferencing firstestablished in New Zealand and Australia. In Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police operatesuch programmes across the country under the name of Community Justice Forums. They have grownout of a Restorative Justice philosophy, which will be discussed later in this paper.
In appropriate cases, a trained facilitator (police officer or community volunteer) will convene agroup of family members, victims and their support group, and other relevant community members tomeet with the offender. As a group they consider the offence and the offender, and an appropriate courseof action – often including restitution of some kind – to satisfy the victim and community as well as
appropriately sanctioning the offender. Where the offender follows through in good faith, charges
usually do not proceed. These programmes are more labour-intensive than many other police-based

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programmes because they deal with single offenders and involve a wider range of participants than anormal court proceeding.
B. Post-Charge Diversion – Court Based
Court-based diversion programmes are normally coordinated by the Crown Attorney’s office but
frequently involve the local Probation Service and/or community groups. Such programmes were firstdeveloped by innovative Crown Attorneys and Judges who recognized that programmes did not exist to
deal with minor offenders who were often basically pro-social and considered a low risk to re-offend but
who might be driven further toward a criminal life style by formal processing by the criminal justicesystem. By agreeing to alternative measures such offenders can be diverted from the experience of thecriminal justice system and can be diverted from the heavy workloads of that system at the same time.
Section 717 of the Criminal Code now provides for alternative measures to be used when:•

They are part of a programme authorized by the government of a province or territory and are
authorized by the Attorney General or his or her delegate in a specific case;•

They are appropriate for the offender, the interests of society and of the victim;•

The person participates freely having been advised of his or her right to counsel; and•The person accepts responsibility for the alleged act and the Attorney General’s representative (theCrown Attorney) believes there is sufficient evidence to prosecute if that were necessary.

And there are extensive prohibitions against keeping and, or disclosing any record of the alternative
measures proceedings.
Frequently, programmes are conducted in the community by voluntary organisations and clientsprovided by referral from the courts under the alternative measures procedures. In some cases these
programmes look much like Community Service Orders that will be discussed below. Offenders may berequired to provide assistance to the community or indirectly through a community agency. Whencompleted, the Crown Attorney enters a stay of proceedings on the charge that had been laid andcannot proceed on them at a later time.
Some are concerned that the alternative measures provide a powerful plea-bargaining tool that
could result in admissions of responsibility that are not necessary and could not be obtained throughprosecution. For this reason there are safeguards in the Criminal Code that require the offence to becapable of prosecution and that the offender be aware of his or her ability to defend against it in court.
C. Pre-Sentence Diversion – Discharge
Conditional and absolute discharges have been authorized by the Criminal Code for over 20 years.
In effect, a discharge order under s. 730 of the Criminal Code is neither a conviction nor a sentence.
Although there is an admission or finding of guilt, once the judge decides to order the discharge of theoffender, there is technically no conviction and no criminal record is created. The discharge may not begiven if there is a minimum sentence required by law or if the maximum sentence that may be given is
14 years in prison or more. In the case of conditional discharges, a probation order may be created for a
maximum of three years at the end of which the discharge takes effect. Failure to comply with theconditions of a probation order can result in a cancellation of the discharge order and its replacementwith the sentence that would have otherwise been given.
D. Post-Sentence Diversion – Probation
Probation is perhaps the most valuable tool used to prevent offenders from being further drawn into
the criminal justice process. By preparing pre-sentence reports “…for the purpose of assisting the court
in imposing a sentence…” (s.721 (1) Criminal Code), the probation officer can be instrumental inproposing a feasible community-based alternative in appropriate cases.

