Open Collections

 annual report
of the
CORRECTIONS
BRANCH
DEPARTMENT OF THE
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
for the year ended March 31
year
1974
with additional information to December 31
1974
PRINTED BY
AUTHORITY OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY
  The Honourable Walter Stewart Owen, Q.C, LL.D.,
Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of British Columbia.
May it please Your Honour:
The Annual Report of the Corrections Branch for the year ended March 31, 1974,
with additional information to December 31, 1974, is herewith respectfully submitted.
Alex. Macdonald
A ttorney-General
Attorney-General's Office, January 1975.
  Department of the Attorney-General,
Corrections Branch,
Victoria, B.C.
February 1, 1974.
The Honourable Alex. Macdonald, Q.C,
Attorney-General,
Parliament Buildings,
Victoria, B.C.
Sir:
I have the honour to submit the Annual Report of the Corrections Branch for the
12 months ended March 31, 1974. Information is also contained to cover the
period to December 31, 1974. This is an interim step toward changing the reporting period from the fiscal year to the calendar year.
Respectfully submitted,
EDGAR W. EPP,
Deputy Minister of Corrections
  CONTENTS
Organizational Chart    9
Administrative Staff  H
Statement on Corrections in British Columbia 13
Preface
14
The Directions in Planning and Development  17
Planning and Development Division  17
Specialized Programs Section  17
A. Community programs  17
B. Volunteer programs  18
C. Religious programs  19
D. Native offender programs  20
Staff development  20
Student programs  22
Bail supervision project  22
Regional planning teams  23
The Plan in Community Corrections 24
Juvenile programs  24
1. Diversion programs  24
2. Supervision in the community  24
3. Probation supervision using Correctional programs  24
4. Juvenile detention centres  25
5. Prevention  25
Adult Programs  25
1. Diversion  25
2. Bail supervision  25
3. Court service programs  26
4. Community resources  26
5. Prevention programs  26
Family Relations Act  27
The Operation of Community Corrections 27
A. In-court Services  27
B. Investigations  27
C. Case management  27
D. Program operation and development  28
E. Interface relationships  32
F. Management  33
G. Impaired driving courses  33
H. Staff training  34
I.    Statistical summary  35
 The Plan in Institutional Corrections  39
Community correctional centres  39
Open institutional facilities  39
Custody facilities  39
Remand facilities  39
Specialized facilities  41
The Operation in Institutional Corrections  41
Lower Mainland  41
(Vancouver, Southern, and Fraser Regions)
Lower Mainland Regional Correctional Centre (men's unit)  41
Lower Mainland Regional Correctional Centre (women's unit)    42
Chilliwack Forest Camps (Mount Thurston and Ford Mountain)  43
Marpole Community Correctional Centre  44
Chilliwack Community Correctional Centre  44
Island Region  44
Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre  44
Snowdon Forest Camp  45
Victoria Community Correctional Centre  45
Interior Region  46
Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre  46
Kamloops Community Correctional Centre  46
Clearwater and Rayleigh Forest Camps  47
Northern Region  48
Prince George Regional Correctional Centre  48
Community Residential Centre  48
Hutda Lake Forest Camp  48
Specialized young offenders facilities  49
Haney Correctional Centre  49
Pine Ridge, Stave Lake, and Boulder Bay Camps  49
New Haven Correctional Centre  49
Facilities for chemical abuse  52
Alouette River Unit (male)  52
Twin Maples Farm (female)  52
Temporary absence program  53
Classification  54
Training program  55
Inspection and Standards 56
Statistical Summary 58
British Columbia Board of Parole  59
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  Administrative staff
DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL
CORRECTIONS BRANCH
The Honourable Alex. Macdonald, Q.C, Attorney-General
Edgar W. Epp, Deputy Minister of Corrections
SENIOR CORRECTIONS ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
J. W. Ekstedt
Executive Director, Planning and
Development
A. K. B. Sheridan
Executive Director, Community Corrections
J. W. Lane
Director, Inspections and Standards
D. L. Toombs
Assistant Executive Director,
Specialized Programs
O. E. Hollands
Assistant Executive Director,
Community Corrections
R. J. Boyle
Co-ordinator, Adult Programs
D. M. Hartman
Co-ordinator Research and Planning
W. E. Schmidt
Supervisor, Provincial Classification
B. G. Robinson
Executive Director, Institutional Corrections
R. M. Baker*
Executive Director, Finance and
Administration
R. E. FlTCHETT
Director, Personnel Services
W. R. Jack
Assistant Executive Director,
Institutional Corrections
J. E. Laverock
Director, Staff Development
D. E. Kent
Co-ordinator Juvenile Programs
W. F. Foster
Executive Assistant to Deputy Minister
B. A. Sadler
Co-ordinator, Temporary Absence Programs
Dr. R. Bulmer
Senior Medical Officer
* The Finance and Administration Division serves all operational components within the Department under
direction of the Deputy Attorney-General.
REGIONAL DIRECTORS—COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS
A. E. Jones
Island Region
(Justice Region 1)
J. KONRAD
Vancouver Region
(Justice Region 2)
A. E. Neufeld
Southern Region
(Justice Region 3)
J. V. Sabourin
Fraser Region
(Justice Region 4)
J. WlEBE
Interior Region
(Justice Regions 5, 6, and 7)
R. G. McKellar
Northern Region
(Justice Regions 8 and 9)
J. GlLLIS
Chief Probation Officer
Vancouver Juvenile and Family Probation Services
 DIRECTORS—INSTITUTIONAL CORRECTIONS
W. H. Mulligan, Director"
Lower Mainland Regional
Correctional Centre
W. C. Sacho, Director.
Haney Correctional Centre
B. W. Tate, Director,
Chilliwack Forest Camps
G. J. Chapple, Director,
Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre
L. C. Hopper, Director,
Vancouver Community Correctional Centre
S. A. L. Hamblin, Director,
Vancouver Island Regional
Correctional Centre
J. L. Allen, Director,
Alouette River Unit
V. H. Goad, Director,
New Haven Correctional Centre
H. B. Bjarnason, Director,
Prince George Regional Correctional Centre
P. J. Thimsen, Director,
Victoria Community Correctional Centre
Retired in September 1974.
BRITISH COLUMBIA PAROLE BOARD
S. Rocksborough Smith, Chairman C. J. A. Dalton, Vice-Chairman
Members
E. Kelly A. Watts, Q.C.
J. M. Norris
G. M. Kirkpatrick, M.D.
 STATEMENT ON CORRECTIONS IN
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Philosophy
1. Justice must be done and must appear, both to the offender and the offended,
to be done.
2. Legal sanctions imposed upon the offender must be designed to provide for
the protection of society, while upholding the dignity and worth of both the offender
and the offended.
3. The protection of society is seen as being best served through
(a) holding in high regard the life and worth of all its members;
(b) holding all of its members responsible for the maintenance of social
order and the prevention of victimization or wrongful hurt to or by
any of its members;
(c) utilizing every appropriate means to correct the relationship between
the offender and the offended.
Purpose
The Corrections Branch of the Department of the Attorney-General is the
agency established by the Government of British Columbia to
(1) carry out the legal duties imposed upon it;
(2) aid in the process of restoring the relationship between the offender
and the offended;
(3) develop correctional programs designed to protect the public from
further victimization;
(4) assist the community in developing programs for the prevention of
crime and delinquency;
(5) provide maximum opportunity and assistance to all persons in its
care, in order that they may achieve successful personal and social
adjustment in the community.
Method
Specifically, and notwithstanding its involvement in preventive and other pre-
Court services, the Corrections Branch will provide, for youth and other adults:
(1) Probation programs and services which shall be available as resources
to the Courts:
(2) Institutional facilities where necessary, which shall be as small in
size as feasible, and located as near as possible to the domicile of its
residents:
(3) Community service programs for the imposition of noncustodial
penalties:
(4) Counselling, supervision, training, and such other treatment and
human relationship services deemed necessary or appropriate for
persons in its care:
(5) Opportunity whenever possible, and where public safety is not considered thus endangered, for incarcerated persons to avail themselves of community resources through programs such as temporary
absence and parole:
(6) Assistance, such as counselling services, where required and voluntarily requested by persons discharged from its care:
13
 Y 14
BRITISH COLUMBIA
(7) Opportunity for citizens to participate in its various programs
through community-based agencies, or as individuals who volunteer
their services:
(8) Purchase of necessary services which would otherwise not be available to persons in its care, or are more effectively provided by another
agency:
(9) Ongoing research, planning, and assessment to assist in the upgrading of its program methods, treatment techniques, and development,
and to ensure that appropriate objectives are established and
achieved:
(10) Staff who, by recruitment, selection, training, and development
demonstrate and maintain the maturity and other personnel qualifications necessary to offer competent counsel and supervision to those
in their care, and who will do so faithfully and diligently.
PREFACE
Planning, both long- and short-range, is necessary if Corrections in British
Columbia is to emerge quickly and rationally, to meet modern society's expectations.
We need consciously and conscientiously, to provide maximum opportunity for
positive change, and to utilize every appropriate means for correcting the relationship between the offender and the offended, be they individuals or the community at
large. (Comments made by the Deputy Minister, E. W. Epp, upon presenting the
"Five-year Plan" to the Honourable Alex. Macdonald, Q.C, Attorney-General, on
February 20, 1974.)
This Report provides a descriptive and statistical profile of the Corrections
Branch of the Attorney-General's Department for the fiscal year ended March 31,
1974, and the calendar year ended December 31, 1974. It lays great emphasis on
the increasing importance of extensive planning in this area of Government. For
the first time in the history of the Branch, a clear, long-range formulation of goals
and proposed means has been developed. The new emphasis was embodied in the
establishment of the Planning and Development Division in 1973, which is now
responsible for assessing pilot projects and current programs in light of the transition
to a community-oriented emphasis. This Annual Report is, therefore, concerned
with these emerging general trends in Corrections Branch policies and programming,
as well as with a description of the existing facilities and operations.
In 1974 the Corrections Branch initiated a major restructuring of over-all
policy and programs. This change was made explicit in the formulation of a long-
range planning statement entitled A Five-Year Plan in Corrections. The Deputy
Minister of Corrections presented this document to the Attorney-General as a
confirmation of the commitment to the dissolution of large and antiquated correctional centres, adult remand centres, and juvenile detention homes. Specifically
cited as subject to a phasing-out process were Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre, Haney Correctional Centre, Lower Mainland Regional Correctional
Centre, and the Vancouver and Victoria Juvenile Detention Homes.
To parallel this process is the planned instituting of various and effective alternatives to incarceration, mainly in the form of supervised community correctional
centres. The construction of small custodial facilities is still being planned, however,
for those individuals who do not meet the requirements for participation in community-oriented programs. The purpose of this emerging structure is to develop a
humanizing corrections system by addressing clients more individually in smaller
 REPORT OF CORRECTIONS BRANCH,  1973/74
Y 15
centres and by aiding in the rectification of the problems that exist between offenders
and their communities. The financial advantage of a community-oriented emphasis
can be partially understood by comparing the costs of supervising a person on probation in the community as opposed to holding a person within a custodial institution.
The average daily cost of supervising in the community in 1973/74 was 86 cents by
comparison to $19.25 in an institution.
Victoria's first Community Correctional Centre, which houses work releasees from
Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre.
Three community correctional centres, where program activities are centred
in the community, rather than in an institution, began operations in Vancouver,
Chilliwack, and Victoria during 1974. A fourth is expected to commence operation
in Kamloops on February 10, 1975. In phasing-out the antiquated institutions in
the Province, community correctional centres are preceding and paralleling the
transition, necessitating gradual rather than abrupt change.
Still other community alternatives are being utilized in the interim period to an
unprecedented extent. In order to accommodate the transitional period while
simultaneously adhering to the immediate commitment of developing effective
alternatives to incarceration, the Corrections Branch rapidly expanded the Temporary Absence Program in December 1973, facilitated by the appointment of a
Temporary Absence Co-ordinator for the Province. This program has allowed
inmates to reintegrate into the community while serving their sentences. In the
first three months of the fiscal year of 1974/75, approximately 1,200 people have
been released on temporary absences contrasted with approximately 1,000 for the
whole fiscal year 1973/74. Persons on work release from a community correctional
centre contribute toward their own maintenance, pay restitution, and taxes, and
support their dependents who might otherwise be drawing upon welfare assistance.
Canada's first co-ed facility was incorporated at the Prince George Regional
Correctional Centre in early 1974, as part of a continuing effort of the Branch to
modernize its system and present it as an advanced model for correctional services in
North America.
 Y 16
BRITISH  COLUMBIA
The year saw continued expansion and diversification of community corrections
programs. In all cases where adults appear before the Court, probation officers
endeavour to find or develop a community alternative to imprisonment. This means
that Probation Officers spend more time mobilizing community resources to respond
appropriately to an offence. With juveniles, more emphasis has been placed on
integrating the services offered by Department of Education, Department of Human
Resources, Department of Health, and the Corrections Branch. Sharing and consultation in program development has resulted in a great many juveniles, who were
once considered beyond the resources of a community, being successfully integrated
into that community. Of particular note is the expansion of compulsory attendance
programs in the community for both adults and juveniles. Of special note with
respect to juveniles was the assumption on April 1, 1974, of responsibility for
juvenile probation services from the City of Vancouver, and the Vancouver and
Victoria city detention homes, respectively.
In accordance with the enactment of the Administration of Justice Act (April
1974) the Justice Development Commission was established and given the responsibility to aid in the improvement of the justice system by assisting and integrating
the future planning and development of the system's components—Police, Legal
Services, Courts, and Corrections. The Deputy Minister of Corrections is a Vice-
Chairman on the Executive of the Commission, enabling Correction's input to be
presented in concert with the other arms of the justice system.
Significant activity has occurred also, during 1974, through discussions and
joint planning with the Federal Ministry of the Solicitor General. For the first time
in 15 years, a meeting of Ministers responsible for Corrections in Canada was held
in December 1973. Issues were identified for further study by a Continuing Committee of Deputy Ministers. This committee and numerous subcommittees comprised of senior staff, have dealt with a wide range of topics over the year, such as:
(a)  Parole jurisdiction.
Young persons in conflict with the law.
Criminal information and statistics.
Diversion.
Manpower development.
Inmate rights and responsibilities.
Ex-offender employment in corrections.
Community-based Residential Centres.    (A jointly sponsored Federal/Provincial Conference on Community-based Residential Centres
was held in Vancouver in June 1974.)
Exchange of prisoners between jurisdictions.
The Prisons and Reformatories Act.
The native offender.
The latter was subsequently expanded into a total justice system concern, and
grew into planning for a Ministers' Conference on "The Native Offender and the
Criminal Justice System," to be held in February 1975.
A Joint Regional Committee has been established consisting of senior staff
from the respective Corrections Branches in British Columbia and Yukon, and the
Solicitor General's Department, to provide a co-ordinated regional approach in the
exchange of services and development of facilities.
Once again, as in all previous years, our clients' productivity, facilitated by staff
direction and co-ordination, has contributed greatly to the development of this
Province by the numerous and extensive work projects in which they are engaged.
As such, they deserve a special commendation for their socially responsible endeavours as the following report clearly indicates.
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(/)
(*)
(h)
 REPORT OF CORRECTIONS BRANCH,  1973/74 Y  17
THE DIRECTIONS IN PLANNING AND
DEVELOPMENT
Planning and Development Division
The Planning and Development Division was created in early 1974 to provide
resources, co-ordination, and direction, particularly in the planning and development
phase of the "Five-year Plan." This Division is working with the Institutional and
Community Corrections Divisions to identify, implement, and assess pilot projects
and alternative program designs.
Planning teams involving line staff in both the institutional and community
corrections areas, together with inmate and probationer representation, have been
formed within Planning and Development. These teams are actively involved in
regional planning related to alternatives to the present institutions, assessing pilot
projects, and facilitating information flow.
Accordingly, in relation to grant funding requests from the community at large
and the field in particular, a Grant Funding Committee has been set up with representation from Planning and Development, Community Corrections, and Institutional Corrections. This committee examines each proposal with the assistance of
the field, and recommendations regarding support for the project are forwarded to
the executive for final approval.
Resource persons employed in the Specialized Program area are working in
programs related to community development, native offenders, the church community, library services, volunteer-sponsors, and information/communications. This
section will shortly expand to include advisers or co-ordinators in areas of education
or upgrading in terms of personal and social development, employment, grant funding, and community resource liaison.
A Research Co-ordinator has been recently employed to analyse corrections
operations in terms of criteria prescribed in the "Five-year Plan." The task entails
accurate measuring of the effectiveness of the various programmatic changes in
order to assess and evaluate reforms as they materialize.
Specialized Programs Section
During the planning and development phase of the "Five-year Plan," a number
of specialized programs have been developed, emphasizing the involvement of citizens advisory groups. For example, the Corrections Branch employed resource
persons with skills in volunteer-sponsor, native offender, religious, and community
alternative programs. Advisers in these areas are utilized by line staff in the development, assessment, and operation of field programs. These resource agents have
provided the most effective means for co-operation between the Corrections Branch
and the community at large by organizing various workshops, expediting the formation of regional planning teams, and by developing Province-wide, volunteer-sponsor
programs.
A. Community Programs
Specialized Programs Advisers, institutional staff, Probation Officers, the
Prince George Community Resource Board, and members of the Department of
Human Resources and the Prince George Activators Society attended a workshop
for regional planning in the northern section of the Province from August 6 to 8,
1974. A Kamloops workshop was also held from July 17 to 18.
 Y 18
BRITISH COLUMBIA
The Community Development Adviser from Specialized Programs organized
these workshops in order to discuss the operational methods being utilized by
regional planning teams. Discussions centred upon implementing the initial stages
of programming, staffing requirements, community and funding resources, inmate
involvement, and the facilitation of communications among the various Government and community agencies working together in a Corrections capacity. Their
concerted efforts are helping to promote and establish community residential centres
(or halfway houses) throughout the Province.
B.  Volunteer Programs
Four years have passed since the inception of the volunteer-sponsor pilot project on the North Shore, a joint project of Corrections Branch and the Junior League.
In the interim, volunteer programs fluctuated in size and effectiveness, mainly in
relation to the availability of staff to promote and supervise them. At present the
number of volunteers involved in Community Corrections programs exceeds 200,
concentrated mainly on the North Shore and in the Fraser Region. In addition,
there are a number of smaller programs located throughout the Province.
During the current calendar year, the following developments have added impetus to the volunteer programs in Corrections:
(1) The "Five-year Plan and the work of the Justice Development Commission greatly influenced volunteer programs by emphasizing community participation with Corrections and by dealing with clients in
the areas in which their offences occurred.
(2) The decentralization of institutions will provide an opportunity for
communities, where new institutions will be located, to become
involved in community programs for inmates, including volunteer
services.
(3) The Unified Family Court Project in Richmond, Delta, and Surrey
expressed interest in volunteer services and have been involved in
liaison discussions with Corrections regarding this service.
Volunteers also work in the Joss Mountain wilderness program.
 REPORT OF CORRECTIONS BRANCH,  1973/74
Y 19
(4) The appointment of a Provincial Adviser on Volunteer Programs
in Corrections accomplished a twofold purpose. First, it gave leadership at the regional level to develop permanent volunteer programs
and permitted the Provincial Co-ordinator to tackle pressing needs
on a wider basis. Secondly, it indicated to Corrections staff and to
the community that administration places some priority on volunteer
programs.
(5) The Fraser Region has been co-ordinating the efforts of about 50
volunteers in the Burnaby-Coquitlam area. The region is recruiting
further volunteers and endeavouring to expand the program to other
offices.
(6) On the North Shore, a subregion for the area extending from North
Vancouver to Pemberton, more than 100 volunteers are working.
The Southern Region has made a specific request for immediate
appointment of a Volunteer Co-ordinator.
(7) A Volunteer-Sponsor program for women inmates was introduced
at Twin Maples and Lower Mainland Regional Correctional Centre,
co-ordinated by the Community Development subsection of Specialized Programs.
(8) The founding conference of the Vancouver Volunteer Bureau
throughout Canada was held at the University of British Columbia.
The bureau is setting up a resource centre which will provide material specific to Corrections as well as to other areas of volunteer
service.
(9) Discussions have been held with Directors, Deputy Directors, and
Chaplains to determine the need for increasing volunteer programs
in institutions. It has been possible to respond to several requests
for immediate voluntary service.
Institutional staff have also requested more involvement in orientation of
volunteers coming into the institutions, whether through programs initiated by
Corrections Branch or volunteer programs which are organized by agencies in the
community. They have also expressed an interest in setting up a means of evaluating volunteer programs to determine whether they actually fulfil the purpose for
which they are intended. In this regard, meetings have been set up by the Provincial
Co-ordinator of Volunteer Programs and the Vancouver Volunteer Bureau bringing
together personnel from Provincial and Federal institutions and community agencies.
The purpose has been to explore common interests, avoid overlapping in programming and recruiting, and consider means of liaison. It seems probable that out of
it will come plans for a training seminar for the staff of all volunteer programs associated with Corrections.
C. Religious programs
Religious Specialized Programs have responded creatively to the emphasis on
community participation in the rehabilitation process, by engaging outside church
communities in the development of various volunteer-sponsor programs and workshops delineating new chaplaincy roles.
Various workshops were held for clergy, correctional personnel, and community members considering the common theme of "participation of church communities in Corrections."   A Lower Mainland workshop was held  at the  British
 Y 20
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Columbia Penitentiary in September 1973, another sponsored by the Fraser Presbytery in February 1974, and a third by the Westminster Presbytery in April of
1974. A workshop was also organized by the Community Development Consultant
and the Senior Chaplain to assess the needs of the Women's Unit at the Lower
Mainland Regional Correctional Centre for a W-2 (Woman to Woman) volunteer-
sponsor program. A successful M—2 (Man to Man) program has been active at the
Men's Unit and at Haney Correctional Centre, for a decade.
In May of 1974, a workshop exclusively for correctional chaplains was held
at the Training Academy near Chilliwack. The role of the chaplain was studied
from a theological and sociological point of view. The question of the chaplain's
authority in his relations with staff and inmates, and his growing responsibilities to
both the correctional facility and the community were examined.
As a result of the serious re-examination of chaplaincy roles, a number of
community-oriented programs began to develop. Many chaplains reported taking
individual clients and groups of clients into the community for religious and social
functions at an ever-increasing rate. Volunteer programs were emphasized providing the interested inmate with a sponsor, who agreed to write and visit the inmate
on a regular basis in the spirit of cultivating a trusting friendship. Chaplains also
assisted in job placement, located accommodation, and contacted community resources for the client re-entering the community. Continuing assistance after release
is seen as a major need of clients, as well as a new responsibility for corrections
operations.
D. Native offenders programs
Because of the unique social and cultural position of native people, program
designs are emphasizing native autonomy in the decision-making process. In order
to realize this autonomy in actual operations, enlistment of native people as correctional personnel or volunteer-sponsors, is seen as a priority, since the present staffing
of the Branch includes very few native people. The Native Programs Adviser,
obtained under contract with the British Columbia Association of Non-Status
Indians, visited all the correctional centres and many work camps throughout the
Province in order to initiate or further develop counselling, seminars, and volunteer
programs among native clients. Through the services of the adviser, Native Program
initiatives are co-ordinated by a representative from the Indian community of British
Columbia respecting the principle of native autonomy in this area of Government.
The organization of a Federal/Provincial Conference on the Native Offender,
in which native representatives from each province and territory will be in attendance, will be the basis for making recommendations as to which direction Government should take in an attempt to curtail the large numbers of native people who are
incarcerated. Three hundred conference agendas and related questions have been
distributed throughout the Province, requesting suggestions to be presented at the
conference.
Specialized Community Residential Centres composed of native people, as well
as multiracial groupings, are also contained in the prospectus for innovative native
programs.
Staff development
A staff development model relating to the training and development of staff
will be a major emphasis in the planning and development phase of the "Five-year
Plan."   This will involve career planning and in-service training related to changes
 REPORT OF CORRECTIONS BRANCH,   1973/74
Y 21
in facilities and programs. The development of procedures which assist staff to cope
effectively with changes over the five-year period, has been identified as an immediate
priority in planning. Staff development procedures will be integrated into alternative program designs during the planning and development phase.
The following are areas which have been defined as central to planning in the
staff development areas:
(1) To provide a manpower analysis, using the resources of the Justice
Planning and Research Unit.
(2) To develop clear performance criteria and standards.
(3) To implement a training program for beginning correctional officers.
(4) To develop a para-professional program.
(5) To develop a middle-management training and executive development program.
(6) To develop career ladders for line and professional personnel.
(7) To establish close liaison and involvement with university and community college programs which provide or could develop courses of
study related to corrections.
In order to develop the above central areas, the staff training establishment has
been increased in both Institutional and Community Corrections areas to allow
training personnel the opportunity to engage in the planning and development of new
programs. Training programs for a variety of new correctional roles are being
developed in such areas as temporary absence programs, Community Corrections
centre functions and outdoor or wilderness programs. Preliminary planning has
been completed for management training workshops and seminars to be held in
1975. With the appointment of a Director of Staff Development, to be responsible
for both Institutional and Community Corrections staff training and program planning, a continuing effort is being made to provide an integrated and unified staff
development system.
Communication with other provinces and with the Federal Government in the
areas of staff training and manpower development has been facilitated through the
creation of a national network. Three Federal/Provincial meetings were held in
1974 and a national study was commissioned to analyse and evaluate the present
training and staff development program in each Province.
Considerable time has been invested in meetings and data gathering for the
development of a Justice Education Centre. Liaison with other Justice System
Training Divisions has been initiated and will provide an opportunity for co-operative planning in the designing and implementing of training programs from the basic
recruit level to the senior management level.
Rapid expansion of recruit training and refresher programs in both Institutional
and Community Correction has required maximum utilization of training staff.
Additional expansion of the staff development section during the next year will be
necessary if new training programs are to be initiated for such groups as probation
interviews, tutor officers, volunteer co-ordinators, classification officers, and community correctional centre staff.
During the past year, initial planning has commenced in the development of
career ladders for all Corrections staff. Such a career system should ensure that all
staff will be aware of career and promotional opportunities, the standards of training and experience to accompany each job function, and the educational resources
available both within and outside the Corrections Branch for the upgrading of skills
and knowledge.
 Y 22
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Student programs
During the summer of 1974, the Corrections Branch, in co-operation with the
Department of Labour, introduced an extensive student employment project. The
program had the effect of acquainting a segment of the public with Government
service in the area of Corrections through actual experience. It also served to attract
future staff, with some students subsequently entering Branch training courses and
research projects.
The Department of Labour provided funds for the employment of 100 students,
who were equally divided into the "Experience '74" and "Innovations '74" programs. The former was designed to provide summer vacation replacement for
security officers in Correctional institutions, while the latter was designed to test the
feasibility of new programs and to experiment with the creative utilization of student
manpower. The "Innovations '74" program was the first student employment project of this nature in the Corrections Branch.
Staff response to student participation, on the whole, was excellent. Students
were working with regular personnel at 27 different locations throughout the
Province.
A feedback workshop was held on October 26 to discuss the experiences and
recommendations of summer students, so that next summer's program may further
develop the relationship between Government and the Province's younger citizens.
Bail supervision project
It has been customary for persons being charged with an offence to be released
on either a promise to reappear, by posting bail, or remanded into maximum security
institutional facilities. A high percentage of persons being remanded into maximum
security settings, however, are released from custody before their cases are brought
to trial. Over the past three years, the disposition of the Court for males was 42
per cent sentenced into custody and 32 per cent dismissed. Indications are that a
large number of those remanded into custody probably do not need to be incarcerated. This problem has also been identified by the Canadian Committee on Corrections.   Their report stated in part:
It is desirable that every accused awaiting trial be released on bail, unless the
desirability of releasing the accused is outweighed by the public interest. The
detention of the accused while awaiting trial may unfairly damage a person who is
subsequently acquitted and may unnecessarily damage a person who is subsequently convicted. . . . The period immediately following his first arrest is a
crucial one for the first offender. If he is unwisely dealt with, he may come to see
society as an enemy and to assume that his future lies with the criminal element.
If he is released while awaiting trial he may continue his positive family and
social relationships; if he is held in jail he will more readily identify himself with
the criminal element.    (March 1969:10.)
With the increased use of bail in recent years, abuses have become evident by
the fact that there are a number of persons who enter into an agreement to appear
in Court, but who do not appear, or who commit further offences during the time
they are released on bail. The Corrections Branch has instituted a Bail Supervision
pilot project as an effort to standardize a procedure between incarceration and
unsupervised bail and to reduce cost and space requirements for pre-trial detention.
The need for a residential facility, particularly for people assigned to the project
who have no fixed permanent address, is another priority area.
On September 23, 1974, the Bail Supervision pilot project was implemented
in the Provincial Courts. Bail Supervisors were subsequently appointed by the
Court as Probation Officers with the authority and protection of this position.
 REPORT OF CORRECTIONS BRANCH,  1973/74
Y 23
At present, four Community Supervisors receive their clients from the Court
on a "show cause" hearing. Conditions are placed on the accused at this time and
then he is released in the custody of the Bail Supervisor. An information gathering
interview then takes place. This information is corroborated by telephone and
personal contact. Referrals are then made, when the need arises, for jobs, medical
aid, etc., and investigations made to ensure that they have reported. Subsequent
reporting times are set after each interview and entered on the client's file.
With the completion of the project in April of 1975, a statistical sample and
descriptive analysis will be available in order to assess more fully the program and
its possible on-going implementation.
Regional planning teams
Regional Planning Teams (RPT) have been established in the Island, Northern,
and Interior regions of the Province, and a Regional Planning Task Force on the
Lower Mainland. The aim of the teams is to develop and implement such qualitative changes in service delivery as are outlined in the "Five-year Plan" and the
Statement on Corrections.   In particular, the process has been designed to promote
(a) an integrated approach to planning  (beginning to merge the resources of Community Corrections and Institutional Corrections);
(b) involvement of line staff and regional administrators in a concerned
planning effort;
(c) expanded involvement of the community in the provision of services;
(d) open  and effective information flow throughout the Corrections
Branch;
(e) co-ordinated planning among the various arms of the justice system
and related Government departments.
Members of the teams were selected from a list of those who volunteered from
both Institutional and Community Corrections staff. They have begun the initial
phases of engaging the services of research design people, Community Resource
Boards, professional assessment groups, and Government departments. Conferences were held in Kamloops and Prince George with these various groups and
correctional staff in order to discuss the problems and methods of RPT operations.
Experience thus far has shown that correctional regional teams will in most
instances become the nucleus around which Regional Justice Councils will develop.
Their involvement in Corrections planning almost invariably brings them into contact with other arms of the justice system, the Department of Human Resources,
educational systems within the region, and community agencies. This kind of
involvement will prove invaluable to the development of regional justice planning.
It is strongly urged, therefore, that justice planning (as compared with Corrections
planning) include, as a vital part of its process, the members of the regional planning team.
Through the establishment of Regional Policy and Planning Committees, institutional and regional directors will have a major responsibility for the planning
process in their region. The involvement of the Planning Consultant on this committee will provide a mechanism for integration of the planning and operational
arms of Corrections on a regional basis.
Finally, the committee will serve as a much-needed focus for information flow
and decision-making around regional planning concerns.
The Regional Policy and Planning Committee is a vehicle for providing
regional administrators, and all staff, with maximum participation in, and responsibility for, developing and implementing major positive changes in the delivery of
Corrections Branch services.
 Y 24
BRITISH COLUMBIA
THE PLAN IN COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS
Community Corrections Division planning involves the development of programs in three categories—juveniles, adults, and family relations.
Juvenile programs
Although a child can be brought into Family Court and charged under the
Juvenile Delinquents Act from the age of seven on, it is the general practice in this
Province to deal with virtually all children under the age of 14 on an out-of-Court
referral to an appropriate agency. Corrections planning related to juveniles will
involve an attempt to formalize this practice administratively so that no child under
the age of 14 is charged in Family Court.
Five areas have been identified for planning and development related to
juveniles:
1. Diversion programs—Programs are being developed to increase the capacity
of the Probation Officer to provide effective intervention for juveniles prior to a
charge being laid by
(a) attaching persons to appropriate referral agencies; and
(b) engaging the Probation Officer in short-term intervention processes
with a child and his/her family.
2. Supervision in the community—In those cases where an element of supervision is necessary, the matter is referred to Court, first for adjudication and secondly
for Court-ordered supervision. The Probation Officer's responsibility to the Court,
the juvenile, and the family is to assist the juvenile to integrate successfully into
his/her local community.
The juvenile is encouraged to use the appropriate resources that are available
to all young people in the community. This requires a close liaison between the
Probation Officer and other Government departments, particularly the Departments
of Education, Human Resources, Recreation, and Mental Health.
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3. Probation supervision using correctional programs—In those cases where
the community and other agencies are unable to supply support services, the Corrections Branch will assume the responsibility for developing appropriate programs
under the general classification of "attendance centres." Juveniles may be committed to such programs by the Court as a condition of probation. These programs
fall into three main categories:
 REPORT OF CORRECTIONS BRANCH,  1973/74
Y 25
(a) Daily Attendance Programs (such as the present program operated
in Victoria).
(b) Week-end Attendance Programs (such as the Porteau Cove Camp
and the Ruskin Farm Program).
(c) Full Residential Programs (such as the House of Concord and
Centre Creek Camp).
These programs will offer Courts the option of imposing a designated period
of supervision in a structured setting for those persons unable to respond immediately to supervision in the community. They will be operated primarily under the
auspices of the Corrections Branch, but a close relationship with school programs,
child welfare services, mental health programs, and other community agencies will
be maintained.
4. Juvenile detention centres—The Corrections Branch assumed responsibility
for the detention and remand of juveniles as of April 1, 1974. The present detention homes, previously operated by the City of Vancouver and the City of Victoria,
provide limited opportunity for effective intervention with juveniles at the time
of arrest.
Corrections Branch is committed to developing effective alternatives. This will
necessitate the development of small resource centres on an experimental basis
to assess
(a) the need for juvenile detention; and
(b) the effectiveness of different program approaches, including methods
for holding children who may be severely disturbed, chronically
addicted to drugs, or dangerous to themselves or the public. It is
planned to phase out the detention homes in Vancouver and Victoria
by December 1976.
5. Prevention—The Probation Officer has a responsibility to encourage other
Government departments and the community to develop programs that will reduce
the probability of children coming into conflict with the law. This will focus on
increased involvement with schools, particularly at the junior high level, in contributing to the planning of appropriate programs to keep children involved in
school and pro-social activities.
As a first step in planning, Probation Officers met with the Department of
Education and the Department of Human Resources in April 1974 to study the
development of alternative school programs.
As it is important not to identify children as delinquent or criminal, the primary
emphasis will be on contracting services to private societies or other agencies. The
Branch will establish programs only when no other alternative can be found.
Adult programs
1. Diversion—These are programs geared to prevent persons from coming
before the Courts. This includes intervention on the part of Probation Officers to
achieve conciliation between offender and offended by alternative means.
There is clearly a need for the co-ordination of diversion programs involving
the police, lawyers, Court administrators, private agencies, and Probation Officers.
This is an area of intense interest at the present. The development of co-ordinated
planning processes through the Justice Development Commission is an immediate
priority.
2. Bail supervision—Bail supervision programs will be developed to reduce
the number of persons remanded in custody and to reduce the number of persons
failing to appear in Court when released on their own recognizance.
 Y 26
BRITISH COLUMBIA
3. Court service programs—It is planned that the role of the Probation Officer
will include more emphasis on working with the Court system to assist in the administration of justice. The purpose is to provide a more satisfactory input related to
the behavioural aspects of the Court process, so that the offender's relationship with
the Court becomes a more complete learning experience for the offender in addition
to satisfying legal requirements.
4. Community resources—Several different types of programs are being developed within Community Corrections to fill the gap between supervision in the
community and total incarceration.   These programs may be identified as follows:
(a) Work service programs—These programs would provide opportunity for certain persons to spend a designated number of hours
in community service work as an alternative penalty to fine or
imprisonment.
(b) Attendance programs—These programs are established to provide
supervision in a structured environment for designated hours during
the day, or for an established number of days or weeks in a residential setting. Opportunity is provided for the client to be engaged in
intensive personal and social development activities related to skill
development and the use of leisure time. Programs fall into three
main categories:
(i)  Daily Attendance.
(ii)  Week-end Attendance.
(iii) Full Residential.
The Court has the alternative of directing a person to attend a
designated program as a condition of probation rather than imposing
a term of imprisonment.
(c) Residential facilities—These will be established as places of residence for persons under probation supervision. The Corrections
Branch plans to provide such facilities for those who have no suitable homes and who do not fit into an available community resource.
Wherever possible, these facilities will be developed by contractual
arrangement with community resource agencies.
5. Prevention programs—The development of programs related to prevention
has been identified by the Corrections Branch as a critical area for emphasis in the
"Five-year Plan." Our current planning direction is based on the view that Corrections is a total community problem and that emphasis on prevention is the best
investment related to the goals and objectives of the Corrections Branch and the
larger community.
Planning in this area includes involvement by Corrections Branch in community education programs, co-operative programs with schools, the increased use of
volunteers, and work with persons self-referred or referred by other agencies.
Corrections Branch will develop mechanisms to provide more effective feedback
regarding methods for improving the programs of other social institutions in an
effort to reduce the numbers who enter the Corrections system.
There will be increased emphasis within Community Corrections planning to
work co-operatively with other public and private agencies in order that services
may be most effective and to avoid duplication. This reflects a change in emphasis
in the role of the Probation Officer, from a client-centred counselling role to a case
management role.
The capacity of the Probation Officer to co-ordinate available resources for
Corrections clients will increase, and, for example, will involve the Probation Officer
 REPORT OF CORRECTIONS BRANCH,  1973/74 Y 27
as a resource person to the Community Resource Boards which are presently being
established.
Family Relations Act
Corrections Branch assumed full responsibility for Family Relations Act services from the municipalities in April 1974. Service was offered in approximately
50 per cent of the Province at that time.
There is a great deal of concern over the method of delivery of this service,
which is one of the areas of study of the Family and Children's Law Commission.
The Corrections Branch has been instructed to maintain the level of service provided as of April 1974, pending the Commission's report. Consequently, there have
been no new developments in this area of service.
THE OPERATION OF COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS
A. In-Court Services
Historically, probation services began in the Courts. With the increased work
load during the 1960's, priorities were established focusing on community supervision rather than Court work. In 1973 it became evident that there was a need
for probation to re-establish its traditional role in the Courts. Consequently, a pilot
project was instituted in Cloverdale, with one Senior Probation Officer serving the
Courts on a half-time basis. Response to this project clearly indicated a need to
expand in-Court services, and as a result a Court team of five probation staff have
been appointed in the Vancouver Courts and one full-time Probation Officer in
Victoria. These programs are presently being evaluated to measure their effectiveness in improving the over-all administration of justice.
B. Investigations
There have been two new developments in the Probation Officer's investigation
responsibilities. In the juvenile field, the focus has been on pre-Court investigation
and taking more extensive action in resolving a child's conflict with the law at this
stage. What started as a simple inquiry has grown to crisis intervention to assist a
family resolve its conflict with the law. This can take place only with the full cooperation of the family and the concurrence of Crown Counsel. In many cases this
proves to be a most effective way of resolving matters without the intervention of
the Court.
The past 18 months has seen a remarkable increase in the number of temporary absences from institutions. This has placed a very severe strain upon Probation
Officers, who have been required to assume the extra work load of community
investigations without a proportionate increase in staff. Probation staff are to be
commended in the way they have assumed this additional responsibility and are
contributing to the development of this new correctional program.
C. Case management
Perhaps the greatest change in the Community Corrections Division is evident
in the manner in which Probation Officers deal with cases. The tradition has been
for the Probation Officer to primarily respond to the needs of the offender. The
change in emphasis requires him to focus on the conflict between the offender and
 Y 28
BRITISH COLUMBIA
the offended and to help resolve that conflict by taking into consideration the rights
and needs of all parties affected. To do this, a case management approach has been
emphasized, in which the Probation Officer is required to plan the means of resolving the conflict by using the appropriate resources available in the local community.
This approach requires a change in focus and attitude on the part of Probation
Officers and naturally will take some time before it has been assimilated throughout
the Division. This approach is people-oriented, however, rather than paper-oriented,
and requires an even higher level of interpersonal relations skills.
D. Program operation and development
If Community Corrections is to meet its goal of keeping delinquents and
offenders in the community, it is necessary to develop programs at the local level.
Wherever possible, the role of the Corrections Branch is to encourage other service
agencies and the local community to develop programs into which probationers can
be placed. Where there is a gap in service, the Branch sees its responsibility to
develop the necessary programs. Following are a list of programs operated by the
Branch, and a partial list of some of the programs used by the Branch as an
example of co-operation with local communities, private agencies, and other Government departments.
PROGRAMS OPERATED BY THE CORRECTIONS BRANCH
1. Victoria Attendance Program—The purpose of this program, for male probationers between 13 and 17 years of age, is to assist them in taking responsibility
for their own, and also for the group's, behaviour. Probationers usually attend two
afternoons after school and two evenings each week, as well as a two-day program
every third week-end. In addition to counselling, there are recreational activities
and outdoor camping experiences. Other systems, such as the Seven-Steps Program
at William Head Penitentiary, and a group of volunteer girls, interact with the boys
on the program.
The Attendance Program staff see a need for a special residence holding five
children, each child with his own worker for a maximum three-month period at a
time. This would be designed for those children whose immaturity or hostility prevents them from handling the responsibilities of attending the program regularly,
and would provide a necessary back-up for the program.
The Attendance Centre began a special program for those young offenders
who were not in school, could not get back into the regular school system, yet
wanted to continue their education. This alternative educational facility is operated
in conjunction with the Greater Victoria School Board.
2. Joss Mountain Wilderness Project—The objective of this project is to
develop a feeling of self-sufficiency through exposure to a complete change of environment for a short but intensive period (10 days) in an isolated wilderness setting.
In the process, participants learn basic survival techniques such as back-packing,
camping, bivouacking, safety on traverse, compass/map orientation, and general
outdoor living.
The project also performed a community service in the development of access
trails in the alpine and subalpine regions of Joss and Tsuls Mountains, northeast of
Vernon. A naturalist hiking trail at the 7,000-8,000-foot level and camp-site clearances on the trail have been completed.
The program operated during the summers of 1973 and 1974. In 1974 a girls'
camp was held as an experiment and proved to be worthwhile. The future need for
this program is being evaluated.   Participants aged 13 to 16 came from Armstrong,
 REPORT OF CORRECTIONS BRANCH,  1973/74
Y 29
Learning survival techniques on Joss Mountain.
Cranbrook, Kelowna, Lumby, Nelson, Peachland, Revelstoke, Trail, and Vernon,
and were referred by a total of 10 Probation Officers. All of the participants were
either on probation with a Court order, or on voluntary probation and attended
with parental consent.
In addition to the grant from the British Columbia Corrections Branch, various
clubs and businesses deserve mention as assisting materially in the project, either by
donation or by generous discounts—B.C. Forest Service, Rotary Club of Vernon,
Weyerhaeuser Forest Products of Lumby, Canadian Outward Bound School at Keremeos, Kinsmen Club of Oliver, Rotary Club of Grand Forks, McKay's Prescriptions
of Vernon, Woolworth Stores of Vernon, Vernon Sports and Marine, Super Value
Stores of Vernon, Fisher's Hardware of Vernon, O.K. Builders Supply of Vernon,
and RCMP, Lumby. Because of the generosity of these various businesses, the total
cost of the program was considerably lower than at first anticipated. This is a good
example of community participation in a correctional program.
3. Porteau Cove Camp—This is a summer and winter outdoors attendance
program for male probationers ranging in age from 14 to 17. The summer program
is a four-week camping experience involving canoeing, mountain climbing, and
sailing, as well as group counselling and individual counselling techniques. The
winter program involves attendance every week-end, using the same facilities and
techniques.  The aim of the program is to develop a sense of responsibility to others.
The impetus for the program evolved from a study of delinquency in the
Vancouver Region. A higher incidence of delinquency was noted from Friday after
school to Sunday evening. During this week-end period, many juvenile probationers engaged in delinquent acts, although conforming during the school week to
probation supervision. This indicated probation supervision required some form
of support during this vulnerable week-end period. The Porteau Camp week-end
attendance program was subsequently instituted.
4. Metchosin Ranch—The functions of this ranch include a summer and
separate winter week-end attendance program for juvenile and young adult probationers. The Metchosin program concentrates on improving work habits, developing
community services, physical fitness, and character development through outdoor
activities such as camping, hiking, and canoeing.
From July 1 to 28, 1973, the course was opened to all Family Courts in the
Vancouver Island Region. Thirty referrals were received from Victoria, Sidney,
Port Alberni, Courtenay, and Campbell River as a condition of probation.
 Y 30
BRITISH COLUMBIA
5. Centre Creek Camp—The Centre Creek Camp program is an outdoor
program based on the principles of the outward bound schools. It was originally
a correctional centre to which young adults were transferred. During the latter part
of 1973, a very high percentage of those transferred to the camp were juveniles who
had been transferred from Family Court to Provincial Court. As a result of this
information, an Order in Council was passed changing Centre Creek Camp from a
correctional centre to a probation resource available to Probation Officers working
in the Family Court. This allowed juveniles to be placed in the program as a condition of probation to the Family Court, rather than having them transferred to
Adult Court. The program has been in great demand and has been one factor in
holding down the number of transfers from Family Court to Provincial Court.
6. Ruskin Farm—The Ruskin Farm operates throughout the year as a weekend attendance program for juvenile female probationers, aged 15 to 16, inclusive.
They must be from the Fraser Valley area, with a condition of probation to attend
the program.  The maximum length of the program is six months.
The basic purpose is to provide a stable setting to assist the girls in relating to
peers and to adults in more positive ways. Participants are taught basic life skills
and are involved in group counselling sessions. Two house parents are involved in
supervising the program.
The declining number of requests for placement and the consequent lack of
adequate utilization of this facility has resulted in a re-evaluation of the need for
this program, to be completed in early 1975.
7. Juvenile Detention Centres—Detention homes are located in Vancouver
and Victoria, while other communities use private residences on a contractural basis.
As a last resort, juveniles are held in a special section of the local police lock-up.
Prior to April 1, 1974, remand programs were the responsibility of the municipalities.
With the Province's assumption of the total responsibility for the administration of
justice, remand programs became the responsibility of the Corrections Branch.
The cities of Vancouver and Victoria operated their own detention homes.
These have many characteristics of a "juvenile jail" and it was felt that alternatives
were more desirable. The Corrections Branch is presently assessing the need for
remand programs. This review is conducted in close working co-operation with
other components within the Justice Development Commission and the Department
of Human Resources.
COMMUNITY PROGRAMS AVAILABLE TO PROBATIONERS
The following are random examples of programs that are largely used by Community Corrections, but funded also by other agencies. They are examples of interdepartmental co-operation in solving the problem of juvenile delinquency.
1. PURPOSE (Probation Resource)—This program provides a more intensive counselling experience for the child than is usually provided by either correctional or social workers. Through individual counselling, group counselling, and
recreational activities, it is believed that a change of behaviour can be effected as the
child's needs are met.   It is funded by the Department of Human Resources.
Boys and girls aged 13 to 17 are involved in the program. A typical client is
a 14-year-old boy who has dropped out of school and is unmotivated toward returning to school or finding employment. Referrals come from Community Corrections,
Child Welfare Division, and from private sources.
2. Operation Step-up—The function of this program is to increase academic
skills through the use of token economics and individualized school programs. There
 REPORT OF CORRECTIONS BRANCH,  1973/74
Y 31
is an intensive staff-pupil ratio and the objective is to keep the child in the program
by making the program so attractive that the child does not want to leave. Referrals
come from Community Corrections, Human Resources, and school teachers.
Male and female juveniles, aged 13 to 16, inclusive, attend the program for as
long as it is needed. There is no maximum time period involved and the longest
anyone has attended is two and a half years. The program selects the chronic
drop-out with a view to teaching academic skills, but not necessarily having the child
return to a normal school program. This program is cost shared by Education,
Department of Human Resources, and Corrections.
3. DARE (Detention and Recreation Extension)—The objective of this program is to reduce acting-out behaviour by involving children in physical activity and
work experiences. The program operates daily with counselling accounting for
approximately one and one-half hours per day with the child. Sources of referral
are the Department of Human Resources and Community Corrections. This program originally started as an alternative to detention, but any child is now accepted
whose acting-out behaviour demands more intensive counselling than is available
either from their social worker or Probation Officer. It is funded by the Department
of Human Resources and Corrections.
4. House of Concord—The objective of the House of Concord is to return the
boy to his home in the community with a better appreciation of his behaviour and
its consequences. This is a residence for 50 boys, with most being involved in community schools or work programs, as well as counselling and recreational activities
available in the residence.
The program is designed for boys aged 15 to 19 who present acting-out behaviour and for whom a structured residential living experience is necessary. The
minimum stay is usually four and a half months, with an average stay of six to seven
months.   It is funded primarily by the Department of Human Resources.
5. Choin Ranch—The purpose of this ranch is to teach positive work habits
and motivate a child in school. The boys are involved in normal ranch chores as
well as regularly attending school. A Probation Officer visits regularly to carry out
the counselling program.
,
Choin Ranch-^A co-operative effort between the Corrections Branch and the
Department of Human Resources.
 Y 32
BRITISH COLUMBIA
There is a maximum capacity of eight boys, age 14 to 16, who attend this program as a condition of probation, between September and June, with an average
stay of four months. There is a close relationship among the ranch, the Probation
Officer, social worker, and the school systems. Referrals come from Human
Resources and Community Corrections. The program is funded by the Department
of Human Resources, with Corrections staff supplying support services.
6. Loewen Ranch—The program's objective is to provide good work habits
through positive work experience on the ranch and living in a stable family
environment.
There is a maximum of six boys, age 14 to 16, with usually four or five on the
program at any one time. Referrals come from Human Resources and Community
Corrections. There are two house parents on the program. This program also is
funded by the Department of Human Resources, with Corrections supplying support
services.
7. Prince Rupert Attendance Program—This program offers group discussion,
recreation, individual counselling, and outdoor camping trips, so that a boy's behaviour can be constantly reflected back to him, and interpreted by the counsellor
and by the group. The boys attend five evenings a week, with a camp-out every
other week-end. The program is designed to deal with the acting-out juvenile male
probationer. It has been jointly funded by the Municipality of Prince Rupert and
the Department of Human Resources.
The capacity is eight boys, age 14 to 16, who attend an average of seven to
eight months. Referrals are from Community Corrections and Human Resources.
Occasionally, friends of the boys can join in on the camping trips and are involved
in some groups discussions.   This tends to provide a balance in the group.
8. Port Alberni Attendance Program—Juvenile boys attend this program four
evenings a week and two week-ends per month. The objective is a more constructive
use of leisure-time. Group counselling, recreation, and outward bound techniques
are stressed. Community service projects are undertaken for senior citizens and
other community groups. Joint projects are undertaken with the education-work
program, which also exists in Port Alberni. The program is funded by the City of
Port Alberni and the Department of Human Resources.
9. One Way Adventure Foundation—This program was established by citizens
in Surrey to serve the community in assisting alienated youth. Services were subsequently offered to the Corrections Branch, with funding assistance from the
Department of Human Resources. One Way offers daytime, evening, and residential attendance programs for both adults and juveniles. These programs are based
on small-group participation in a variety of learning, counselling, and recreational
activities.
10. The Windsor Remand Receiving Home—The initiative of Corrections and
Department of Human Resources staff and the Chilliwack Rotary Club, facilitated
the purchasing of a home in Chilliwack for remand and receiving purposes. This
considerably diminished the need for using police cells and group homes for remanding youth in the Upper Fraser Valley area. This resource provides an interim home
for those young people, who for one reason or another, are unable to return to their
own homes and are in the process of being assessed and re-established.
E. Interface relationships
Many professions in the human service field have tended to work too much in
isolation.    This has resulted in some confusion and duplication.    To resolve the
 REPORT OF CORRECTIONS BRANCH,  1973/74
Y 33
problem, Community Corrections has placed increased emphasis on working closely
with other Government and private agencies in the field. This requires regular
meetings with representatives from such Provincial Government Departments as
Education, Human Resources, Health; Federal Government Departments such as
Manpower and Immigration, National Parole, Penitentiary Service, and Health and
Welfare. These meetings take place at the local, regional, provincial, and national
level. For example, at the local level, Local Management Teams have been established, comprised of Probation Officers and social workers, to co-ordinate the
service delivery of the two departments. At the national level, the Executive Director has met with provincial counterparts across the country as well as members of
the Federal Government to discuss co-operation and development on a cross-Canada
basis.
The justice system, including Corrections, is also becoming more involved with
local citizens. The development of Regional Justice Councils by the Justice Development Commission, Community Resource Boards by the Department of Human
Resources, and Health and Human Resources Centres, requires a Probation Officer
to become actively involved in the development of community-based services. This
emphasizes Community Corrections' responsibility to respond to needs identified by
local citizens and requires a new working relationship.
While these activities are improving the quality of service delivered by the
Division, it must be recognized that these involvements require a great deal of additional time.
F. Management
With the change in priorities and practice in the Branch, it is becoming increasingly necessary to develop new management techniques and modify the organization
appropriately. To ensure that staff participate in administrative decision-making, a
model of study groups has been developed whereby staff from all levels of the
Division can be brought together in a workshop to plan and propose policy changes.
This participation in policy changes improves staff's commitment to change and
results in an improved commitment to the Branch's goals.
As the Division grows, the range of its responsibilities increases. The responsibilities of Regional Directors and Supervisors is changing. Considerable energy
has been directed toward acquiring and developing new management skills to carry
out the new responsibilities. This has been done mainly through the development
of a Divisional Operational Plan which defines the Division's objectives in relation
to the Branch's "Five-year Plan," giving staff specific guidelines and direction as to
their responsibility. This step ties in with the Attorney-General Department's
implementation of a planned program budgeting system.
On April 1, 1974, Probation Officers in the Vancouver Family Court, the staff
of Vancouver and Victoria Detention Homes, and of the Victoria Attendance
Centre, became part of the Community Corrections Division. Considerable energy
was necessary to integrate these municipal services into the Provincial model, but
this process offered the opportunity to contrast traditions and learn new techniques.
G. Impaired drivers courses
During the last 18 months, Community Corrections has been actively involved
in the development and establishment of Impaired Drivers Courses for convicted
impaired drivers. Developing this program has been done in close co-operation
with the Alcohol and Drug Commission of British Columbia, which has provided
 Y 34
BRITISH COLUMBIA
financial assistance and other supports to courses. The working relationships which
have developed between the Alcohol and Drug Commission and Corrections is an
excellent example of interagency co-ordination and co-operation in areas of common concern.
As a result of this co-operation, Impaired Driving Courses are now well established in Nanaimo, Prince George, Merritt, Salmon Arm, Surrey, and Victoria.
Courses will shortly be under way in Maple Ridge, Terrace, Kelowna, Kamloops,
Parksville, Cranbrook, Oliver, Nelson, Burns Lake, and Prince Rupert.
Plans are being developed to provide courses in the community for appropriate
inmates in the Lower Mainland Regional Correctional Centre and Alouette River
Unit.
Local Probation Officers have been mainly responsible for the initiative in
developing courses throughout the Province and this initiative was supported by
Corrections administration in September 1973, when Community Corrections
appointed a consultant to act as a resource to Probation Officers in developing a
course in their local communities.
The use of education courses for convicted impaired drivers is gaining in
momentum throughout the world and the distinct impression is gained that Canada
is among the leaders in this approach. A recent workshop (October 24, 1974) for
moderators and Probation Officers involved in current and pending impaired drivers
courses in British Columbia, reinforced the view that we have developed a model
which is sound in concept, efficient, and effective in practice, and viable in economic
and human terms.
H. Staff training
Considerable expansion of the Probation Officer Training Program took place
during the year with a total of 59 Probation Officers completing training. This was
accompanied by a doubling of the training staff and an altering of the training program in order to accommodate classes of 20 or more students. A regional team
approach has been utilized, composed of an instructor and seven or eight students
who meet regularly as a unit, thus allowing more group interaction and communication. Three courses of 15 weeks' duration were held during the year, offering a
broad introduction to probation and including such areas as law, counselling, report
preparation, investigative techniques, and correctional philosophy. A larger portion
of training has been devoted to the practical fieldwork area and additional use was
made of experienced field officers in offering individual tutoring and involvement in
a variety of field experiences. With the increase in the number of people under
training, the availability of experienced field Probation Officers to act as tutors has
been a problem, as has the need for classroom space. Experimental components of
the training course include a three-day institutional live-in, police cruising, video
workshops, and high-school discussion groups.
In addition to the above orientation courses, a very successful one-week workshop was held for all Community Corrections Supervisors at Pierce Creek Camp in
March 1974.
Seven special refresher courses were held for Probation Officers in the field
covering such areas as "Developing Community Resources," "Youth and the Law,"
"Criminal Justice Trends," "Crisis Intervention," "Group Leadership," and "Effective Supervision." In addition, two general refresher courses were held allowing
Probation Officers from different parts of the Province to get together and examine
what they are doing and to share their concerns and aspirations.
 REPORT OF CORRECTIONS BRANCH,  1973/74
Y 35
Each region holds two regional conferences a year, focusing on improving
service delivery at the local level. In addition, the first Provincial conference to be
held in six years took place in Vernon during September 1974.
SPECIAL REFRESHER COURSES (total of 5 courses)
1. Two-day course on Crisis Intervention; 10 people enrolled and completed.
2. Two days—September 1973—Seminar on Criminology; 7 enrolled and
completed.
3. Two days—November 1973—Developing Resources; 12 enrolled and
completed.
4. Two days—March 1974—Developing Community Resources; 10 enrolled
and completed.
5. Two days—March 1974—Youth and the Law; 14 enrolled and completed.
Total of special refresher course participants, 53.
GENERAL REFRESHER COURSES
Two four-day refresher courses held for line staff, one in October 1973 and one
in February 1974.
1. October 1973—9 enrolled and completed.
2. February 1974—14 enrolled and completed.
Supervisors refresher course—4 days; 21 participants.
Total of general refresher course participants, 44.
MISCELLANEOUS COURSES
1. Three-day course on Group Leadership—October 1973; 5 participants.
2. Ten one-night sessions—Guidelines to Effective Supervision and Consultation—October-December; 6 participants.
Total participants on miscellaneous courses, 11.
Total of all-course participants, 156.
I. Statistical summary—Community Corrections
PROBATION
Fiscal Year April 1, 1973, to March 31, 1974
Pre-sentence Reports and Probation Officer Inquiries
P.S.R. P.O.I. Total
Fraser Region       447 1,033 1,480
Interior Region      1,278 1,780 3,058
Island Region       1,663 1,558 3,221
Northern Region         595 189 784
Southern Region          961 2,511 3,472
Vancouver Region     3,324              3,324
1973/74 totals      8,268 7,071 15,339
1972/73 totals      7,398 7,245 14,693
Change     +870 -174* +646
 Y 36
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Regional Case Load Totals
On Register March 31, 1974—
Male
Fraser Region  766
Interior Region   2,592
Island Region   2,597
Northern Region  940
Southern Region   1,158
Vancouver Region   1,282
1973/74 totals      9,335
Female
Total
121
887
218
2,810
463
3,059
114
1,054
169
1,327
396
1,678
1,480
10,815
1972/73—
Adult
Case Load Intake Volume
Male
     8,561
Juvenile      2,742
Totals   11,303
1973/74—
Adult      9,626
Juvenile         2,925
Female
1,276
506
Totals     12,551
1,782
1,509
503
2,012
Total
9,837
3,248
13,085
11,135
3,428
14,563
Volume Increase, 1973/74
Adult—
Inciease
Male  1,065
Female          23 3
Totals   1,298
Juvenile—
Male     183
Female  — 3
Totals         180
* See below for explanation on Juvenile Diversion Policy.
Per Cent
12.44
18.26
13.10
6.67
-0.59
5.50
JUVENILE DIVERSION POLICY
Although accurate statistical assessment is not available, the relatively low
increase in the juvenile cases is directly related to an increased emphasis on diversionary work with juveniles. When a child is in conflict with the law, the Probation
Officer, wherever possible, attempts to resolve this conflict without official intervention. This may range from helping the family to take appropriate disciplinary action
to referring the family to an agency for specialized services. Such action is taken
with the full concurrence of the prosecutor and is deemed the most effective way of
dealing with children committing their first offence. This refocusing of work priorities will require reprogramming to give a more accurate statistical assessment of the
Probation Officer's full work load.
 REPORT OF CORRECTIONS BRANCH,  1973/74
Y 37
CASE LOAD CHARACTERISTICS
Age Categories—
Juvenile—0-16
Per Cent of
Volume
    .      23.54
Adult—
17-24     .....
       ....    .     41.27
25-29 	
32.56
60+
                       0.70
Not stated 	
                     1.93
Citizenship—
Canadian  ..           ..
85.34
American     ..      	
0.91
British  	
     1.59
Other 	
                         2.62
Not stated	
                     9.54
Education Status—
Grade VIII or less    .. .....
24.44
Grade IX-XII 	
       42.22
Greater than XII .              .. 	
1.70
Vocational ..     .....
     ..        0.86
Not stated .   .           	
30.78
Predominant Offence Categories—
Against public order
1.64
Sexual .   	
      9.40
Against persons                  .     .       	
        8.91
Against property _   	
  47.15
Breach of Narcotic Control Act
9.42
Breach of Food and Drug Act 	
Other      ....      	
     0.14
  23.34
PROBATION FIELD STAFF
Status as of March 31, 1973
Region
5
4
3
1
2            1
1
Interviewers
Total
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
3
2
3
1
5
8
6
3
3
2
1
15
16
15
15
12
3
13
7
8
13
4
1
13
4
8
4
36
Region 2____   	
Region 3     .
39
40
39
21
7
15
Totals.—	
7
11
28
76
46
13
16
197
PROBATION FIELD STAFF
Status as of March 31, 1974
6
5
4
3
1
2            1
Interviewers
Total
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
3
1
3
1
6
5
4
3
5
4
3
9
17
19
4
1 1
9
6
10
11'
13
8
18
21
2
6
5
-
5
2
26
41
Island ____   ....	
43
22
33
35
25
Totals _...
6
1
12
30
69
66
21
20
225
 Y 38
BRITISH COLUMBIA
BRITISH COLUMBIA
PROBATION CASE LOAD AND INSTITUTIONAL POPULATION COMPARISON
MARCH 31, 1964, TO MARCH 31, 1974
Cases
11,000
10,500
10,000
9,500
9,000
8,500
8,000
7,500
7,000
6,500
6,000
5,500
5,000
4,500
4,000
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
0
LEGEND:
«•••
.•**
■ ■ ■ ■
••..,
'••.,
.*"
*"..
*■■■■
1963/64
Gaol   2,400
Probation .... 2,300
4,700
Per Cent of
British Columbia
Population
.14
.13
.27
Per Cent of
1973/74 British Columbia
Population
Gaol     2,313 09
Probation .... 10,815 ^44
13,128
.53
IS    IS    IS    IS    IS    IS    Ii
0\     0">     0\     ©^     ©---     Q\     O
2f2    x?t.    210    &*&    o^    Qoo    oi
OO *—
 REPORT OF CORRECTIONS BRANCH, 1973/74 Y 39
THE PLAN IN INSTITUTIONAL CORRECTIONS
Note—This section speaks to adult programs only, as these particular programs and facilities are considered inappropriate for juveniles.
Five specific areas in the development of alternative facilities have been identified by the Institutional Corrections Division. Planning emphasis will concentrate
on the creation of alternative facilities to replace the large regional centres which
currently exist. The five types of alternative facilities have been identified as
follows:
Community correctional centres
These are community residential facilities where program activities are centred
in the community rather than the institution. They will house those persons sentenced to less than two years who are able to function with a minimum of security.
This is seen as one of the stages prior to the offender's full re-entry into a community,
and provides for a more dynamic interchange among staff, residents, and the citizens
in the community. These facilities will vary in size from 10 to 20 beds. It is projected that approximately 50 such facilities will be developed over the five-year
period.
As many of these facilities as possible will be developed by contractual arrangement with community resource agencies. Where this is not possible, the Corrections
Branch will purchase or lease appropriate facilities for development. (Four of these
facilities were established in 1974.)
Open institutional facilities
These are facilities which are self-contained and where the focus of program
activity is primarily within the institution itself. This type of facility would include
the various camps with structured programs, such as forestry, parks, Borstal, and
outdoors activities. They would serve those persons whom at that point in their
sentence are not eligible for a more community-focused program. The offender in
these facilities presents no danger to society and yet requires the support and assistance of structural activities and supervision without requiring strict custody. It is
estimated that five additional facilities of this nature will be developed over the five-
year period.
Custody facilities
Facilities will be maintained for those persons who constitute a danger to
themselves, other inmates, staff, or the community. These shall be kept as small as
possible, but not more than 60-bed capacity. It is estimated that 10 such facilities
will be developed over the five-year period, including two for women.
Remand facilities
These are custody facilities used to hold persons awaiting trial. Part of current
Corrections planning is to reduce the number of persons held in this manner, through
the development of bail supervision or community remand supervision programs.
It is also planned that the remand facility will include provision for initial
reception and classification of those sentenced into the Corrections system. It is
estimated that five such facilities will be developed over the five-year period. In
some cases, these will be attached to custody facilities.
 Y 40
BRITISH COLUMBIA
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m'wtmmlmzm
'fBKKMSBmKKSSMSS^mmKSm
Many of British Columbia's open institutional facilities are forestry camps.
More are planned.
Haney's Pine Ridge Camp milling their own lumber for construction projects.
 REPORT OF CORRECTIONS BRANCH,  1973/74
Y 41
Specialized facilities
These are facilities for the seriously emotionally disturbed and persons with
severe drug and (or) alcohol problems. Wherever possible, community resources
will be used to meet the needs of persons requiring this type of specialized care.
Where Corrections Branch finds it necessary to develop and maintain this type of
specialized facility, the planning will involve appropriate public and private resource
agencies.
The Corrections Branch is currently involved with representatives from Mental
Health and community resource agencies on Forensic Services Commission to develop co-operative programs related to persons requiring this type of specialized
resource. Planning in this area also includes joint involvement with the Mental
Health Branch to develop facilities for persons with severe mental health problems.
It is the intention of the Corrections Branch, related to the development of
facilities, that all offenders, except those requiring placement in custody facilities or
those requiring admission to specialized facilities, shall be given the opportunity and
be encouraged to seek employment or enrolment in community education programs.
The entire plan is focused on increasing dramatically the number of sentenced persons using community resources as opposed to resources being developed primarily
within the Corrections Branch.
THE OPERATION IN INSTITUTIONAL
CORRECTIONS
Lower Mainland (Vancouver, Southern, and Fraser Regions)
Lower Mainland Regional Correctional Centre (Men's Unit)—This medium to
maximum security facility, located in Burnaby, serves as the receiving centre for
sentenced persons from the Lower Mainland Region, as well as providing custody
for remand and appeal cases.
The daily average inmate population for the 1973/74 fiscal year was 671, making it the most populated correctional facility in British Columbia. The facility
includes a large hospital used by all Lower Mainland institutions, a separate gym
for sentenced inmates, workshops, and farm buildings.
Physically and administratively, the institution is very large and difficult to
manage, with staff and inmates both agreeing on this point. There are many single-
cell units having double occupation, contributing to an overcrowding situation. In
effect, each inmate had an average of 25 feet of living accommodation during the
peak period. Those people serving intermittent sentences or week-end detention
also added to this problem. Despite continuing efforts to liberalize classification in
order that the fewest possible numbers are retained at the Lower Mainland Regional
Correctional Centre, there appeared to be no alternative but to retain an average of
671 men at the facility, 2.5 per cent more than the total numbers classified for the
previous year. These figures indicate that the proportion of men serving sentences
can only be reduced if alternative facilities become available. New Remand Facilities are now being planned.
In addition to the Centre's industrial, religious, and recreational programs, there
is an increasing emphasis being placed on the development of education and vocational programs. Inmates were interviewed by British Columbia Institute of Technology Industry Services representatives in order to form an idea as to their needs,
aspirations, and goals for educational or vocational achievement. As a result of
these efforts, an expansion of academic upgrading courses received a tremendous
 Y 42
BRITISH COLUMBIA
boost with the signing of a contract between the Corrections Branch and the British
Columbia Institute of Technology. One of the major assets of the program is that
certification is given upon completion of the courses. Efforts in this particular
approach were not being limited to BCIT as exploratory contacts were made with
the Vancouver Vocational Institute, Vancouver Community College, and other educational resources in the community. A total of 28 inmates were also enrolled in
correspondence courses during the year.
The goals of the academic and vocational programs are threefold:
(1) To provide an opportunity for clients to develop improved self-
esteem on a continuous and realistic basis:
(2) To encourage change in attitudes and behaviour:
(3) To enable the participants to acquire marketable skills that are transferable to the community.
The acquisition of skills and the resulting sense of achievement equips the participant, both practically and personally, to live a more socially and legally acceptable
lifestyle.
In the past year, there were a number of visits by student nurses, social worker
trainees, Probation Officers in training, and community agencies, such as the Man to
Man volunteers, the John Howard Society, and the Salvation Army. Outside Alcoholic Anonymous volunteers attended internally organized groups, while the Nar-
conon Project, sponsored by members of the community, served in the treatment of
drug addicts. Both of these programs operated on a purely voluntary basis. The
continuation of such visits will have an increasingly positive effect on community
involvement in correctional centres in the future.
Lower Mainland Regional Correctional Centre ( Women's Unit)—Serves as the
receiving centre for sentenced female offenders and those awaiting trial. One cottage is used for those cases with very short sentences. A certain number of female
offenders are classified to the Branch's Twin Maples Unit, based upon their ability
to function in a more open, minimum security facility and a desire to become involved in a program related to drug dependence. The remainder is composed mainly
of offenders addicted to heroin, security risks, and psychologically unstable or medical cases.   They are housed in the main building of the unit.
The facilities are overtaxed by crowded conditions. The 24-per-cent increase
in female population, over the previous year, resulted in adverse pressure on both
staff and inmates. At one point during the year, approximately one-half of the
women's population was in remand status. The yearly average for those on remand
was 29 per cent of the total female population. The effects of this overcrowding is
reflected in a large increase in the number of infractions of female inmates and was
seen as a contributing factor in the significant increase of escapes, from 1 in 1972/73
to 20 in 1973/74. New remand facilities are now being planned to assist in reducing
the numbers, as is the Community Correctional Centre.
The Women's Unit reported that the academic school within the institution was
open 183 days. A total of 51 students worked on a variety of courses. Noncredit,
vocational training was offered in the following areas:
Cosmetology—This section operates as a regular salon on a profit margin,
in which all materials are purchased from cash receipts. Customers
are allowed free haircuts, manicures, and facials, while students learn
the art of serving the public and the theory of hair-dressing.
Food preparation—Eight to 10 inmates are employed in the kitchen unit,
learning the basic techniques of institutional food preparation. These
 REPORT OF CORRECTIONS BRANCH,  1973/74
Y 43
inmates are competent in their jobs and require a minimum of supervision.
Power sewing—This department is responsible for the manufacture of all
clothing for the female population.    In addition, they manufacture
curtains, drapes, towels, bed linens, and other miscellaneous items
for the women's unit.   Some students are also taught the operation
and maintenance of power-sewing machines, the knowledge and skill
of pattern cutting, and the art of sewing and design of new clothing.
In the area of community programs, the Native Sisterhood emerged as a weekly,
afternoon discussion group with membership not being limited to natives.    The
expressed aim of the group was to promote a sense of self-worth in the inmates and
a knowledge and appreciation of native culture.   On several occasions the Elizabeth
Fry Society sponsored dances and social evenings.   The beginning of a Woman to
Woman Volunteer-Sponsor Program followed requests for such a program by female
inmates.
Chilliwack Forest Camps (Mount Thurston and Ford Mountain)—Located in
the Chilliwack Valley, these camps serve as minimum security facilities for the
Lower Mainland Region and transfers from the Lower Mainland Regional Correctional Centre. For the most part they receive offenders who are not drug addicts,
escape risks, or serious behavioural problems.
Mount Thurston and Ford Mountain are essentially identical, each having five
dormitory huts holding 12 inmates per hut. The Thurston Camp also includes a
centralized camp administration office and a new security unit with three wings of
cells, a social area, and outdoor recreation spaces. The facilities of the camps are
in an excellent setting, although far removed from the community and are generally
simple, yet comfortable and open. As such, overcrowding was not a problem. The
average count for the camps and the security unit for the fiscal year were as follows:
Mount Thurston, 44.3 inmates; Ford Mountain, 45.0 inmates; Security
Unit, 18.4 inmates.
The major activities of the camps involved forestry operations. Numerous
projects, in addition to a large mill operation, were undertaken. Fourteen acres for
nursery expansion was cleared with drainage and irrigation lines being installed.
Twenty-five acres of stand improvement was thinned, brushed, and pruned. Fifteen
miles of forestry roadside was slashed, bridges repaired, culverts cleared and installed, and 2Vi miles of new trails constructed. Work crews provided substantial
materials for B.C. Forest Service Nurseries. The camps also provided 422 person-
days in forest fire-fighting.
Inmates from Mount Thurston and Ford Mountain Camps combined efforts
with the Cultus Lake Parks Board, School District No. 33, Chilliwack Civic Properties and Recreation Commission, the Department of Human Resources, the Chilliwack Probation Office, and the Canadian Forces Base at Chilliwack in the building
of the Cultus Lake Wilderness Camp. Volunteer inmate labour was instrumental
in the logging and clearing of the site, the milling into dimension lumber of the timber
removed, transporting nine cabins to the camp, and the blazing of trails giving access
to the area. Through their efforts and those of the co-operating outside agencies,
approximately 2,000 school-age children took part in the wilderness programs and
activities this past summer.
As well as working in conjunction with the Mount Thurston Camp in the building of the Cultus Lake Wilderness Camp, inmate volunteers from Ford Mountain
embarked on a work project of renovating the cemeteries of some local churches,
whose limited funds had hitherto prevented proper upkeep.
 Y 44
BRITISH COLUMBIA
In addition to the above projects, minor renovations were completed to the
office building and kitchen at Ford Mountain Camp and all living units repainted
and the floor retiled. Since completion, the general morale of staff and inmates
improved.
The Security Unit altered the scope of its assessment program. The role of
the Security Unit has been under question. The debatable point is: Does a small
unit designed for security have a function in an "open" camp environment removed
from an urban setting? In addition to parole violators, hostile inmates and inmates
not ready for a camp setting were included in the program. The objectives for all
of these inmates remained the same:
To evaluate the individual's needs and potential.
To assist the individual in motivating himself toward re-establishment in
the community.
To assist in a possible reclassification into a suitable rehabilitation program within the correctional system.
A short 30- to 60-day period, consisting of intensive group and lay counselling,
coupled with a closely disciplined work program, formed the basis for evaluation.
All forms of work and recreation were also closely supervised.
The assessment program, in conjunction with Central Classification, was monitored and the Security Unit was closed in the final months of 1974. Staff were
reallocated throughout the Chilliwack Forest Camps.
Marpole Community Correctional Centre—The Marpole Hostel was converted
into a Community Correctional Centre for 20 work releases. The centre is supervised by the Vancouver Regional Director of Community Corrections and a regional
support staff.   Program activities are centred in the community.
Chilliwack Community Correctional Centre—A property in downtown Chilliwack was obtained for a new Community Correctional Centre, which officially
commenced operation on October 15, 1974. Staff were selected from Lower Mainland Regional Correctional Centre, Haney Correctional Centre, and Chilliwack
Forest Camps. Clients are being matched to available employment, ensuring a
promising start to this alternative to incarceration. This centre mainly serves the
Chilliwack Forest Camps' temporary absentees on work release.
Island Region
Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre—This facility is outside Victoria and acts as the receiving centre for sentenced offenders, as well as holding
remand and appeal cases. As with the Lower Mainland Regional Correctional
Centre, problem cases of a psychological, medical, or security nature are held at this
institution, which has a highly secure-cell accommodation.
The average daily population increased from 112 in fiscal year 1972/73 to
123 for the current period, 1973/74. Receptions were 1,375 in fiscal year
1972/73, and for the current fiscal year 1973/74, the receptions were 1,532. In
light of the daily average population figures, the high number of receptions indicates
the dominant remand or short-term sentencing role this institution is playing for
correctional facilities in this region. The planned phasing-out of this institution is
seen as a solution to the problems associated with the attempted maintenance of
rehabilitative programs in large, outdated structures, which lumps the diversity of
people entering its care into as few categories as possible.
During the fiscal period under review, 29 inmates achieved recognized Grade
XII level status through the General Educational Development Plan. Ten inmates
were also enrolled in senior-secondary correspondence courses.  The academic pro-
 REPORT OF CORRECTIONS BRANCH,  1973/74
Y 45
gram is conducted by two Sisters of St. Ann. In a continuing effort to offer a
complete and up-to-date program, they have enlisted the volunteer professional
services of several community resource people. These include a social welfare
rehabilitation counsellor, a university graduate language instructor, and a university
graduate psychologist, who combine efforts in a curriculum offering:
(1) A general educational development plan.
(2) Academic upgrading.
(3) Weekly group sessions on basic psychology and life skills.
(4) Arts and crafts.
(5) Reading program.
(6) Films on science and other areas of general interest.
Vocational instruction is in the form of actual, on-the-job training in the areas
of cooking, meat-cutting, and carpentry. In addition, the institute's farm program
is oriented to the development of a beef-cattle operation.
A conference was held on July 26, 1974, at the centre and was attended by
inmates, institutional staff, interested citizens, officials from the Corrections Branch,
and members of the Community Alternatives Program (CAP). Approximately 100
people from a variety of background attended.
The Community Alternative Program is an outside agency involved with inmates throughout the year, assessing, in the Greater Victoria area, the community
resources that exist for alternatives to custodial facilities and the attitudes of people
toward community-based centres.
Snowdon Forest Camp—This facility is located north of Campbell River and
houses minimum-security inmates from Vancouver Island Regional Correctional
Centre. The main activities revolve around forestry work, mainly for the British
Columbia Forestry Service.
The average daily population during the fiscal year 1973/74 was 52, compared
to 40 for the previous year.
Academic upgrading is offered in the form of senior-secondary correspondence
courses and a part-time teacher giving specialized tutoring. If inmates display
sufficient aptitude and interest in a vocational occupation, they are processed through
Canada Manpower and the subsequent training plan often becomes the basis for
parole or work release.
Besides working closely with the B.C. Forest Service in nursery, seed orchard,
and recreation camp maintenance, inmates helped the Campbell River Service Clubs
stage the Annual Salmon Festival. There was a continuance in the supplying of
firewood to the Extended-care Unit of the Campbell River General Hospital and
seven Provincial Department of Recreation camp-sites in the area. Logging and
sawmill operations, and fire suppression were other commendable activities rendered
by the Snowdon Forest Camp.
Victoria Community Correctional Centre—The staff house on the grounds at
Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre has been in full operation for an
average of 20 work releasees. This location is temporary until more suitable quarters
can be arranged in the Victoria community. Plans for the new community correctional centre are to incorporate the home as a multipurpose centre providing day
training, a work centre, and a residence for work releasees.
The establishment of the community correctional centre, during this calendar
year, not only had a marked effect on the behaviour, attitude, and general perform-
 Y 46
BRITISH COLUMBIA
ance of its participants, but also on the remainder of the institutional population.
Other inmates have been able to observe the level of success attained by those in
this program and generally look upon the possibility of their own involvement as a
desirable objective.
Interior region
Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre—This facility is situated on the outskirts of Kamloops overlooking the Thompson River. It serves as both a remand
centre and a facility of sentenced persons from within the Interior region. Persons
from the Okanagan and Kootenays are held in this centre as well as those from the
area around Kamloops.
The program of this facility is limited by the physical plan. The facilities were
taken over on a temporary basis, but have continued in use. Living accommodation
for those awaiting trial and for sentenced offenders is inadequate. There are inadequate provisions for security and consequently those who are held on remand for a
lengthy period of time, or who are in need of being held in a very secure situation,
are transferred to the Lower Mainland Regional Correctional Centre. Providing
alternative and additional facilities and programs for the Interior region, both in
Kamloops and in other locations within the region, is a definite priority. The recent
acquisition of a motel for the Kamloops Community Correctional Centre is a concrete expression of the developing of alternative facilities to meet this priority.
During the fiscal year 1973/74 the Institution operated at 79 per cent full
capacity, which was a 4.6-per-cent increase over the previous year. As such, crowding did not present a problem.
The Institution's new, multipurpose building was completed, providing full
gymnasium, craft, and visiting facilities throughout the year.
The "Creative Job Search Technique" programs were carried on from the
previous year with Canada Manpower and Institutional staff providing a method of
teaching inmates how to procure employment in a declining job market. The
program involved presentation of facts and figures regarding job vacancies, the
most efficient means of locating openings, and training in the preparation of resumes.
The program was initially introduced at the facility after Canada Manpower had
reported a successful testing of the project in high unemployment areas in the
community.
Educational and vocational opportunities were provided for in an educational
release to the local Cariboo Community College, correspondence courses offered
by the Department of Education and by regular facility maintenance programs. The
latter maintenance program was responsible for constructing a piggery at the
Rayleigh Camp and renovating toys to be issued to needy children during Christmas.
In keeping with current emphasis on community orientation in Corrections'
policies, there was an increase in the utilization of community resources. Alcoholics
Anonymous, the John Howard Society, the Indian Friendship Society, Native Court-
workers, Kiwanis, and the Shantyman's Christian Association visited the Institution
on a regular basis, all being well received.
Kamloops Community Correctional Centre—A motel that was under the jurisdiction of the Department of Highways was obtained in Kamloops in order to convert
it to a community correctional centre. The establishment of this alternative to
incarceration will be in accordance with the timetable set in the current "Five-year
Plan." The centre will function mainly as a home base for work releasees from
Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre.
 REPORT OF CORRECTIONS BRANCH,  1973/74
Y 47
The Kamloops Community Correctional Centre—A new direction in British Columbia.
Clearwater and Rayleigh Forest Camps—Both of these camps function as
satellites of Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre, accepting transfers that are
neither security risks nor medical cases. Rayleigh mainly focuses on farming activities with some forestry work and receives inmates with short sentences, usually
having less than one month to serve. The Clearwater Camp, located in Wells Gray
Provincial Park, receives all inmates with longer sentences and able to work in the
forest.
The average daily population at Rayleigh was 39.8, while Clearwater's count
was 41.
During the year Rayleigh introduced a hog operation to complement its other
farming activities, which includes beef production, truck gardening, canning, and
greenhouse operations. The Clearwater Forest Camp installed a new planer-mill
and had its sawmill reconstructed. Mill operations were exceptionally productive,
with dressed lumber being provided to various Government agencies. Forestry
apprenticeship courses were offered in log scaling, power-saw operating, and fire-
fighting. The latter course was truly essential, as inmates were involved in fighting
19 forest fires.
Rayleigh Camp hosted the Annual Alcoholics Anonymous Round-up in conjunction with the Kamloops Provincial Round-up. The conference attracted several
hundred people from various parts of British Columbia, Western Canada, and the
northwestern United States.
Plans are under way to relocate both Rayleigh and Clearwater Camps—
Clearwater to be moved closer to the sawmill operation of Bear Creek, and Rayleigh
to be relocated to a site not yet determined. The buildings of both camps are well
beyond their intended life span and will be replaced with trailer-type living units.
