By Bryan Eneas

Correctional Service Canada responds to senator’s concerns

Apr 4, 2018 | 1:00 PM

While visiting Prince Albert and the Saskatchewan Penitentiary late last month, one senator raised concerns about the level of understanding guards have abut Indigenous culture.

Independent Senator Dan Christmas, from Nova Scotia, raised concerns about the competency of corrections staff working with Indigenous inmates after he spoke with them during an unplanned visit last month.

Christmas previously told paNOW he was disgusted and heartbroken by the conditions inmates must live with.

“It’s bad enough that you have broken people in those institutions, and then when you have people who are not properly and competently and culturally trained to appreciate Indigenous people in their context, that’s even worse,” Christmas said.

Correctional Service Canada (CSC) addressed the senator’s concerns in an email to paNOW.

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“Enhancing the capacity to provide appropriate and effective interventions for Indigenous offenders is a priority for CSC,” the email read, adding three “core orientation” and senior management orientation programs are available to their employees.

Specific training is provided to staff working in women’s institutions and working with victims is also available.

Training content is selected on relevance to the target audience according to CSC’s email. The content includes an introduction to Indigenous people and the criminal justice system, relevant laws and policies, spiritual and ceremonial practises, family violence and family systems among other topics.

Through 2016 and 2017 CSC senior managers like wardens were provided with training about Aboriginal Social History.

“This included grounding in [Aboriginal Social History] and the expectation of an enhanced cultural competency including subject-matter expertise in the case management for Indigenous offenders,” CSC’s response read. The statement added the Saskatchewan Penitentiary was one of seven locations to receive the training in July of 2017.

CSC also hosted a full day session about Aboriginal Social History for parole officers across Canada to “further enhance cultural competency skills” about Indigenous offenders in prison.

Corrections also created mandatory training on diversity and cultural competency to create better interactions with colleagues and offenders alike. The training challenges employees to look at their potential biases and prejudices, and increases staff’s awareness of Indigenous people in Canada. It also looks at required approaches and interventions as outlined in law and policy.

The programs are offered through a combination of online and in-classroom training and includes some specific scenarios where various ideas can be applied, to allow CSC employees in a more skillful, effective way.

“[The training] is being provided to all staff to increase their knowledge, skills and abilities specific to working effectively and appropriately with diverse population,” according to the CSC email. “Providing employees with a better understanding of policy specific to working with diverse populations.”

Bryan.Eneas@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @BryanEneas