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Moreover, it is frequently the existence of the probation service and programmes that it operates or
facilitates, that make the alternative programmes viable. Community service orders, for example, arenormally given effect as a condition of a probation order (732.1(3)(f) Criminal Code). More important,however, is the administration of the programmes based on this order. Numerous community agencies
that can make use of volunteers must be recruited and probationers assigned, hours of participationand deportment monitored and recorded, as well as the normal counselling of the offender and liaison
with the court. Similarly, the probation service is instrumental in administering other orders that may
be handed down by the court such as restitution orders, conditional discharges, protection orders9 andconditional sentences.
Probation services operate a wide variety of support programmes for probationers from job-finding
and life-skills development to sex offender and substance abuse programmes. Increasingly probation
services utilize risk assessment instruments to help gauge the appropriate level of intervention fromonly infrequent and casual contact to intensive supervision and counselling. Probation services seldom
directly operate halfway houses but they may help voluntary organisations develop them and thenutilize their services.
E. Post-sentence Diversion During Incarceration – Conditional Release
An important purpose of imprisonment is to separate from the community those offenders who posea threat to public safety. But where this consideration does not apply, i.e., where the risk is assessed as
low and manageable, and where the sentence has accomplished its denunciatory purpose, thecorrectional system’s primary purpose becomes the safe reintegration of offenders into the community
and the adoption of a law-abiding lifestyle. To achieve this there are a variety of conditional releasemechanisms set out in the CCRA as outlined earlier. Irrespective of their technical differences, they are
all guided by common principles. Release decisions that are recommended by the Correctional Serviceof Canada and the release decisions made by the National Parole Board10 are based on an assessment of
whether or not the offender poses an “undue risk” to the public that is, the potential risk the offender
poses to the community by the commission of a new offence (s.100, CCRA). Institutional programmes
are designed to reduce risk while community programmes and supervision following release are meant
to manage and assess risk on an on-going basis. Increasing or unmanageable risk will result in a returnto custody, hopefully before a new offence is committed.
V. RECENT INNOVATIONS
A. Accelerated Parole Review
In recent years countries such as the United States and, most recently the United Kingdom, haveintroduced presumptive sentences to increase the punitiveness of their systems in the avowed belief
that greater deterrence of crime will result. In so doing they have only exacerbated their prison
population growth while having no demonstrable effect on crime reduction 11 . The most extreme
example is the United States, which has increased its prison population by over 600% over the past 30
years, doubling it in just the past decade, with such measures. Canada to the contrary has chosen toresist presumptive penalties while introducing a presumptive form of conditional release to ensure thetimely release of certain offenders from custody.
In 1992 when the CCRA was enacted, it included a provision for the “accelerated parole review”(APR) of offenders who were in penitentiary for the first time and convicted of a non-violent offence (i.e.,
not on a schedule of offences against persons that forms part of the Act) were entitled to be released
upon reaching their eligibility date (one-third of the sentence) for full parole. In these cases they can bedenied release only if the Parole Board finds reason to believe that they would commit a new crime of9

Pursuant to s. 810 of the Criminal Code a court may issue an order against a person for the protection of the public; conditions
are specified and may include supervision by a probation officer.

10 The National Parole Board is an independent administrative tribunal comprised of individual members appointed by theGovernment of Canada to make release decisions according to the CCRA.
11 While crime rates and patterns are comparable in most G7 countries, they have dropped as much or more in those with lesspunitive characteristics; the same observation is true when comparing States to one another within the US (Zimring and
Hawkins (1997), Macalair and Males (1999)).

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violence if released. This is a significantly lower test when compared to the regular criteria, which are
based on the threat to the community due to the commission of any new offence. Offenders in this groupwere observed to already be released at a fairly high rate and to succeed at a high rate after release.
But that release was occurring about four or five months later than their first eligibility dates without
any change in their risk levels.
When released upon reaching their first eligibility date, the APR group performed much as
expected. When compared to “regular” parolees (parolees who were not eligible for APR and werereleased at various times after they reached parole eligibility), they re-offended at slightly higher rates
over all, but with lower rates of violent re-offending. In view of the positive performance of this group,
amendments to the CCRA in 1997 added accelerated day parole for this same category of offenders.
This made these offenders eligible for presumptive release after serving six months or one-sixth of thesentence (the greater) using the same test as accelerated parole review (risk of violence). This change inthe law resulted in an immediate transfer of about 500 inmates per year from federal custody to thecommunity without increased risk.
Similarly, since 197112 offenders who have not been released earlier, or who have been returned tocustody, have been entitled to be released under supervision during the last one-third of the sentence.
This statutory release is also presumptive to ensure a transition period for offenders who are inevitably
destined to return to the community.13 Both of these forms of presumptive release have their detractors
because they are characterized as being automatic or, put another way, unearned. Nevertheless theseoffenders perform reasonably well and contribute to the approximately 40% of federal offenders who arein the community under all types of conditional release on any given day. In a given year, about 13% of
these releases end in a new offence and about the same number are returned to custody due to a breachof a condition of release. During the past seven years, new violent offences committed by conditionallyreleased offenders have dropped by over 60% (Corrections and Conditional Release Overview, 2002)
B. Conditional Sentences
Perhaps the most innovative sentencing measure in recent years has been the introduction of
conditional sentences (s. 742 Criminal Code) in 1996. While similar in many ways to other forms ofcommunity sentences like a suspended sentence, probation order, or conditional discharge, conditional
sentences are unique. It is a “…sentence of imprisonment…” (s.742.1(a)) that the judge may order beserved in the community if he or she “…is satisfied that serving the sentence in the community would
not endanger the safety of the community and would be consistent with the fundamental purpose andprinciples of sentencing set out in sections 718 to 718.2” (s742.1(b)).
A sentence of imprisonment served in the community! This internally inconsistent and selfcontradictory concept has taken considerable effort by the criminal justice community to grasp. Being asentence of imprisonment for up to two years, the conditional sentence may be considered appropriate
for more serious offences that would attract more serious sentences. On the other hand, being left atlarge in the community is seen by some to be inappropriately lenient for more serious offences,
particularly crimes of violence and crimes that are sexual in nature. Consequently, there have been
many calls to limit conditional sentences to less serious offences and offenders. Advocates of theconditional sentence point to the unnecessary cost and ineffectiveness of imprisonment for persons who
do not require it to control their low level of threat to the community.
Two Supreme Court of Canada decisions have helped clarify the appropriate use of conditional
sentences – R v Gladue (1999) and R v Proulx (2000). The latter in particular has made the importantdistinction that conditional sentences can and often should incorporate limitations of liberty that are
12 Since 1868 inmates had been able to earn remission of their sentence through good behaviour; in 1971 this remission period of

