Government will act on two reports released today to further reduce B.C.’s crime rate - already at its lowest level in decades - and strengthen safety in correctional settings.

New, responsive actions in the immediate term will include:

• Consideration of a regional, integrated community safety partnership pilot project that would bring together local, relevant government and non-government agencies in identifying and prioritizing community safety goals, focusing resource allocations and programs accordingly, and measuring and evaluating the outcomes.
• Collaboration between BC Corrections and provincial post-secondary institutions to expand job training options for offenders and thereby better support their re-integration into society.

These are some of the actions that respond to recommendations contained in the report of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Crime Reduction, entitled Getting Serious About Crime Reduction, and a safety review of BC Corrections, entitled Standing Against Violence. The reports are online at: http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/policeservices/shareddocs/BlueRibbonPanel-CrimeReduction.pdf and http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/corrections/docs/StandingAgainstViolence.pdf

The blue-ribbon panel, led by Parliamentary Secretary for Crime Reduction Darryl Plecas, made six broad recommendations for government to use a more cohesive, collaborative approach to prevent and reduce crime. Areas of focus include reducing recidivism by prolific offenders, expanding and better co-ordinating services for offenders dealing with addiction and mental health issues, broadening use of restorative justice, and “designing out” opportunistic crime.

Standing Against Violence, the report led by Parliamentary Secretary for Corrections Laurie Throness, made 20 recommendations aimed at improving safety, assisting inmates with their transition to the community, and enhancing community corrections safety and supervision - in addition to considering other options for discussion to bring about long-term, transformational change as a way to address the root causes of recidivism. Areas of focus include strategies to enhance safety both in custody and in the community, helping offenders with mental-health and substance-use issues, creating new options for offenders to become job-ready, and easing the transition back into the community.

Consistent with recommendations in both reports and government’s earlier White Paper on Justice Reform, Part Two, several actions are already underway and being managed within existing resources.

Additional action items will require further analysis and consultation to determine funding requirements.

Quotes:

Attorney General and Minister of Justice Suzanne Anton -

“The calibre and extent of the expertise that fed into these reports - through roundtable consultations, interviews, submissions and research - have helped to produce recommendations that are broad, credible and in many cases proven. Action on many of them is already underway, and we will consider and act upon additional initiatives, in the context of available funding, to make British Columbia’s streets and correctional facilities even safer.”

Audio of Anton on the Blue Ribbon Panel’s Report: 

https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/181988809&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false

Audio of Anton on Throness’s report:

https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/182020487&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false

Darryl Plecas, Parliamentary Secretary for Crime Reduction -

“In recent years, no jurisdiction in the western world has done a better job reducing crime than British Columbia. The panel’s recommendations focus on prolific offender management, treatment, restorative justice, ‘designing-out’ environments that encourage opportunistic criminals, and other, proven approaches to build on this success and further our efforts to make B.C. Canada’s safest province.”

Audio of Plecas:

Laurie Throness, Parliamentary Secretary for Corrections -

“Overall, staff in our correctional centres are quite safe in their jobs, and they do their best to ensure the safety of inmates. However, despite many precautions, rising violence between inmates is a concern. My review highlights proactive ways we can build on our efforts to manage safety risks, from initial assessment on intake, to how offenders re-integrate into society. As well, training opportunities, treatment and other strategies can help to reduce risks to safety, both in custody and in the greater community.”

Audio of Throness:

https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/182020487&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false

Quick Facts:

• Last year, B.C.’s crime rate fell for the tenth straight year, to its lowest level in decades.
• In September 2013, Plecas, who has 34 years’ experience as a criminologist and researcher, convened a panel of experts to study crime reduction opportunities and recommend ways to drive B.C.’s record-low crime rate down even further, recognizing the many strategies and actions already underway.
• The panel’s consultation took the form of 14 stakeholder roundtables sessions across B.C., individual meetings, and written submissions to the panel.
• The panel spoke to over 600 stakeholders, including police agencies, police boards, the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, non-governmental and non-profit organizations, First Nations organizations, treatment and addictions service providers, school districts, mayors and councils, chairs of regional districts, members of the legislative assembly and representatives from provincial ministries.
• Throness consulted with correctional officials, met with front-line staff members while touring all nine correctional facilities as well as 11 community corrections offices, and held stakeholder consultations - with a goal of providing government with cost-neutral recommendations to improve safety for communities, corrections staff and inmates.
• The review consisted of three parts:
  • A description of the present system.
  • Incremental recommendations based on those conclusions.
  • Suggestions for discussion with respect to transformational directions in the longer-term.

Learn More:

The blue-ribbon panel’s terms of reference are contained in its report, and also appear online at: pssg.gov.bc.ca/public/policeservices/crime-reduction-tor.pdf

Terms of reference for Parliamentary Secretary for Corrections can be found at: http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/public/corrections/throness.pdf

Media Contacts:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Justice
250 213-3602