Victims Portal Help Centre

When an offender comes into custody of the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC), they undergo a process to gather information about their criminal and social history. This includes information from the courts and police. They also go through specialized testing about their education, substance abuse, and other factors that may have contributed to their criminal behaviour. Once this information has been gathered, CSC evaluates the offenders’ level of need in the following seven key areas:

• Education/Employment — level of education, vocational training, and employment history
• Marital/Family — history of relationships, family abuse, positive family relations, parenting
• Associates — friends involved in crime and/or gang activity; access to a pro-social network
• Substance Abuse — history of drug and/or alcohol abuse
• Community Functioning — ability to manage finances/housing, leisure activities
• Personal/Emotional Orientation — anger management, coping skills, sexual deviance, impulsivity, empathy
• Attitude — respect for the criminal justice system, respect for other people’s property, degree to which their believe system supports the use of violence