up to one-third of the sentence (and most inmates earned all of their remission) was converted to “mandatory supervision”
during the remission period; in 1992 mandatory supervision was converted to “statutory release” which became an entitlement
and no longer had to be earned.
13 Inmates can be detained until closer to or right up to the end of their sentence if there is reason to believe they will commit a

new offence that will cause serious harm to another person. A small number of offenders are detained each year – about 200 out
of about 4000 such releases.

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more punitive than other community sentences. Consequently such sentences now commonly containconditions that amount to house arrest with strict curfews, limited reasons to be out of one’s residence,
restrictions of association and the like. Calls for scaling back the application of conditional sentences
continue, while it is argued by the government that the current scheme should be properly evaluatedafter sufficient experience to determine whether and how successful it is, before contemplating any
fundamental change.
•

It remains premature to draw firm conclusions about the efficacy of this form of sentence but fromthe partial and preliminary data that has been collected so far, it may be tentatively concluded that:•

The use of conditional sentences has progressively increased since their introduction in 1997;•

Decreasing rates of sentences to custody have corresponded to increasing rates of conditional
sentences;•

Conditional sentences have become progressively longer;•

Conditional sentences are most often combined with probation;•

The offences for which conditional sentences are given are inclusive but regional variations are
noticeable with violent offences predominating in some areas and property offences in others.
(CCJS, 2002).

While the application of conditional sentences is still evolving and our knowledge about theirimpact are still quite limited, these preliminary results are promising and appear to demonstrate a
relationship between falling prison populations and this sentencing option (see Appendix B for full
Criminal Code provisions).
C. Restorative JusticeThis fascinating concept appears full of potential for improving criminal justice practices andengaging communities in real, practical and satisfying ways. It has been pioneered in New Zealand andAustralia and is of rapidly growing interest in Canada. The fact that all three of our countries havelarge Aboriginal populations may account, at least in part, for the interest and almost intuitive belief in
its promise. In Canada, the concept is informed by Aboriginal culture and healing traditions, and it isbeing applied in a growing number of Aboriginal communities as an alternative to the mainstream
system.
While there are many shadings of emphasis that may be given to the restorative justice philosophy,
the key principle all applications have in common, and the one that sets it apart, is its purpose torestore the harm that has been done by criminal conduct. Harm may have been done to a victim or
victims, to the community in which the offence occurred, to family and friends of the victims and of theoffender. Indeed, quite often the offence and circumstances surrounding it have also caused harm to theoffender. Restorative justice approaches seek to repair and reduce all of these harms to the extent
possible, rather than simply detecting, prosecuting and punishing the perpetrator as we tend to do in a
typically adversarial process.
There are many methods and models to achieve restorative justice goals, each at various stages ofmaturity. Perhaps the most well-established model anywhere is the Family Group Conferencing
approach of Australia and New Zealand. In Canada, as previously mentioned, this approach has also
been adopted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Country’s national police force. In theirapplication of this approach in many widely dispersed communities, the RCMP’s Community Justice
Forums engage youthful offenders, families, community members and victims in a facilitated process toseek agreed upon resolutions that will satisfy the greatest number of injured parties to the greatest
degree.
The earliest restorative justice programmes in Canada are generally recognized to have begun in1974 when victim-offender reconciliation was introduced in the courts in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario.

