Evidence of meeting #4 for Public Safety and National Security in the 39th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was offenders.
Executive Vice-Chairperson, National Parole Board
We rate candidates' qualifications. I can give you a few examples, if you like.
Bloc
Serge Ménard Bloc Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC
Thank you, but we don't have much time. I'd like to know if the government has followed through on your recommendations since the last election.
Executive Vice-Chairperson, National Parole Board
Yes. The ratings process has been in place since 1993 and to date, no one has been appointed to the National Parole Board, whether full time or part time, without having qualified.
Bloc
Senior Deputy Commissioner, Correctional Service Canada
I can give you the answer on the cost.
Senior Deputy Commissioner, Correctional Service Canada
The average cost for incarceration for 2004-05 was $87,919. I don't have the per diem cost; we just do the annual cost. To give you a quick breakdown, for maximum security it was $113,591; medium security was $75,661; minimum security was $83,643; women's facility was $166,642; and in our community correctional centres it was $49,043. The average cost for an individual under parole is about $19,113. The average community supervision cost is about $20,320.
Bloc
Serge Ménard Bloc Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC
I would divide these amounts by 365 to come up with the actual daily cost.
I have another important question for you. Have you compared rehabilitation and incarceration costs?
Senior Deputy Commissioner, Correctional Service Canada
Yes, the costs are based on the entire operating class for each institution. So, for example, all the costs that are going into the maximum security institutions, including the rehabilitation costs, the security costs, the health care costs—all those costs—form the basis and are then divided by the average population count for each of the levels of security.
Bloc
Serge Ménard Bloc Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC
That's not quite what I was asking. Have you compared the cost of rehabilitating an inmate with the cost of keeping him incarcerated?
Senior Deputy Commissioner, Correctional Service Canada
As mentioned earlier in the brief, we spend $100 million on delivering correctional programs across the country. We spend $429 million for security services, so we have the breakout by major activities.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz
Great, thank you.
Before we move to Mr. Comartin, there seems to be a disconnect in the statistics the two witnesses gave us. You said 10% reoffend. But I think Mr. Head said 90% have previous records. I can't see how only 10% of those who have been paroled reoffend, when you on the other hand are saying 90% of the inmates who are there have previous records. How do you reconcile those two statistics?
Executive Vice-Chairperson, National Parole Board
What he is talking about is the parole file. What I'm talking about is the actual person who is in the penetentiary and who would go on day or full parole, and also about those who go on statutory release.
I don't want to mislead either Mr. Ménard or the members of this committee, but statutory release statistics for the past three years showed successful completion as 58%, breach of conditions 30%, and new offences 12%. I'm sorry about my statistics.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz
The other thing, Mr. Head, is that if we could get those studies you referred to on aboriginal inmate comparisons between the countries, and also in North Dakota and the various states, I think they would be very interesting.
Mr. Comartin, you have seven minutes.
NDP
Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you for being here.
Madame Collette, are the criteria we use for appointments in writing?
Executive Vice-Chairperson, National Parole Board
Yes, they're on the website. I can give you a copy too; there's no problem.
Executive Vice-Chairperson, National Parole Board
We have had that process since the end of 1994, in 1994-95.
NDP
NDP
Executive Vice-Chairperson, National Parole Board
No, you can apply as part-time or you can apply as full-time, or you can apply for both and be on both lists.
NDP
Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
Okay. Do people who start as part-time often move to full-time?