Saskatchewan. Dept. of Social Services. Corrections Division

The Corrections Division of the Department of Social Services was established on October 1, 1972 as part of a departmental reorganization. Creation of the division stemmed from the recommendations of the 1971 Saskatchewan Corrections Study Committee that all correctional services be integrated into one organizational unit. Personnel responsible for the division included a director of corrections, a chief probation officer, a director of community corrections and an institutional planner. The director of corrections reported to the department's deputy minister.

The key functional areas of the division were correctional centres, probation programs and community corrections programs. At its establishment, the division was responsible for the administration of correctional centres at Regina (which housed male offenders from southern Saskatchewan), at Prince Albert (those from northern Saskatchewan) and at the Pine Grove Centre in Prince Albert (female offenders from all of Saskatchewan). The department's Northern Regional Office also administered small correctional facilities at Buffalo Narrows, Creighton and Besnard Lake for low to medium-risk offenders residing in the far north of the province. A new provincial correctional centre opened in Saskatoon in 1981, as did a replacement facility for men in Prince Albert. A community correctional centre was established in North Battleford in 1980.

Typically, offenders housed at these correctional facilities were serving: sentences of less than two years; were remanded while awaiting trial or sentencing; or were sentenced to federal penitentiaries but were awaiting decision from the Court of Appeal. The larger correctional centres at Regina, Prince Albert and Saskatoon were organized into three function-based areas: custody; treatment; and support services (laundry, kitchen, clerical, etc.). Treatment and rehabilitation programs offered to offenders while in custody included: work camps; vocational and academic training; group activities and recreation; medical and dental services; counselling; family therapy; and allowances for temporary absences. Parole services were coordinated by the institutions in cooperation with the National Parole Board.

Probation programs and services were delivered primarily by probation officers staffed at regional offices throughout the province. The two key functions of probation officers were to prepare pre-sentence reports and to supervise offenders on probation. The preparation of pre-sentence reports involved investigation into the circumstances leading to the offence, assessment of the offender to determine a personality profile, and establishment of a rehabilitation program for the offender. This program was then monitored as part of the supervision of the offender during the period of probation.

Various probation programs and services were established by the division, including: the Indian Probation Office Program (1975); Volunteers in Probation (1976); probation hostels (1980); attendance centres (1980); and the Impaired Driver's Treatment Program (1980). These programs were aimed at diversifying the opportunities for offenders on probation to rehabilitate, thus avoiding further offences.

Community corrections offered programs and services that protected society while providing rehabilitation opportunities to offenders, often outside the confines of a correctional facility. The Community Training Residence program offered residence and rehabilitation opportunities for low-risk offenders through employment, academic and vocational training, counselling, and addictions treatment from a variety of community resources. The Fine Option Program was established in 1975 as a means for offenders to work off fines through volunteer service at community agencies rather than face incarceration for non-payment of fines. The Bail Verification and Supervision Program, introduced in 1982, assisted courts in determining which offenders could be released under surety or supervision while awaiting trial. Also introduced in 1982, the Restitution Program provided an alternative measure for property crime offenders to reimburse their victims the monetary value of the damage or loss from their crime rather than being incarcerated.

The Corrections Division of the Department of Social Services was discontinued on April 30, 1983 upon the establishment of the Department of Justice. Responsibilities of the division were transferred to the Corrections Division of the new department.