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Many other programmes are based on this victim-offender reconciliation or mediation model.
Aboriginal variations are based on “the circle” a traditional Aboriginal method of group deliberation,
decision-making, conflict resolution and community healing.
Whatever the programme differences among them, similar principles guide restorative justiceapplications:•

Both victim and offender must give and remain able to withdraw their free, voluntary and informed
consent to participate in the restorative justice process; they must be fully informed about theprocess and its consequences;•

The offender must admit responsibility for the offence and both victim and offender must agree on
the essential facts;•

Both can have legal advice at any point and can withdraw if they wish; any admission of
responsibility cannot be used as evidence in any later legal proceedings;•

A restorative process can occur at any and all stages of the criminal justice process;•Power imbalances between victim and offender must be considered and compensated for wherevernecessary – neither should feel coerced, pressured, intimidated or inferior;•

All discussions are confidential unless by agreement between the victim and offender;•

Failure to reach agreement should not be used in any subsequent legal proceedings to justify aharsher sentence than would otherwise be given;•

The consequences of failing to honour an agreement should be clearly spelled out;•

Facilitators should be trained and evaluated to ensure competence.

In 1996, restorative justice principles were recognized in the Criminal Code of Canada in thesentencing principles•“to provide reparations for harm done to victims or to the community” (s. 718 (e)), and•“to promote a sense of responsibility in offenders, and acknowledgement of the harm done to victims
and to the community” (s. 718 (f)).

More recently, Canada was instrumental in the development with other countries of principles
similar to those above for consideration by the 11th Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention
and Criminal Justice; in April 2002, the Commission took note of the proposed Basic Principles on
Restorative Justice and encouraged Member Nations to consider their adoption.
While it is still a time of experimentation and demonstration of how these principles can be applied
and what outcomes can be expected, there are many promising signs. Increasingly research confirmsthat those who engage in the process are more satisfied with the results than those who did notparticipate (Chaterjee, 1999;Umbreit et.al., 1995). Nevertheless, it remains to be seen if victim
participation rates can be increased. They are often reluctant to participate fearing that they are only
being used to benefit the offender by lessening his or her penalty. It also remains to be seen whether
restorative justice approaches can have any measurable impact on offender recidivism rates. But
irrespective of the research knowledge that must yet be accumulated, there are many encouraging
signs. In one programme known as Restorative Resolutions, a court-based, probation-run programme,enough prison-bound offenders were successfully maintained in the community to more than pay thecost of the programme out of the cost offsets (Bonta et. al., 1998).

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D. Hollow Water First Nation
Perhaps one of the most impressive among Aboriginal programmes was sponsored by the Hollow
Water First Nation community in Manitoba. The programme called the Community Holistic Circle
Healing (CHCH), set out to deal with serious sex offenders in the community, repair the damage they
had done and were doing, while bringing their behaviour under control without banishment to prison
away from the First Nation and in a predominantly non-Aboriginal environment. Imprisonment, infact, was generally considered to increase the harm.
Community resources were mobilized by the project to identify victims and offenders and to bringthem together by way of healing circles. During a 13 step process victims were offered a safe andsupportive environment and offenders were called upon to take responsibility for the harm they had
caused. Victims and offenders sought and found ways to make amends for past harm and to control
their future conduct. The local police, court and Crown Attorney acknowledged the appropriateness ofthe proposed resolutions and community sentences were given to facilitate the agreements.
The costs that were offset by the programme were estimated to be considerably higher than the costof running the CHCH programme (funded by federal and provincial governments and by the Hollow
Water Band Council). The Federal Government, for example, estimated that in the order of 40 to 50
offenders were kept in the community and out of federal penitentiary custody, at an average cost savingof $60,000 per year. But the benefits went far beyond the simple reduction of costs and prison
populations.
In a 2001 evaluation of the CHCH programme (Couture, J. et.al.), a multitude of collateral benefits
to the community were identified:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Early childhood programmes are in operation (e.g., Headstart, day care);Children are happier, feel safer and more self-confident;
Parents are more involved with raising children;
About 50 children from other First Nations are in foster care in Hollow Water;
No gang-related activities (a problem in many other places) are reported;
Youth stay in school longer and remain in the community after graduation;
High school completions and graduating class sizes have increased;
Growing number of high school dropouts returning to school;Less out-migration and increased migration in from other First Nations;
Alcohol abuse almost stopped and drug abuse among young being addressed;
Health improved above provincial average;
Life expectancy increased from 63 to 70 years.

