Question.
Debates of June 4th, 2015
This is page numbers 6419 - 6480 of the Hansard for the 17th Assembly, 5th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was public.
Topics
Committee Motion 134-17(5): Departmental Status Reports, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 4th
Page 6474
Some Hon. Members
Committee Motion 134-17(5): Departmental Status Reports, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 4th
Page 6474
Committee Motion 135-17(5): Case Management Assessments, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 4th
Page 6475
Michael Nadli Deh Cho
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this committee recommends that the Department of Justice take immediate steps to ensure that all inmates undergo case management assessments regardless of the length of their sentences. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Committee Motion 135-17(5): Case Management Assessments, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 4th
Page 6475
Committee Motion 135-17(5): Case Management Assessments, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 4th
Page 6475
Daryl Dolynny Range Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The purpose of this motion is probably twofold. One, the Auditor General definitely recognized the fact that those inmates of less than 120 days receive very little programming or enhancements to their stay in our care. Even through dialogue with the department, there was a direction and even a response that the department was going to look at lowering that 120-day review, observation, to a 90-day process.
Committee felt very strongly, and I believe so did the Auditor General's staff, that there should be no time limit based on your stay. If you are an inmate within our correctional service, that every and all inmates, as the motion says, undergo case management assessments.
There's definitely a system problem there. There's a software problem, and we're hoping that by this motion this gives clear direction to the department and its Minister that this has to be fixed sooner than later. Thank you.
Committee Motion 135-17(5): Case Management Assessments, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 4th
Page 6475
Committee Motion 135-17(5): Case Management Assessments, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 4th
Page 6475
Some Hon. Members
Question.
Committee Motion 135-17(5): Case Management Assessments, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 4th
Page 6475
Committee Motion 136-17(5): Inmate Access To Rehabilitation Programs, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 4th
Page 6475
Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this committee recommends that the Department of Justice find innovative ways to increase inmates' access to rehabilitation programs and to ensure that all inmates have access to the programs they most need to meet the rehabilitation goals. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Committee Motion 136-17(5): Inmate Access To Rehabilitation Programs, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 4th
Page 6475
Committee Motion 136-17(5): Inmate Access To Rehabilitation Programs, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 4th
Page 6475
Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think it all begins right on the onset of when an inmate comes to the institution system and developing that case management assessment. But, more importantly, the case management plan, not having those in place doesn't help the inmate look at what programs will benefit him the most, and being institutionalized for a certain amount of time, it's the perfect opportunity to get some of those who are of the highest needs, whether they're mental health issues or alcohol and drug related, to get them to the right and proper rehabilitation programs or any programs that can help them get reintegrated into their communities or back into society as well. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Committee Motion 136-17(5): Inmate Access To Rehabilitation Programs, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 4th
Page 6475
Committee Motion 136-17(5): Inmate Access To Rehabilitation Programs, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 4th
Page 6475
Some Hon. Members
Question.
Committee Motion 136-17(5): Inmate Access To Rehabilitation Programs, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 4th
Page 6475
Committee Motion 137-17(5): Planning For Inmate Release And Reintegration, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 4th
Page 6475
Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this committee recommends that the Department of Justice develop better plans for inmate release and reintegration, including examining the merits of having a dedicated reintegration coordinator. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Committee Motion 137-17(5): Planning For Inmate Release And Reintegration, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 4th
Page 6475
Committee Motion 137-17(5): Planning For Inmate Release And Reintegration, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 4th
Page 6475
Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is an area where committee felt strongly that the department was falling down as well. When inmates come in, they need to be assessed. They then need the programming that will assist them in getting better, to try and solve the problem of why they're in there in the first place. But when they are released, they need to have supports so that don't re-offend and end up back in correctional facilities.
So, this motion tries to highlight the fact that there is very little planning for inmate release and reintegration back into their community and it is important enough to the committee that we want to tell the department to put a much larger focus on inmate release and reintegration and we are suggesting that they look at having a dedicated staff person who does nothing but coordination for reintegration of inmates on their release. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Committee Motion 137-17(5): Planning For Inmate Release And Reintegration, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 4th
Page 6476
Committee Motion 137-17(5): Planning For Inmate Release And Reintegration, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 4th
Page 6476
Some Hon. Members
Question.
Committee Motion 137-17(5): Planning For Inmate Release And Reintegration, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 4th
Page 6476
Committee Motion 138-17(5): Facility Management, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 4th, 2015
Page 6476
Daryl Dolynny Range Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this committee recommends that the Department of Justice develop the processes and safeguards necessary to ensure that staff are knowledgeable about the rules they are required to enforce and that they have the training necessary to do their jobs effectively. Thank you Mr. Chair.
Committee Motion 138-17(5): Facility Management, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 4th
Page 6476
Committee Motion 138-17(5): Facility Management, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 4th
Page 6476
Daryl Dolynny Range Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Again, the motion is fairly self-explanatory, but I believe the other message that it's trying to convey is that the department, through the Auditor General's observations, had very little in the form of monitoring the performance of the training that was completed by our staff and I found that to be a bit problematic. If you don't know what calibre your staff are, it can very hard to initiate the programs and services that we're compelled to do under statutory obligations. So, we recommend that this motion not only enforce the rules that need to be applicable to the safeguards of our institutions and to the proper training but we make sure we have the proper database and also that the continuing education and credentials are kept in order. So, if any of these programs are expired, we know very well what type of investment we have to do to get our staff to the right level of satisfaction in terms of job requirements. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Committee Motion 138-17(5): Facility Management, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 4th
Page 6476
Committee Motion 138-17(5): Facility Management, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 4th
Page 6476
Some Hon. Members
Question.