 Y 48
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Northern region
Prince George Regional Correctional Centre—This centre provides facilities
for those waiting trial and also serves as a remand centre and a facility for sentenced
offenders from the north. It is more adequate than any of the other regional
correctional facilities in that it is of more recent construction and has a population
which can be handled well within one facility.
On April 1, 1974, a unit of the Prince George Regional Correctional Centre
was opened for 25 females. Ten female staff were recruited to operate the unit.
They participated in staff-training and an orientation program prior to the opening
of the unit. The opening of the centre was in accordance with the timetable proposed in the "Five-year Plan", and introduced a major correctional reform by
attempting to diminish abnormalities associated with complete unisexual environments. Frequent social contacts between men and women as part of the regular
program of the correctional centre, makes this facility the first coed corrections
centre in the history of Canada.
In addition to full-time educational instruction, community orientation played
an ever-increasing role. "Project Search," a volunteer program, was active in the
development of an institutional newspaper, job-finding, and transportation for
work releasees, and the sponsorship of several courses (e.g., Creative Job-search
Techniques, given by Canada Manpower; St. John Ambulance First Aid Course;
Public Speaking, given by the Junior Chamber of Commerce; and Budget Counselling). "Project Outreach," an outgrowth of "Project Search," received funding
from Canada Manpower to operate a program which would provide an opportunity
for the unemployed to find work. Since the project began in January 1974 it has
been successful in placing 58 men.
Community Residentinal Centre—The resources of the Activator Society in
Prince George are being utilized on a contractual basis. A residence operated by
the society provides accommodation for selected inmates who are involved in educational programs or are working in the community. Inmates from the Prince
George Centre and inmates from other centres in the Province, who are from the
Prince George area, may be selected for placement in the residence.
Two staff members of the Prince George Regional Correctional Centre are
assigned to the Activator residence and provide ongoing supervision of the inmates
involved in the program. The Director of the Prince George Centre maintains
the liaison and co-ordination required with the Activator Society. The program
represents a new and creative partnership between the Corrections Branch and
private agencies, and provides a basis of experience from which similar ventures
may be embarked upon elsewhere.
Hutda Lake Forest Camp—This camp is located approximately 30 miles from
the City of Prince George. It provides minimum security facilities for the northern
region of the Province for up to 60 offenders who are received on transfer and
suitable for work in the forest. A large segment of the population were younger
than in previous years, serving terms for use, possession, or trafficking of soft drugs.
The main work of the camp is in the area of forestry. Log salvage, reforestation, bridge building, road maintenance, slash burning, snag falling, fire suppression,
fire/weather station reading reports, fire hose washing/repair after fires, and contributing to many B.C. Forest Service projects, are all examples of the work activity
of the camp.
Inmates with sentences of three months and longer may take correspondence
courses or go on education release to the local community colleges.
 REPORT OF CORRECTIONS BRANCH,  1973/74
Y 49
Inmate labour contributed to park clean-ups at Poncho, West, Bobtail, and
Shasta Lakes. The Camp Hughes Boy Scout Camp is also maintained by inmate
service. Project Search has done excellent work in aiding the publication of an
inmate newspaper, finding work in the community and initiating recreational programs. The Prince George Activators Society offered temporary facilities for work
releasees employed at the Clear Lake Sawmills.
Specialized young-offender facilities
Haney Correctional Centre—This centre offers a broad range of academic,
vocational, work, maintenance, and counselling programs within a medium-security
setting. While this centre offers the advantage of a wide range of program resources,
it suffers the disadvantage of size in that it is required to accommodate a wide range
of offenders. Haney was originally devleoped to offer vocational training to young
offenders sentenced to a definite plus indeterminate sentence. Recently, the institution began taking older offenders from Lower Mainland Regional Correctional
Centre, who are interested in Haney's vocational programs. The wide range of
young offenders, now coupled with an increase in adult clients, makes program
accommodation even more difficult.
During the fiscal year 1973/74 the centre experienced an abrupt change in
population pattern with institutional and camp counts declining sharply. Haney's
maximum capacity is 400, although in the summer of 1974 the count was considerably lower. Even with the lower population, the centre's operation required
an extensive bureaucracy, limiting the effectiveness of Haney as a correctional
centre.
The collection and delivery of prison industry meats from Haney's animal
husbandy program was capable of serving almost all of the Provincial correctional
centres. An estimated value, based on average yearly market price, of $193,723
in beef and pork were delivered from Haney.
Pine Ridge, Stave Lake, and Boulder Bay Camps are satellites of the main
centre, respectively emphasizing mill/logging, preparation for a future public
recreational park, and a program which draws heavily upon outward-bound techniques. Pine Ridge serves selected, short-term clients with some of them returning
during the day to the main institution for academic and vocational courses. Stave
Lake is an additional resource for inmates serving their first prison sentence. For
more difficult cases, Boulder Bay offers a high-demand type of graded training
program of four months' duration. The final training stage includes mountain-
climbing, wilderness survival, search and rescue, and fire-fighting. Boulder Bay
Camp staff, and trainees, continue to distinguish themselves in search and rescue
missions. Eight rescues were made, ranging from boating mishaps and minor
injuries, to one major injury to a 19-year-old logger, who broke his neck and had
to be treated by staff and trainees before he could be transported to a hospital by
helicopter.
New Haven Correctional Centre—Located on the southeast edge of Vancouver,
New Haven serves as a minimum-security unit for young adults, whose basic
stability and capacity for response to an intensive responsibility-type training are
key factors for placement. Maximum capacity is 48 trainees. The Branch, in
conjunction with the Department of Public Works, has undertaken the planning
of new dormitory quarters and a general upgrading of some of the service areas
of the centre. Overcrowding is a problem, as the gymnasium is being used temporarily as a dormitory.
 Y 50
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Baking is included among the vocational programs at the Haney Centre.
A quiet moment in the library at Haney C.C.
 REPORT OF CORRECTIONS BRANCH,  1973/74
Y 51
Canoe rescue training at Boulder Bay Camp.
Stave Lake, a satellite camp of Haney Correctional Centre, has embarked on a massive clean-up
project of Stave Lake. The area will be used for public recreation—when cleared!
 Y 52
BRITISH COLUMBIA
The centre has a small farm, excellent metal and wood shops, educational
correspondence courses, and compulsory remedial classes. The British Columbia
Borstal Association provides sponsors from its membership, who aid in job searching and taking trainees out to use community recreational facilities. Each trainee
must work his way through three grades (junior, intermediate, and senior) before
being considered for release on a temporary absence program or parole.
Facilities for chemical abuse
Alouette River Unit (Men's Unit)—This facility is a treatment centre for
drug-dependent males located on the Alouette River in the Fraser Valley. Maximum population is 155.
Program accommodation is graded into three catgories based on a range of
greater to lesser motivation for rehabilitation. Those people who have been
detained on a compulsory basis, under 64a of the Summary Convictions Act, seem
to have an adverse effect on the over-all program. They are most frequently unmotivated and make little use of the program, which serves the needs of those
offenders who seek participation focusing on treatment. Developing greater insights into one's behaviour and ways to live without dependency on alcohol are the
primary goals. If individuals are not interested in these goals, the program has
little to offer. Alouette River Unit has in the past served as the centre to which
the older alcoholic was sentenced, but more recently, the unit has received younger,
drug-oriented offenders.
The program at Alouette River Unit is an eclectic one, encompassing the
precepts of Alcoholics Anonymous, lay counselling, therapeutic hobby craft and
manual arts, group counselling, rehabilitative work activities, and temporary absence
activities. Residents are classified to the four "cottages" on the basis of their needs,
group identity, etc. Each cottage is under the direction of a house master. Programs are based upon the resident's aptitudes, interests, and requirements. Consequently, there will be a variety of activities carried on by the cottages.
Residents intermingle between cottages during leisure-time, and may also
participate in the program of one or more cottages, depending on need and suitability. The "home" cottage into which a resident is classified generally provides
the program, activity, and supervisory base for that resident.
The centre does not offer academic or vocational training. Such programs
are available to the residents through the temporary absence program, which enables
eligible offenders to participate in community programs and resources.
One of the program structures for alcoholics is guided by Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.). There are A.A. meetings every night, except Tuesday, with group
therapy five times a week for one hour. A.A. members from the outside participate
in the unit's activities, while many inmates on week-end passes go to outside A.A.
meetings. Work programs are considered secondary and supportive to treatment
programs.
Twin Maples Farm (Women's Unit)—A satellite of the Alouette River Unit,
this farm functions as the female counterpart to Alouette River, although it receives
less clients under 64a of the Summary Convictions Act and more clients convicted
for nonalcoholic offences. In addition, the facility serves as a training unit for
young female offenders who can cope with minimum-security facilities. Maximum
population capacity is 50.
The work areas of the centre are the tailor shop, general maintenance, greenhouse, gardening, and the kitchen, although there is no certification given for any
 REPORT OF CORRECTIONS BRANCH,  1973/74
Y 53
skills acquired. There is no educational program inside, although an educational
release can be obtained. Releases for waitress training and hair-dressing offer
alternatives to the inmate situation. A woman to woman volunteer sponsor program
is active at the facility with 11 or 12 volunteers coming in every two weeks. A
counsellor from Manpower and an Elizabeth Fry representative aid in job-searching.
The centre had quite a different atmosphere because of two events during the
year. Women had previously faced separation from their infants as a result of
incarceration. A decision was made permitting mother and child to remain together at the Twin Maples Farm. In these cases, rehabilitation was achieved through
encouragement and the appreciation of one of the most significant social relationships of all, parent and infant.
Through a Federal-Provincial Agreement reached during the year, several
women sentenced to the Women's Penitentiary in Kingston have been transferred
to Twin Maples. This arrangement allows for suitable offenders to be returned to
their native province where they may be in closer proximity to family and friends,
and develop those ties most required to facilitate a successful return to the
community.
Temporary Absence Program
The Temporary Absence Program (TAP) has grown from 42 under a work
release (day parole) from Oakalla Prison Farm in 1966 to a high of approximately
1,000 for the fiscal year 1973/74. For the first three months of fiscal year 1974/75,
approximately 1,200 have been released on temporary absence. The purpose of
this expansion is to allow inmates to reintegrate into the community while serving
their sentences, so as to offset the typical post-release problems in the areas of money,
residence, and employment. A lack of these necessities usually encourages poor
motivation to succeed. By providing these incentives TAP hopes to raise an ex-
inmate's sense of accomplishment.
Temporary absence is an extremely successful program, from an economic
viewpoint. From April to July 1974, inclusive, participants on the Temporary
Absence/Employment Program have earned in excess of $148,000. Part of these
earnings has gone to support families in the community, pay debts, make restitution,
pay income tax, and contribute to room and board while operating out of correctional centres.
The authority to grant temporary absence has been greatly decentralized, and
an approximate 80 per cent of the absences granted are authorized by the Institutional Director or by the Institutional Director in conjunction with the Regional
Director, Community Corrections. Eligibility is determined by the followng broad
criteria:
(1) The program which the applicant plans to pursue in the community
must be as likely to benefit the participant and the community, as
would any program offered within the centre during the same period
of time.
(2) The applicant should pose no immediate threat to the community.
(3) The applicant should not be likely to remain unlawfully at large.
TAP provides an opportunity for community involvement and provides employers and others in the community the opportunity to assist in the process of
reintegration. It avoids the waste of the communities' own human resources as well
as reducing the high cost of operating institutions by contributing toward the cost
of the client's room and board.
 Y 54
BRITISH COLUMBIA
As a result of the significant increase of TAP in Corrections, the administration has become complex and time-consuming. Part of the solution to this problem
is an urgent need for more manpower, both in institutions and in community corrections, to handle the increased demands of TAP.
With the movement to community correctional centres, and integration, it is
quite clear that correctional officers will move more into the community and take a
greater role in the development of community resources, community liaison, and
community involvement. Certainly their role of counselling, community assessment, job-finding, and job-placement, will be expanded.
TEMPORARY ABSENCE PROGRAM,  1973/74
Educational Leave
Institution
LMRCC	
Number
Approved
    11
Successfully
Completed
11
HCC 	
CHWK	
ARU 	
   10
10
NH 	
    1
Continuing
VIRCC 	
KRCC 	
     4
3
PGRCC	
     1
1
Home and Special Leave
Number
Institution Approved
LMRCC   30
HCC   73
CHWK   13
ARU   42
NH  3
VIRCC   66
KRCC  11
PGRCC   32
Totals 	
.....    27
25
Total   270
Total leaves granted   989
TEMPORARY ABSENCE PROGRAM,  1973/74
Work Release
Institution
Number
Approved
Board
Family
Support
Debts and
Restitution
Clothing
Retained
Earnings
Gross
LMRCC	
249
10
49
10
26
143
83
122
$
2,442.82
4.00
1,584.37
116.00
4.00
2,120.00
1,747.50
3,876.00
$
5,234.41
	
$
555.69
$
242.76
2.93
86.08
157.24
$
27,202.88
259.30
16,324.38
983.57
70.56
22,364.20
18,757.09
40,822.55
$
35,685.56
HCC
266.23
CHWK	
ARU
1,001.75
320.68
19,317.26
1,256.81
74.56
NH	
VIRCC	
KRCC	
110.00
423.05
7,946.74
55.40
130.00
65.00
920.82
586.59
1,659.63
25,570.42
21,644.23
PGRCC    .
54,369.92
Totals    .__
692
11,894.69
14,715.95
1,126.77
3,656.05
126,784.53
158,184.99
Classification
During the fiscal year ending March 31, 1974, 3,189 classifications and
reclassifications were completed. The Lower Mainland Regional Correctional Centre retained 680 men, which represented a 2.5-per-cent increase in the total number
classified, over the previous year. In the spring of 1974, Haney introduced
an older offender program for those who wished to engage themselves in Haney's
vocational training courses. These clients were transferred from the Lower Mainland Regional Correctional Centre. Larger numbers classified to the Vancouver
Island Regional Correctional Centre, Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre, and
Prince George Regional Correctional Centre were largely the result of an increased
number of classification team visits to these centres and the new administration's
 REPORT OF CORRECTIONS BRANCH,  1973/74
Y 55
policy. The Centre Creek Camp was converted in early 1974 to a Juvenile Residential Attendance Centre for young probationers. Consequently, no sentenced
youth were classified to that centre after January 1974. Boulder Bay Camp, which
operates a similar program, is preferred for young men serving a first period of
incarceration.