When asked by evaluators what life would be like without CHCH a community member summed it
up: “utter chaos” she replied.
VI. CONCLUSION
In 1994, the Government of Canada faced a penitentiary population growth rate that threatened to
double the number of penitentiary inmates within 10 years if nothing changed. Today that population
growth rate has subsided. Federal and many provincial correctional institutions are feeling some relief,
the former has experienced progressive population drops over the last seven years. This was achieved inmany ways that are possibly not yet fully understood. However, a common effort by federal andprovincial governments has clearly made an important contribution. Legal changes across a broad front
that encouraged community-based programmes as alternatives to incarceration made a strong impact
on attitudes as well as criminal justice practices. While many of these changes were perhaps alreadyunder way, and demographic changes surely had a strong impact, comparisons between Canada and its
closest neighbour make it clear that different policy choices are possible to purposefully obtain very
different outcomes. In Canada a belief that community-based programmes are the more effective choicein the vast majority of cases led to policy choices that would encourage their greater use. This fabric ofefforts has helped maintain a balanced and humane correctional system in Canada.

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The success that has been obtained demonstrates the value of a common effort across lines ofpolitical, functional and operational division. But in addition, investment in community programmes
and in more research and evaluation are important to continually learn about and improve communitybased programmes. The Hollow Water experience is dramatic evidence that good community-based
programmes for offenders also benefit the communities that are their hosts and sponsors. The evidence
seems clear that not only are community-based correctional programmes safe, effective and affordable,
they contribute to the overall health and well being of the community as well.
Most promising for the future is the expansion and refinement of restorative justice approaches. In
the years ahead more domestic and international experience and research will help maximize thecontribution of these initiatives right across the criminal justice landscape. In so doing, as Hollow
Water has shown us, that contribution will also be to the health and well-being of the communities thathave fostered these important initiatives.
REFERENCES
Andrews, D.A. and Bonta, James (1998). The Psychology of Criminal Conduct (2nd ed.). Cincinnati:
Anderson.
Bonta, James, Wallace-Capretta and Rooney, Jennifer (1999). “Electronic Monitoring in
Canada”. Ottawa: Solicitor General Canada (www.sgc.gc.ca).
Bonta J., S. Wallace-Capretta and J. Rooney (1998). Restorative Justice: An Evaluation of the
Restorative Resolutions Project. Ottawa, Solicitor General Canada.
Canada (2002). Highlights of the Conditional Sentencing Special Study, Bulletin of the CanadianCenter for Justice Statistics. Ottawa: Statistics Canada.
Canada (2001). Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview – 2002.
Ottawa: Solicitor General Canada (www.sgc.gc.ca).
Canada (1996). Corrections Population Growth in Canada;(1997). Corrections Population Growth: First Report on Progress;(1998). Corrections Population Growth: Second Progress Report;(2000). Corrections Population Report: Fourth Edition.
Ottawa: Solicitor General Canada (www.sgc.gc.ca).
Chaterjee, J. (1999). A Report on the Evaluation of RCMP Restorative Justice Initiative:
Community Justice Forum as Seen by Participants. Ottawa: Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Couture. J., T. Parker, R. Couture and P. Laboucane (2001). A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Hollow Water’sCommunity Holistic Circle Healing Process. Ottawa: Solicitor General Canada, Aboriginal Policy Unit.
Fox, Vernon (1977). Community-based Corrections. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
Garland, David (2001). The Culture of Control: Crime and Social Order in Contemporary Society.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Lauen, Roger J., (1990). Community-Managed Corrections: and Other Solutions to America's Prison
Crisis (2nd.ed.). Washington D.C.: American Correctional Association
Macallair, Dan and Mike Males (1999). Striking Out: The Failure of California’s “Three Strikes andYou’re Out” Law. San Francisco; The Justice Policy Institute.
Rothman, David J., (1980). Conscience and Convenience: The Asylum and its Alternatives in Progressive
America. Boston: Little Brown.

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Rothman, David J., (1971). The Discovery of the Asylum: Social Order and Disorder in the New
Republic. Boston: Little Brown.
Rudin, Jonathan (1999). “Sentencing Alternatives” in Roberts, Julian V. and Cole, David P., Making
Sense of Sentencing. Toronto; University of Toronto Press.
Smith, Paula, Claire Goggin, and Paul Gendreau (2002). The Effects of Prison Sentences andIntermediate Sanctions on Recidivism: General Effects and Individual Differences. A report to the
Research and Development Division of the Corrections Directorate, Solicitor General Canada. Ottawa:
Solicitor General Canada (also at www.sgc.gc.ca).
Umbreit, M.S., R.B. Coates, B. Kalanj, R. Lipkin, and G. Petros (1995). Mediation of Criminal Conflict:
An Assessment of programmes in Four Canadian Provinces. Center for Restorative Justice andMediation, university of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN.
Zimring, Franklin E. and Gordon Hawkins, (1997). Crime Is Not The Problem – Lethal Violence inAmerica. New York: Oxford University Press.

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APPENDIX A: PURPOSE AND PRINCIPLESCorrections and Conditional Release Act – Correctional Institutions:Purposeand Principles
Purpose ofcorrectional
system

3. The purpose of the federal correctional system is to contribute to the maintenance of ajust, peaceful and safe society by(a) carrying out sentences imposed by courts through the safe and humane custodyand supervision of offenders; and(b) assisting the rehabilitation of offenders and their reintegration into the community as
law-abiding citizens through the provision of programmes in penitentiaries and in thecommunity.
Principles

Principles thatguide theService116

4. The principles that shall guide the Service in achieving the purpose referred to in section
3 are(a) that the protection of society be the paramount consideration in the corrections
process;(b) that the sentence be carried out having regard to all relevant available information,
including the stated reasons and recommendations of the sentencing judge, otherinformation from the trial or sentencing process, the release policies of, and any
comments from, the National Parole Board, and information obtained from victims andoffenders;(c) that the Service enhance its effectiveness and openness through the timely
exchange of relevant information with other components of the criminal justice system,and through communication about its correctional policies and programmes tooffenders, victims and the public;(d) that the Service use the least restrictive measures consistent with the protection of
the public, staff members and offenders;(e) that offenders retain the rights and privileges of all members of society, except thoserights and privileges that are necessarily removed or restricted as a consequence of thesentence;(f) that the Service facilitate the involvement of members of the public in mattersrelating to the operations of the Service;(g) that correctional decisions be made in a forthright and fair manner, with access by
the offender to an effective grievance procedure;(h) that correctional policies, programmes and practices respect gender, ethnic, culturaland linguistic differences and be responsive to the special needs of women andaboriginal peoples, as well as to the needs of other groups of offenders with special
requirements;(i) that offenders are expected to obey penitentiary rules and conditions governing
temporary absence, work release, parole and statutory release, and to actively
participate in programmes designed to promote their rehabilitation and reintegration;and(j) that staff members be properly selected and trained, and be given(i) appropriate career development opportunities,(ii) good working conditions, including a workplace environment that is free ofpractices that undermine a person's sense of personal dignity, and(iii) opportunities to participate in the development of correctional policies andprogrammes.
1992, c. 20, s. 4; 1995, c. 42, s. 2(F).

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Corrections and Conditional Release Act – Conditional Release:
Purposeand Principles
Purpose of
conditional
release100. The purpose of conditional release is to contribute to the maintenance of a just,peaceful and safe society by means of decisions on the timing and conditions of release thatwill best facilitate the rehabilitation of offenders and their reintegration into the community as
law-abiding citizens.

Principles
guiding
paroleboards101. The principles that shall guide the Board and the provincial parole boards in achieving
the purpose of conditional release are(a) that the protection of society be the paramount consideration in the determination of
any case;(b) that parole boards take into consideration all available information that is relevant toa case, including the stated reasons and recommendations of the sentencing judge, anyother information from the trial or the sentencing hearing, information and assessments
provided by correctional authorities, and information obtained from victims and theoffender;(c) that parole boards enhance their effectiveness and openness through the timely
exchange of relevant information with other components of the criminal justice systemand through communication of their policies and programmes to offenders, victims andthe general public;(d) that parole boards make the least restrictive determination consistent with theprotection of society;(e) that parole boards adopt and be guided by appropriate policies and that theirmembers be provided with the training necessary to implement those policies; and(f) that offenders be provided with relevant information, reasons for decisions andaccess to the review of decisions in order to ensure a fair and understandable
conditional release process.

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Criminal Code of Canada:
Purpose718. The fundamental purpose of sentencing is to contribute, along with crime
prevention initiatives, to respect for the law and the maintenance of a just, peacefuland safe society by imposing just sanctions that have one or more of the following
objectives:(a) to denounce unlawful conduct;(b) to deter the offender and other persons from committing offences;(c) to separate offenders from society, where necessary;(d) to assist in rehabilitating offenders;(e) to provide reparations for harm done to victims or to the community; and(f) to promote a sense of responsibility in offenders, and acknowledgment of theharm done to victims and to the community.
R.S., 1985, c. C-46, s. 718; R.S., 1985, c. 27 (1st Supp.), s. 155; 1995, c. 22, s. 6.

Fundamental principle

718.1 A sentence must be proportionate to the gravity of the offence and the degree of
responsibility of the offender.
R.S., 1985, c. 27 (1st Supp.), s. 156; 1995, c. 22, s. 6.

