NCJ Number
69801
Date Published
1980
Length
58 pages
Annotation
Complaints and problems of inmates in Canadian penitentiaries, as investigated by and reported upon by the Correctional Investigator of Canada, are presented for June 1978 through May 1979.
Abstract
A team approach is employed by the investigator's office in handling complaints. Requests for information are referred to an appropriate staff person for search and reply. Decisions are made regarding whether the office has jurisdiction, whether the complaint is premature, whether the grievance procedure should be used first, and whether the complaint should be referrred to another agency. If the complaint is to be investigated, the matter is referred to the inquiries officer, who arranges to meet with the inmate. Following the interview, institutional files are consulted and other documentation is reviewed. If it is felt that there is sufficient merit in the complaint and that there should be a solution, an attempt is made to resolve it at the local level. If these efforts are unsuccessful, the office proceeds up the ladder of authority until resolution is achieved. Most of the negotiations take place in an informal one-to-one setting. During this report period 1,102 complaints were received; 68 complaints remained pending from the previous year. Of the 1,170, 37 complaints were resolved, 117 were referred to another agency or were given limited assistance, 88 were discontinued, and 56 were not resolved. Sixty-three cases were pending at year end, and the remaining complaints were declined for lack of jurisdiction, prematurity of the complaint, or unjustified cause. The largest category of complaints involved transfers. The most numerous type of transfer complaint deals with inmate transfer to greater security areas or institutions with the allegation that no valid reason was given for the transfer. Complaints dealing with medical and health care problems numbered 117 and made up the second largest complaint category. Tables and appendixes are included in the report, which is also provided in a French language edition.