Program allocation and eligibility in a Canadian context: Meeting needs?

• In Event: Corrections Policy Potpourri

Abstract

Andrews, Bonta, and Hoge (1990) outlined three key principles for “offender” rehabilitation: risk, need, and responsivity (RNR). Among persons sentenced to serve time in Canadian federal prisons (those sentenced to two years or more), some are eligible for diverse programs—some being available and other not—and some are ineligible. Programming, however, is one way in which the needs of a prisoner can be assessed and addressed. To this end we ask, how are programming options and eligibility determined? Using a sample of approximately 100 parolee criminal records, the current research explores how needs are assessed by Correctional Service of Canada including what actuarial tools are used (i.e., Static 99), who performs assessments, and how diverse historical factors impact assessment outcomes (e.g., we found that a history of addiction did not equate to recommendation for substance abuse programming). We also explore if programming eligibility is based on static or dynamic factors and if the prisoner completes recommended programs. This work is framed in RNR and puts forth that future researchers must explore if the offender desists as well as the relationship between programming and desistance.

Authors

• Meaghan E. Savage, University of Ontario Institute of Technology

• Rose Ricciardelli, Memorial University of Newfoundland

• Kimberley Ann Clow, University of Ontario Institute of Technology