SIU Authorizations: April 1st, 2023 to June 30th, 2023
(Quarterly Report Q1)
Research Highlights: SIU authorizations increased in the first quarter of 2023-2024 and were most common in the Quebec region. There were slightly more transfers tied to security reasons relative to safety reasons.
Background
Structured Intervention Units (SIUs) were incorporated into the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) on November 30th, 2019. Such units are intended to provide intervention-focused accommodations to offenders who cannot be safely managed in the mainstream offender population. As part of a quarterly series highlighting trends in SIUs, the current analysis examines trends in SIU authorizations in the first quarter of 2023-2024 (i.e., April 1st, 2023 to June 30th, 2023).
Publication
RIB-23-27
2023
Research in Brief - PDF
SIU Authorizations: April 1, 2023 to June 30, 2023 (Quarterly Report Q1)
Overview of Authorizations
Between April 1st, 2023 and June 30th, 2023, there was a total of 750 authorizations to an SIU, with a monthly average of 250 authorizations (representing approximately 1.9% of the in-custody population). The monthly count was 213 in April, 270 in May, and 267 in June (See Table 1). By comparison, the monthly average was 200 in the second half of 22/23, 146 in the first half of 22/23, 120 in Fiscal Year 21/22 and 189 in Fiscal Year 20/21.
Authorizations were most common in the Quebec region (36%, representing 3.18% of the in-custody population in this region) and least common in the Atlantic region (10%, representing 2.16% of the in-custody population).
Authorization Reason
In the current reporting period, 52% of authorizations were justified under 34.1 A (security) of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA), while 47% were justified under 34.1 B (safety). Authorizations justified under 34.1 C (investigation) remained uncommon (i.e., accounting for 1% of cases).
There was regional variation with respect to trends in reason (e.g., 34.1 A authorizations were most common in Quebec; See Table 2).
| Month |
Region | Total |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic | Quebec | Ontario | Prairies | Pacific | ||
| April | 17 | 77 | 50 | 38 | 31 | 213 |
| May | 27 | 101 | 66 | 50 | 26 | 270 |
| June | 34 | 91 | 56 | 62 | 24 | 267 |
| Total | 78 | 269 | 172 | 150 | 81 | 750 |
| Reason |
Region | Total |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic | Quebec | Ontario | Prairies | Pacific | ||
| 34.1A | 29 | 162 | 82 | 74 | 41 | 388 |
| 34.1B | 49 | 107 | 82 | 76 | 38 | 352 |
| 34.1C | - | - | 8 | - | 2 | 10 |
| Total | 78 | 269 | 172 | 150 | 81 | 750 |
Discussion
SIU authorization counts continue to fluctuate by month and are shaped by regional variation. Ongoing monitoring and reporting of SIU trends promotes a cumulative knowledge base to inform operational practices.
Prepared by: The Special Projects and Data Management (SPDM) Team of the CSC Research Branch.