Other sentencing
principles

718.2 A court that imposes a sentence shall also take into consideration the following
principles:(a) a sentence should be increased or reduced to account for any relevant
aggravating or mitigating circumstances relating to the offence or the offender, and,without limiting the generality of the foregoing,(i) evidence that the offence was motivated by bias, prejudice or hate based on
race, national or ethnic origin, language, color, religion, sex, age, mental or
physical disability, sexual orientation, or any other similar factor,(ii) evidence that the offender, in committing the offence, abused the offender's
spouse or common-law partner or child,(iii) evidence that the offender, in committing the offence, abused a position oftrust or authority in relation to the victim, or(iv) evidence that the offence was committed for the benefit of, at the directionof or in association with a criminal organisation
shall be deemed to be aggravating circumstances;(b) a sentence should be similar to sentences imposed on similar offenders for
similar offences committed in similar circumstances;(c) where consecutive sentences are imposed, the combined sentence should not
be unduly long or harsh;(d) an offender should not be deprived of liberty, if less restrictive sanctions may beappropriate in the circumstances; and(e) all available sanctions other than imprisonment that are reasonable in thecircumstances should be considered for all offenders, with particular attention to
the circumstances of aboriginal offenders.
1995, c. 22, s. 6; 1997, c. 23, s. 17; 2000, c. 12, s. 95.

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APPENDIX B: ALTERNATIVE MEASURES AND CONDITIONAL SENTENCES
Criminal Code of Canada
Alternative Measures:
When alternative
measures may be
used

717. (1) Alternative measures may be used to deal with a person alleged to havecommitted an offence only if it is not inconsistent with the protection of society and thefollowing conditions are met:(a) the measures are part of a programme of alternative measures authorized by
the Attorney General or the Attorney General's delegate or authorized by a person,or a person within a class of persons, designated by the lieutenant governor incouncil of a province;(b) the person who is considering whether to use the measures is satisfied thatthey would be appropriate, having regard to the needs of the person alleged tohave committed the offence and the interests of society and of the victim;(c) the person, having been informed of the alternative measures, fully and freely
consents to participate therein;(d) the person has, before consenting to participate in the alternative measures,
been advised of the right to be represented by counsel;(e) the person accepts responsibility for the act or omission that forms the basis of
the offence that the person is alleged to have committed;(f) there is, in the opinion of the Attorney General or the Attorney General's agent,sufficient evidence to proceed with the prosecution of the offence; and(g) the prosecution of the offence is not in any way barred at law.

Restriction on use(2) Alternative measures shall not be used to deal with a person alleged to havecommitted an offence if the person(a) denies participation or involvement in the commission of the offence; or(b) expresses the wish to have any charge against the person dealt with by the
court.

Admissions notadmissible in evidence(3) No admission, confession or statement accepting responsibility for a given act oromission made by a person alleged to have committed an offence as a condition of theperson being dealt with by alternative measures is admissible in evidence against that
person in any civil or criminal proceedings.

No bar to proceedings(4) The use of alternative measures in respect of a person alleged to have committed
an offence is not a bar to proceedings against the person under this Act, but, if acharge is laid against that person in respect of that offence,(a) where the court is satisfied on a balance of probabilities that the person has
totally complied with the terms and conditions of the alternative measures, thecourt shall dismiss the charge; and(b) where the court is satisfied on a balance of probabilities that the person has
partially complied with the terms and conditions of the alternative measures, thecourt may dismiss the charge if, in the opinion of the court, the prosecution of thecharge would be unfair, having regard to the circumstances and that person's
performance with respect to the alternative measures.

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Conditional Sentence of Imprisonment:
Imposing of conditional sentence

742.1 Where a person is convicted of an offence, except anoffence that is punishable by a minimum term of imprisonment,
and the court(a) imposes a sentence of imprisonment of less than two
years, and(b) is satisfied that serving the sentence in the community
would not endanger the safety of the community and would
be consistent with the fundamental purpose and principles ofsentencing set out in sections 718 to 718.2,
the court may, for the purpose of supervising the offender'sbehaviour in the community, order that the offender serve thesentence in the community, subject to the offender's complying
with the conditions of a conditional sentence order made under
section 742.3.
1992, c. 11, s. 16; 1995, c. 19, s. 38, c. 22, s. 6; 1997, c. 18, s.
107.1.
…..

Compulsory conditions of conditional sentence order742.3 (1) The court shall prescribe, as conditions of a conditional
sentence order, that the offender do all of the following:(a) keep the peace and be of good behaviour;(b) appear before the court when required to do so by the
court;(c) report to a supervisor(i) within two working days, or such longer period as thecourt directs, after the making of the conditional sentenceorder, and(ii) thereafter, when required by the supervisor and in themanner directed by the supervisor;(d) remain within the jurisdiction of the court unless written
permission to go outside that jurisdiction is obtained from thecourt or the supervisor; and(e) notify the court or the supervisor in advance of any changeof name or address, and promptly notify the court or thesupervisor of any change of employment or occupation.