The increase in the number of women classified, particularly to the women's
unit of the Lower Mainland Regional Correctional Centre, resulted from a policy
change that had been recommended by central classification. Formerly, only those
cases referred by the women's unit for transfer to Twin Maples was reviewed by
classification. Presently, all sentenced women are being placed by central
classification.
Changes in administrative work release policy, whereby final recommendations
are made by institutional and community corrections directors, resulted in the disengagement of central classification as a member of the Lower Mainland Centre
Work Release Panel. Central classification's role is now limited to making recommendations for work release consideration.
The following table is a breakdown of all initial classifications by destination,
with a comparative breakdown for the previous year:
Men
Destination 1972/73
Lower Mainland Regional Correctional Centre1._ 644
Haney Correctional Centre  438
Boulder Bay Camp  151
Prince Rupert Centre/Stave Lake Camp  192
Chilliwack Forest Camps  228
Centre Creek Camp..
Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre.
Snowdon Forest Camp	
Lakeview Forest Camp	
New Haven	
Alouette River Unit	
Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre	
Prince George Correctional Centre	
77
36
55
15
63
157
1
1
Per Cent
31.3
21.3
7.3
9.3
11.1
3.8
1.8
2.7
0.7
3.1
7.6
1973/74
680
301
142
203
240
70
71
42
Per Cent
33.8
15.0
7.1
10,2
11.9
3.5
3.5
2.1
Subtotal (men)  2,058
100.0
54
161
24
21
Women
Lower Mainland Regional Correctional Centre (Women's Unit).
Twin Maples	
Subtotal (women).
2,009
23
176
199
Total classifications  2,257
Total reclassifications      846
Grand total  3,103
2.7
8.1
1.1
1.0
100.0
103
160
263
2,272
917
3,189
1 These figures include recommendations for total sentence work/educational release.
Training program
The fiscal year ended March 31, 1974, encompassed the introduction of training team excursions into the field as a supplement to the regular course offerings.
A subgroup of instructors was assigned to the task of operating a Correctional
Officer Qualifying Course at the Lower Mainland Regional Correctional Centre.
The above mobile approach proved helpful in developing training methods conducive to functioning effectively in a field setting.
 Y 56
BRITISH COLUMBIA
An increase in staff turnover and the length of time between training sessions
for experienced staff created serious problems by resulting in an accumulation of
untrained staff. With the appointment of a Director of Staff Development in the
Planning and Development Division, an in-depth re-examination of the total training program commenced in March of 1974.
The following table refers to the number and kind of courses offered and the
number enrolled in and completing them:
Number Number Number
Offered Enrolled Completed
Security Officer courses  3 65 61
Correctional Officer qualifying courses  3 76 69
Correctional Officer courses  3 37 37
Principal Officer qualifying courses  1 14 14
Total     10 192 181
INSPECTION AND STANDARDS
In the fall of 1973 the office of Director of Inspection and Standards was established. J. Warren Lane, former Deputy Director of Haney Correctional Centre,
was appointed to this position on November 26, 1973. Briefly, the responsibilities
of this office are:
(1) To co-ordinate the development of standards and procedures for
the operation of all facilities of the Corrections Branch, including
custodial institutions, remand centres, camps, attendance centres,
juvenile detention centres, and community correctional centres.
(2) To act as an ombudsman for all offenders under the supervision of
the Branch (inmates, probationers, and parolees) who consider that
they have been aggrieved.
(3) To organize and develop an adequate program to provide for regular and special inspections of the operation of all facilities and to
make inquiries and investigations on behalf of the Deputy Minister.
Numerous visits were made to the different facilities in the course of inspections and investigations, and the co-operation of staff at all levels was greatly
appreciated.
Two Inspectors were appointed in July. They were E. A. Loveless, former
Acting Director, Alouette River Unit, and A. A. Nicholls, former Inspector with the
Department of the Attorney-General. Their years of institution and investigative
experience provided the expertise required to deal with any situation.
An announcement was made in the latter part of March to all inmates of all
institutions that they now had the opportunity to have their grievances investigated
by an official independent of the institution's administration. For the first time in
British Columbia, inmates were given the freedom to contact an official without
going through existing bureaucratic procedures.
It was anticipated the office would be flooded with frivolous complaints. Such
was not the case, as all grievances submitted by offenders warranted full inquiries.
in several cases, grievances were resolved by administration prior to inquiries being
initiated. This certainly is desirable, and procedures have been incorporated in
the revised Corrections Branch regulations to encourage the administration of our
centres to deal with complaints before grievances are submitted.
 REPORT OF CORRECTIONS BRANCH,  1973/74 Y 57
INSPECTIONS
Regular inspections of almost all the Branch's facilities were carried out during
the calendar year. The format for the inspections was changed several times as we
sought to improve the reports in order to provide pertinent information for the
Deputy Minister and the Executive Directors. Inspections were made as follows:
Correctional Centres, 8; Forestry Camps, 8; Detention Homes, 2.
INVESTIGATIONS
There were 17 investigations carried out at the request of the Deputy Minister
or Executive Directors and confidential reports submitted directly to the Deputy
Minister.
There were 81 grievances received from 77 offenders. Their nature and the
action taken, during the calendar year 1974, are as follows:
Categories
Discipline      1
Temporary absence    14
Transfer     3
Loss of personal property     5
Medical  16
Visits and correspondence     2
Administration     4
Remission and earnings  13
Assaults      4
Court procedures and decisions     7
Conditions generally (i.e., food, programs, recreation, etc.)   11
Other      1
81
Action
Recommendations   10
Rectified (i.e., policies, procedures, and law misinterpreted,
then corrected)   - 15
Unjustified   17
No jurisdiction  8
Resolved  (i.e.,  solution to grievance  consummated with
administration)   19
Advice/referral to other agencies  5
Discontinued (i.e., by reason of release or resolve prior to
inquiries)   5
Pending  2
81
Files pertaining to inspections, investigations, and grievances are kept secure
and are available only to the Deputy Minister and Inspectors.
In August the Director, Inspection and Standards, was designated as the Branch
Safety Representative. Inquiries have been initiated as the result of information
contained in the minutes of Safety and Health Committee meetings and inmate
accident reports. As a result of these inquiries, the safety and working conditions
for staff and inmates have been upgraded.
 Y 58
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Workshops on High Risk Wilderness Programs, jointly sponsored by the
Corrections Branch and the Department of Human Resources, were held during the
fall of 1974. The objective of these workshops has been to upgrade the standards
and procedures for such programs. By the spring of 1975, minimum standards will
be set, not only for procedures in safety, but for the training of staff.
STATISTICAL SUMMARY—INSTITUTIONS
Movement of Population, Year Ended March 31, 1974
Male Female Total
On register, morning of April 1, 1973     2,211 202 2,413
New admissions      7,945 715 8,660
Total ...... 10,156 917 11,073
Transferred and discharged during year     8,106 654 8,760
On register, afternoon of March 31, 1974 __    2,050 263 2,313
Age Categories
Under 25 years  3,984
25-29 years   4,488
60 years and over      153
Not stated       35
Citizenship
Canadian    7,661
American         453
B ritish          101
Other        253
Educational Status
Grade VIII or less  2,380
Grades IX-XII  5,545
Beyond Grade XII      507
Vocational          24
Not stated         155
Marital Status
Single
5,109
Married and common-law  2,062
Divorced       397
Widowed           99
Separated       798
Not stated      195
Offence Category 1972/73
Against public order  172
Against administration of law and justice  164
Sexual offences  546
Disorderly houses and gambling  58
Against person and reputation  2,398
Against property  2,976
Related to currency  77
Breach of Narcotic Control Act  834
Breach of Food and Drug Act  97
Breach of Motor-vehicle Act  1,033
Section 64a, Summary Convictions Act  183
Fail to appear in Court  279
Breach of Immigration Act  430
Other   504
Total.
9,751
Per Cent
45.65
51.83
1.77
0.75
88.46
5.23
1.17
5.14
27.48
64.03
5.85
0.27
2.37
59.00
23.81
4.58
1.14
9.22
2.25
1973/74
178
153
462
153
2,573
2,604
33
995
48
1,055
195
429
291
669
9,838
 REPORT OF CORRECTIONS BRANCH,  1973/74
Y 59
B.C. BOARD OF PAROLE
The July 1973 decision of the B.C. Court of Appeal, declaring the definite/
indeterminate sentence to be inoperative, led to a marked decrease in the number
of young adults committed to indeterminate sentences. This in turn had its effect
on the number appearing before the Board during the current fiscal year for consideration of parole, 279 as compared to 620 in 1972/73. This constituted a drop
of over 50 per cent. However, in April, the decision of the B.C. Court of Appeal
was set aside by a majority judgment of the Supreme Court of Canada and committals to definite/indeterminate sentences increased from that date. The full impact
of the drop in the number of committals, in terms of the number being paroled, was
not felt until the concluding months of the year.
During the course of the year, members of the Board sitting in panels of two
or three continued to hold regular parole hearings at those correctional centres
where young adults serving definite/indeterminate sentences were in custody. At
the hearings, correctional centre staff present individual trainees for parole consideration by the panel when they feel they are ready to assume the responsibilities of
parole. Following a discussion of each case with the staff members concerned, the
trainee is interviewed and the panel makes its decision. This decision is passed on
to the trainee personally by the Chairman of the panel prior to the conclusion of the
hearing.   The Board held 55 such panel hearings throughout the year.
An innovation this year was the introduction of suspension hearings. When
parolees were suspended by the Board for violation of parole, they were seen by
a panel at a special hearing in order to determine the cause of the violation
and decide whether the suspension should be lifted or the parole revoked. Where
feasible, the field Probation Officer supervising the parolee was invited to attend
these hearings to discuss the violation, report on the parolee's progress up to that
time, and assist with future planning.   Six such special hearings were held.
Parole, if it is to be successful in terms of re-establishing an offender into the
community as a productive and law-abiding citizen, depends largely upon realistic,
careful, and thorough planning, co-ordination of the efforts of all those involved
with the planning, and adequate supervision in the field. Members of the Board
were concerned with the number of cases brought before them where lack of preparation for parole and hasty superficial planning was evident. There is a need generally to commence parole planning at a much earlier stage in an offender's sentence,
as well as to establish contact and keep communication open with the field probation
staff from the beginning.
To ensure that progress reports are received from field Probation Supervisors
regularly and on the date specified, the Board instituted a new procedure during the
year whereby blank reports forms were forwarded to the appropriate probation
office indicating that a progress report was due and requesting that it be completed
and returned to the Chairman's office within a specified time limit. This procedure
has helped to keep the Board more closely in contact with the month-to-month
progress of parolees and has made it possible for the Board to act more quickly and
decisively when reports are received noting critical incidents or violations of parole.
The Board has noted with considerable concern the lack of resources that still
exists in most communities in the Province, particularly for those parolees without
a home to return to, and those with mental, physical, or social handicaps. While a
parolee in his late teens or early twenties should be quite capable of existing on his
own without family support, there is no way that such a person can establish himself
with no money in his pocket, which is frequently the case. Even with funds available, the alternatives are frequently a room in one of a number of antiquated
 Y 60
BRITISH COLUMBIA
rooming-houses or a cheap hotel. The only companionship that is forthcoming is
usually made on the streets or found in a skid-road beer parlour. There is a very
real need for hostels or supervised boarding-rooms where some standard of decency
can be maintained and where there is warmth, a sense of fellowship, and concern
for those living there. A number of private organizations and associations in our
larger communities are trying to fill this gap, but they need far greater support,
both moral and financial, in the difficult task they have undertaken. Unfortunately,
at the time of writing, their number appears to be decreasing rather than growing.
The efforts on the part of the Corrections Branch to establish Community
Correctional Centres, where young men can go out by the day to work and return
to the security and the support of the centre, are to be commended, but these facilities are reserved for those on temporary absence from institutions, and to date are
not available for parolees.
One or more members of the Board during the year visited the St. Leonard's
House, the Bell-Irving Home, AIMS House, the Seventh Step Society Residence,
X-Kalay, and Canadian Job Therapy. All of these facilities offer a variety of
services, but they cannot hope to fill the need which presently exists.
I am happy to be able to report that a close working relationship exists between
the Board, the staff of the various correctional centres serving young adults and the
field probation staff throughout the Province. While there have been occasions
where the services offered the Board have suffered from lack of proper organization
and co-ordination, there has never been any doubt as to the sincerity and conscientious spirit of the individual officers concerned, and the Board takes this
opportunity of acknowledging with appreciation their contribution.
The announcement by the Solicitor General last year that the Federal Government was prepared to introduce legislation extending the exercise of parole jurisdiction by the provinces to cover all inmates of Provincial correctional centres led to
a meeting in Ottawa in February to discuss minimal national standards and conditions of parole. The Chairman was present at the two-day meeting at which seven
provinces were represented. Unanimous agreement was achieved in terms of parole
criteria, conditions of parole, and procedural safeguards.
In the task force's report of February 1973 on Correctional Services and
Facilities in the Province (Section II G2), it was recommended "that the Board be
separated administratively from the Corrections Service in order to provide the
necessary degree of independence required by the Board within its role as an independent decision-making body." With the appointment of a full-time Chairman in
July 1973, the Board has been able to devote more time to monitoring the "whole
process of parole supervision" as recommended by the task force, and the Chairman
has met with four regional groups of field Probation Officers and attended two
training courses for Probation Officers-in-Training during the year to discuss the
whole role of parole supervision. To provide the independence necessary to further
develop its expanding role, the Board should be separated administratively from the
Corrections Branch at the earliest opportunity and established as a separate entity.
Statistics for the Period April 1,1973, to March 31, 1974
Hearings held   13 5
On parole as at April 1, 1973  342
Released on parole  571
Parole suspended    __ 119
Suspensions terminated and paroles reinstated     35
Parole revoked  207
On parole as at March 31, 1974  323
 Printed by K. M. MacDonald, Printer to the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty
in right of the Province of British Columbia.
1975
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