Federal Framework to Reduce Recidivism

Ensure that the funding criteria for housing programs (such as the National Housing Strategy) are broad enough to include people exiting the criminal justice system.

Why this is important:

• We know that people who are homeless are 11 times more likely to offend, yet we are still releasing 20% to 30% of prisoners (~18,000 people a year) into homelessness.
• How can we expect people to get back on their feet and not re-offend when they don’t have a roof over their heads?

Provide $600,000 in funding for a two-year, community-based reintegration pilot program that will help people pre- and post-release reintegrate successfully into the community.

Why this is important:

• To keep people from re-offending, we need to set them up for success upon release. That means ensuring that they find housing and employment and are supported in their reintegration.

Provide funding through Employment and Social Development Canada to increase pre-apprenticeship programs like St. Lawrence College’s partnership with CORCAN.

Why this is important:

• It is hard to lead a law-abiding life if you are not gainfully employed.
• By equipping prisoners with skills for high-demand jobs, we can help them successfully reintegrate into the community and alleviate the labour shortage in the skilled trades.

Endorse the Fair Chances Movement to encourage and incentivize employers to hire people with criminal records for appropriate positions.

Why this is important:

• Employers often reject applicants just because they have a criminal record, yet employment is key to helping people reintegrate successfully into the community.
• By encouraging and rewarding businesses who hire people with criminal records, we can help people get their life back on track, avoid having to rely on social assistance and prevent them from re-offending.

Allow people in prisons to have controlled access to a computer and the

internet so that they can complete online courses and advance their education. This could resemble Australia’s walled garden approach where prisoners are only able to access a pre-approved list of websites.

Why this is important:

• Nowadays, distance learning courses are offered almost exclusively online.
• Peer countries like Australia, Belgium and the UK all allow internet in prisons.
• By allowing access to pre-approved websites, incarcerated individuals can upgrade their education and improve their prospects of finding employment upon release.

Amend the Canada Health Act to remove the exclusion of federal inmates from universal health care so that there are no interruptions to their coverage when they are released.

Why this is important:

• When federal prisoners are released, they immediately lose
  their prison-provided health care, but have to wait weeks or
  months before they can enrol in their province’s health care
  plan.
• This results in them loosing health care access and running out
  of medications during a critical period in their reintegration.

Provide funding to the provinces to expand access to rehab for people who want help with their addiction and can’t afford private care.

Why this is important:

• Over 40% of crimes committed by people admitted to federal prisons are associated with substance use.
• While some people may be able to get their addiction under control while incarcerated, people with shorter sentences may not or may relapse upon release.
• By providing rehab treatment for those who need it, we can support people on release in treating their addiction and can prevent other people living with addition from becoming involved in the criminal justice system.

Identify a way to measure recidivism in Canada, establish a baseline and
continue measuring it on an ongoing basis.

Why this is important:

• We do not currently have a way to measure recidivism in
  Canada.
• How can we know if we are reducing recidivism if we can’t even
  measure it?