Human Resources Committee on Oct. 26th, 2010

[Don Head]

That's right. The intent is to provide, again, the release information once a month and also annually, just to make sure that there is no miscommunication or miscalculation of files. One of the reasons for that is that if an offender is writing off to HRSDC, HRSDC would have no basis to determine that an individual has actually been released, unless we've confirmed it. That's the reason for providing that information as well.

[Ed Komarnicki, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

You provide it at the end of the first month of release and then again on an annual basis.

[Don Head]

That's right.

[Ed Komarnicki, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

You fill out that information.

You mentioned that inmates at times get their old age security and supplements deposited to bank accounts and credit union accounts and that kind of thing.

[Don Head]

That's our belief, yes.

[Ed Komarnicki, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

On release, do you necessarily know where inmates might be going or where they might be residing?

[Don Head]

While they're under our supervision on day parole, full parole, or statutory release we do know where they reside. Once they reach warrant expiry, we know generally where they're going to be released to, but we don't know where they're going to reside after that.

[Ed Komarnicki, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

When you say warrant expiry, I'm not sure I understand.

[Don Head]

Their sentence is completely over. So if an offender receives a three-year sentence, as an example, and gets out on statutory release, that would be two-thirds, or after two years. Between year two and three, they'd be under our supervision in the community. Once they reach completion of the third year, that's what is called warrant expiry. The warrant is over. We have no jurisdiction over them at all, and they're free and clear.

[Ed Komarnicki, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

In that period of time when they're under your supervision, you would know where they are. You would have a physical address and location of where they might be, where correspondence could be sent, and that kind of thing.

[Don Head]

Exactly, yes.

[Ed Komarnicki, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

Is that information supplied to HRSDC at all?

[Don Head]

We will be providing the address.

[Ed Komarnicki, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

What time I have left I will share with Mr. Lobb.

[The Chair, Conservative, Candice Bergen]

You have forty seconds.

[Ed Komarnicki, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

I have forty seconds.

[Ben Lobb, Conservative, Huron—Bruce, ON]

Is the $80 they have to have in their savings account as a minimum under review as well?

[Don Head]

Yes, it is.

[Ben Lobb, Conservative, Huron—Bruce, ON]

So they'll put in some calculations for that.

What other things can they buy with this $69? The myth out there is that inmates have televisions in their prison cells. Is that something they have, and is that something they can buy with their $69?

[Don Head]

Yes, they can use their money to purchase those kinds of items, and the donations they make to the inmate welfare fund go to cover the costs of cable. We don't pay for the cable.

[Ben Lobb, Conservative, Huron—Bruce, ON]

So they have to pay for their own cable. What about the Internet? Do they have Internet there?

[Don Head]

We don't allow access to the Internet.

[Ben Lobb, Conservative, Huron—Bruce, ON]

Okay, thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Candice Bergen]

Madame Folco, you had a question.

[Raymonde Folco, Liberal, Laval—Les Îles, QC]

Yes, thank you, Madam Chair.

I'd like to come back to something that really puzzles me, Commissioner, and that is the question of the partners and the children. I can certainly understand, when the person is incarcerated, that you would ask him whether he has a partner, but what is the reason? What sort of useful information does it give you knowing that the person has a partner outside?