Module 14: Community-Based Corrections Programs

Question 1

Community based programs for offenders:

Answer 1

1. Probation
2. Diversion (Complete Out of the System Referral)
   - where the juvenile offender is handled entirely by non-judicial means
3. Parole System
   - provincial inmates may apply for parole after serving 1/3 of their sentence in a correctional facility
   - the judges in Canada may require certain violent of drug offenders to serve ½ of their sentence
   - statutory release; required by law, most federal inmates, except some violent inmates, must by law be released under parole supervision after serving 2/3 of their sentence
   - offenders serving life sentences for 1st degree murder are eligible after serving 25 years and will be on parole for the rest of their lives
   - parole boards have the administrative tribunal and power to grant, deny, and revoke parole if the parolee breaks conditions

Question 2

Indicators of likelihood of re-offending used by parole boards:

Answer 2

• association with criminal peers in the community
• antisocial behaviour/personality (psychopathic personalities are less likely to be released into the community)
• lack of attachment to family or marital support

Question 3

Someone who goes on parole is reentering society/the community. Problems they face upon reentering community life:

Answer 3

• difficulty getting a job because of stigma or lack of skills
• family breakdown (divorce, away from kids)
• drug and alcohol problems
• poverty
• low self-image/esteem
• in attempt to cope with these problems the parolee may resort to high risk behaviours, such as substance abuse, spousal violence etc.

Question 4

Probation conditions can include:

Answer 4

• keep authorities informed about changes in employment
• live in a certain area of town
• perform a specific community service
• restitution
• avoid association with other convicted criminals

Question 5

Steps in the diversion process, advantages and disadvantages:

Answer 5

1. Police contact with juveniles
2. Informal diversion (first time offences and minor offenses, oral warning, release the juvenile to parents, take the juvenile to police station for questioning and further warning)
3. True diversion (repeat offenses, community diversion programs)
   - advantages: offers the victim a chance for restitution, blocks labeling and stigma the child gets for going through the courts
   - disadvantages: stigma of guilt for youth without the opportunity to defend self in court, no due process or opportunity to prove innocence, the program might encourage repeated delinquency because the process of punishment by the court is a deterrent for delinquents, some delinquents need institutionalization and treatment, true diversion may increase the rates of arrest by police
4. Prosecutor and courts (serious crimes)

Question 6

Common parole conditions:

Answer 6

• to abstain from using alcohol and other drugs
• remain within a particular jurisdiction
• not associating with certain people in the community (ex. children, former victims, criminal gangs etc.)
• to provide for your family

Question 7

How do parole boards select the people for parole? What do they look at?

Answer 7

• based on a careful review of information regarding the offender, and an assessment of the risk of returning the offender to the community, a very selective process
• the parole board looks at the type of offense committed, the offenders’ criminal history, the offenders’ personal problems and mental health, the offenders’ relationships in the community and their employment opportunities, the offenders’ performance with day parole (most people get day parole before getting full parole), they ask the opinions and look at reports from police records, judges, they inform the victim