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Optional conditions of conditional sentenceorder(2) The court may prescribe, as additional conditions of aconditional sentence order, that the offender do one or more of
the following:(a) abstain from(i) the consumption of alcohol or other intoxicating
substances, or(ii) the consumption of drugs except in accordance with a
medical prescription;(b) abstain from owning, possessing or carrying a weapon;(c) provide for the support or care of dependants;(d) perform up to 240 hours of community service over a
period not exceeding eighteen months;(e) attend a treatment programme approved by the province;
and(f) comply with such other reasonable conditions as the court
considers desirable, subject to any regulations made undersubsection 738(2), for securing the good conduct of theoffender and for preventing a repetition by the offender of thesame offence or the commission of other offences.

APPENDIX C: TYPES OF RELEASE
By law, all offenders must be considered for some form of conditional release during their sentence.
Just because an offender is eligible for release, however, does not mean that the release will be granted– release on parole is never guaranteed. Conditional release does not mean the sentence is shortened, itmeans the remainder of the sentence may be served in the community under supervision with specificconditions.
The National Parole Board must assess an offender’s risk when they become eligible for all types ofconditional release, with the exception of Statutory Release. That’s because the protection of society is
the most important consideration of any release decision.
Temporary absence:•••

Usually the first type of release an offender may be granted.
May be escorted (ETA) or unescorted (UTA).
Granted so offenders may: receive medical treatment; contact with their family; undergo personal
development and/or counselling; and participate in community service work projects.

Eligibility:
•
•
•
•
•
•

Offenders may apply for ETAs any time throughout their sentence.
UTAs vary, depending on the length and type of sentence. Offenders classified as maximum security
are not eligible for UTAs.
For sentences of three years or more, offenders are eligible to be considered for UTAs after serving
one sixth of their sentence.
For sentences of two to three years, UTA eligibility is at six months into the sentence.
For sentences under two years, eligibility for temporary absence is under provincial jurisdiction.
Offenders serving life sentences are eligible to apply for UTAs three years before their full parole
eligibility date.

Day parole:•

Prepares an offender for release on full parole or statutory release by allowing the offender toparticipate in community-based activities.

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Offenders on day parole must return nightly to an institution or a halfway house unless otherwise
authorized by the National Parole Board.

Eligibility:
•
•

•
•
•

Offenders serving sentences of three years or more are eligible to apply for day parole six months
prior to full parole eligibility.
First time penitentiary inmates serving a sentence for a non-violent offence are eligible for day
parole after serving 6 months or 1/6th of the sentence (the greater) and must be released unless the
Parole Board believes they will commit a violent offence.
Offenders serving life sentences are eligible to apply for day parole three years before their fullparole eligibility date.
Offenders serving sentences of two to three years are eligible for day parole after serving six monthsof their sentence.
For sentences under two years, day parole eligibility comes at one-sixth of their sentence.

Full parole:••

Offender serves the remainder of the sentence under supervision in the community.
An offender must report to a parole supervisor on a regular basis and must advise on any changes in
employment or personal circumstances.

Eligibility:••••

Most offenders (except those serving life sentences for murder) are eligible to apply for full parole
after serving either one-third of their sentence or seven years.
First time penitentiary offenders serving a sentence for a non-violent offence must be released when
first eligible unless the Parole Board believes they will commit a violent offence.
Offenders serving life sentences for first-degree murder are eligible after serving 25 years.
Eligibility dates for offenders serving life sentences for second-degree murder are set between 10 to
25 years by the court.

Statutory release:••••

By law, most federal inmates are automatically released after serving two-thirds of their sentence ifthey have not already been released on parole. This is called statutory release.
Statutory release is not the same as parole because the decision for release is not made by the
National Parole Board.
Offenders serving life or indeterminate sentences are not eligible for statutory release.
The Correctional Service of Canada may recommend an offender be denied statutory release if they
believe the offender is likely to commit an offence causing death or serious harm to another person;a sexual offence involving a child; or a serious drug offence before the end of the sentence.

In such cases, the National Parole Board may detain that offender until the end of the sentence or
add specific conditions to the statutory release plan.
Offenders must agree to abide by certain conditions before release is granted. These conditions
place restrictions on the offender and assist the parole supervisor to manage the risk posed by an
offender who is on conditional release.
Whether on parole or statutory release, offenders are supervised in the community by theCorrectional Service of Canada and will be returned to prison if they are believed to present an undue
risk to the public. The National Parole Board has the authority to revoke release if the conditions arebreached.
(Adapted from a National Parole Board Fact Sheet, 1997)122