Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya.

The standing committee found that the data presented in the Auditor General’s report painted a compelling picture to substantiate the report’s findings and recommendations and provides an excellent baseline against which to measure future progress. This includes the data on facility occupancy and capacity presented in Exhibit 1 of the OAG’s report (page 6), the data on case management presented in Exhibit 2 (page 7), the data presented on segregation requirements in Exhibit 7 (page 25), and the data on safety requirements in Exhibit 8 (page 29).

The standing committee recommends that the department continue to track this data and that the revised data be used in future reports on the department’s progress in implementing the recommendations of the Auditor General. The standing committee also recommends that this data be used by the department as performance measures in future business plans, starting with the 2016-17 Business Plan.

Recommendation 3

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Department of Justice include the performance measures from the Auditor General’s report in future reports on the department’s progress in implementing the Auditor General’s recommendations and in future departmental business plans.

The Standing Committee on Government Operations looks forward to receiving periodic updates from the Department of Justice as it works to implement the recommendations contained in the OAG’s report.

Recommendation 4

The standing committee recommends that the Department of Justice provide a status report to the committee at least once before the end of the 17th Assembly, and then annually during the 18th Assembly, outlining actions taken in response to the Auditor General’s report.

Inmate Case Management

Key Findings of the Auditor General

The Auditor General’s key findings can be summarized as follows:

Overall Finding

• Serious case management deficiencies limit Justice’s efforts to rehabilitate inmates.

• Key case management requirements are not being met and there are serious deficiencies for case management for inmates at the North Slave and Fort Smith (male unit) correctional facilities. These limit the department’s efforts to rehabilitate inmates and prepare them for release back into the community.

• Case management assessments are not being done for inmates with sentences of less than 120 days.

• Inmates with shorter sentences make up half the inmate population. Justice has not assessed reasons for their criminal behavior, literacy levels, or intellectual functioning. Without this information, the department cannot assess whether the programs it offers are meeting inmates’ needs or assisting in their rehabilitation.

• For those with longer sentences, Justice identified rehabilitation programs to address their criminal behavior, but did not adequately deliver these programs (Examples: inmates needing long-term, individual support to cope with drug or alcohol dependency received only weekly group AA meetings; inmates received no programming because it was not offered during their incarceration).

• Inmates at the North Slave and Fort Smith (male unit) facilities had limited access to mental health services. Screening tools were limited to identifying suicide risk or urgent mental health concerns only. Because people with mental health concerns are overrepresented in the correctional system, these deficiencies are significant and can negatively impact rehabilitation.

Key Recommendations of the Auditor General

With respect to inmate case management, the Auditor General made the following recommendations (note that the numbers in brackets signify the paragraph number of the recommendation in the OAG’s report):

1. (Paragraph 31) The Department of Justice should ensure that case plans to guide inmate rehabilitation are developed for inmates, as required by the corrections Services directives and supporting guidance. The department should ensure that each plan includes key information and recommendations to address an inmate’s needs and includes a release plan to help prepare an inmate for return to the community. Progress against the plans should be monitored and documented, and adjustments should be made as necessary.

2. 3. (Paragraph 42) The Department of Justice should identify the needs and risks of its inmate population and assess its rehabilitation programs. It should also ensure that inmates have access to rehabilitation programs that reflect their needs and risks.

3. (Paragraph 42) The Department of Justice should review and, where required, increase its capacity to identify inmates’ mental health concerns and ensure that inmates requiring mental health services are provided with access to sufficient counselling and psychological support.

4. Paragraph (52) The Department of Justice should examine the corrections services directives to ensure that case managers are provided with sufficient guidance for inmate release planning and to ensure that it is providing inmates with the support they need to help them reintegrated into the community.

5. Paragraph (54) The Department of Justice should ensure that it continues to develop and implement a performance assurance framework focused on improving compliance with case management requirements and improving inmates’ access to rehabilitation programs.