Statement - Minister Mendicino welcomes annual report from Structured Intervention Unit Implementation Advisory Panel
OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 28, 2022 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety, issued the following statement:
"I would like to thank the members of the Structured Intervention Unit (SIU) Implementation Advisory Panel for their work on the Annual Report.
As part of our ongoing efforts to build a correctional system that supports rehabilitation and keeps our communities safe, the government continues to review the Correctional Service of Canada's policies and procedures. Most importantly, this includes receiving honest counsel from external experts. The Panel's report provides valuable advice and recommendations regarding SIUs in federal correctional facilities, and the government has responded to it.
The implementation of SIUs in 2019 was a transformative change in corrections. SIUs provide targeted interventions and programs to address the specific needs of offenders who cannot be safely managed in the general population. Their operation is subject to robust external oversight, including by this Implementation Advisory Panel, Independent External Decision-Makers (IEDMs) and the Office of the Correctional Investigator.
One area for improvement noted in the report is the role of IEDMs. IEDMs make independent determinations in specific circumstances on whether to keep an inmate in an SIU, as well as their conditions of confinement. I expect Public Safety Canada to identify and advance solutions to apply the report's recommendations in future improvements to the IEDM model.
While we have made progress improving SIUs in recent years, there remains much work to be done. I look forward to working with Commissioner Anne Kelly to address the recommendations and continue the important task of reforming Canada's correctional system."
SOURCE Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada
News published on and distributed by:
