CSC policy says that, “No child will ever be subjected to a strip search by CSC staff members. If staff have reasonable grounds to believe that a child is in possession of contraband, they will either refuse the child entry, or call the police, or both.” See s. 17 of Commissioner’s Directive 566-8 “Searching of Staff and Visitors:”
What is the parenting skills program?
According to CSC’s Program Strategy for Women Offenders (sic), each prison is required to offer the Parenting Skills Program. While you should never feel that the fact that you are in prison means that you are an inadequate mother, there may be benefits to taking this program. For one, many judges may have a bias, however unfair, against parents in prison. If you want to apply for access or custody of your child, it may help if you can show the judge that you have taken a parenting course. Also, the program often involves visitation with children, so this might be a way to see your child more frequently. If you do not have a parenting skills program in your prison, you may want to request that one be put in place - or that you be allowed to attend a community-based program through a series of Temporary Absences.
What is classification?
Classification is the security rating the CSC assigns to prisoners to distinguish them according to their needs and perceived risk to society. Classification is broken down into three types: minimum, medium, and maximum security.69
Your initial classification is determined by the score you receive on the Custody Rating Scale (CRS) as calculated by the community parole officer, and clinical assessments,70 which are conducted by others. The assessment process you will go through is largely aimed at determining the likelihood that you will re-offend when released, or how likely you are to attempt to escape, and what risk you might pose to the community if you were released or escaped to the community on the date they assess you. This is what CSC means when it discusses risk, although the term is not explicitly defined in the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA).71
What factors are used to determine classification?
Classification assessments are usually based on:
Return to note 69. CCRA, s. 30.
Return to note 70. CD 705-7.
Return to note 71. West Coast Prison Manual.
Return to note 72. CCRA, s. 17.