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Family & Corrections Network |
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October 10-12, 1993 Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
FAMILY PROGRAMMING FOR CANADIAN FEDERAL PRISONERS Des programmes touchant la famille et offerts aux detenus dans le systeme correctionnel federal au Canada Linda McLaren, Acting Manager, Program Development and Implementation Correctional Service of Canada, 340 Laurier Ave. West, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0P9, (613) 996-7730 Le Programme d'apprentissage des competences familiales et parentales est une des composantes du Programme d'acquisition de comptences psychosociales mis sur pied par le Service correctionnel du Canada. Il a ete concu pour repondre au stress auquel l'incarceration soumet les membres des familles dans leurs relations les uns avec les autres. Les detenus peuvent eprouver de grandes difficultes dans leurs relations avec leur epouse ou leur epoux et leurs enfants durant leur periode d'incarceration. Le programme est concu pour aider les delinquants a developper et ameliorer les competences dont ils ont besoin pour etablir des relations harmonieuses avec leur famille. Les detenus n'ont pas besoin de faire partie d'un type particulier de structure familiale pour s'inscrire a ce programme. Le programme est concu tant pour les foyers monoparentaux et les belles-familles que pour les familles mixtes. On tient serieusement compte de la diversite des structures familiales, etant donne que les detenus proviennent de familles fort differentes. Vivre sans violence Le programme "Vivre sans violence" est base sur le principe qui veut que la violence familiale, particulierement contre les femmes et les enfants, trouve son origine dans des coutumes et des lois qui, par le passe, permettaient la violence contre les femmes et les enfants ou fermaient les yeux. Meme si de telles lois ont ete rayees de nos statuts, les attitudes et les croyances demeurent fermement enracinees dans notre societe. Le cours est base sur les hypotheses suivantes: tous les membres de la famille ont le droit d'avoir une vie libre de toute violence et de tout mauvais traitement; les victimes ne sont pas responsable de la violence et ne doivent pas en etre blamees. La violence est la responsabilite de l'abuseur et il lui revient, a lui, de la faire cesser; la societe a la responsabilite de s'engager activement dans des initiatives dont l'objectif est d'enrayer la violence familiale; la premiere mesure a prendre pour enrayer la violence familiale est de supprimer les attitudes et les croyances qui favorisent la violence. Family violence is a serious criminal and societal problem reflecting attitudes and beliefs of gender inequality, ageism, and tolerance for violence. It affects all cultures, age groups, socio-economic levels and geographic areas. Family violence accounts for over 60% of female homicides; 10% of boys and 25% of girls are sexually abused before the age of 16; 4 of every 100 older persons are victims of some form of abuse. Wife assault occurs more frequently in Canada and the United States than all incidents of muggings, rape and car accidents combined. In response to the prevalence of the problems, and the needs of victims and perpetrators, the federal government initiated the Family Violence Initiative in 1988 and renewed funding for an additional four years in 1991. Currently, a federal initiative, which involves 6 major departments, has a budget of $136 million. Its goals are: -increasing public awareness and preventative action; -strengthening the federal legal framework; -providing services to on-reserve Indians and Inuit people; -strengthening intervention and treatment services; -increasing the availability of housing for victims; and -enhancing national information exchange and coordination efforts. Within this context, then, the Correctional Service of Canada received a budget of $9,150,000 which it is spending in the following areas: prevention, where we undertake to conduct prevention and awareness activities among offenders and staff; treatment, in which we have funded a number of demonstration projects in federal prisons and in the community, with the goal of developing effective treatment program models for offenders; staff training, where we have developed and are implementing programs for training employees who work directly with offenders; policy and protocol development, involving reviewing policies to ensure issues regarding family violence are taken into account and developing information-sharing and reporting protocols; and research and evaluation, by conducting research on family violence within the federal offender population and evaluating the effectiveness of our programs. We define family violence as intra-familial or extra-familial abuse of children and youth, of older persons and of women by their male partners. It can take a number of forms in addition to physical assault, such as intimidation, mental or emotional abuse, neglect, deprivation or financial exploitation. Clearly, many forms of abuse are criminal behavior. Family violence is a highly patterned form of violence, which, if untreated, frequently escalates in frequency and severity over time, resulting in serious injury and in many cases, death. The federal definition also embraces a very broad concept of family, as a group of individuals related by affection, kinship, dependency or trust; thus including the many diverse types of family relationships in our society. Current estimates of the prevalence of family violence perpetrated by federal offenders range from 40 to 83%. This broad range of estimates also means that the information available to us on offenders may very often not include current or past violence against their families. Offenders who have abused family members may or quite often may not be serving their current sentence for a family violence-related crime. A preliminary review of major incidents committed by federal offenders in the community (murder, serious assault, sexual assault) in 1991-92 suggests that up to 30% of the victims were family members. We are dealing with an increasing number of offenders who have been convicted of crimes related to family violence, and we may be more and more involved in uncovering previously unreported crime and preventing new crimes. Thus, while correctional agencies, until the mid - to late - 1980's, had not seen family violence as part of their mandate, we now know that work in the area of prevention and/or treatment of family violence has a direct bearing on crime prevention; and therefore family violence programming has been accepted by the Correctional Service of Canada as an important part of its overall mandate. Under the federal initiative, therefore, the Correctional Service of Canada has adopted the goal of reducing the incidence of family violence amongst the offender population and their families. We have also adopted an analysis of the cause of family violence that is based on pro-feminist and social learning theory. Social learning theory suggests the behavior is learned through reinforcement and modeling, and in this case that many assaultive adult men were either witnesses to or victims of family violence in their families of origin. From research conducted on offenders, we know that 40% of our male offender population reported that they were seriously abused as children or adolescents. They thus may have learned, either as victim or witness, that violence is an appropriate way to resolve conflicts, that violence or threats of violence are effective ways to gain or maintain power and control, that the victims of violence deserve what they have received because of their own acts or because they are devalued because of their sex or age. Pro-feminist theory contends that individuals are responsible for their behavior, and the use of violence or abusive behavior involves a choice over non-abusive behavior. The violence is seen as an intentional act intended to gain power and control over the victim, and not as a reciprocal exchange between two equal parties. We have therefore moved away from relying on theories that contend family violence is caused by factors such as stress, inability to control anger, substance or dysfunctional family relationships. This is not to say that, for example, learning anger control techniques or dealing with substance abuse may not be an element of an overall treatment strategy for certain individuals, but just that these sole elements will not eliminate the violence or abuse. While we know that it is not proven that a profile of the "typical" abusive man can be developed, we do know that there are certain risk factors. Some of these are: -high need for power and dominance; -low assertiveness, low self-esteem, inability to express feeling; -cognitive rigidity;* -traditional sex role beliefs; -denial of responsibility, minimization, externalizing blame;* -lack of empathy; -past victim or witness of family violence; -low income or educational level; -alcohol use;* -personality disorders;* -prior record of violence; -sexual aggressiveness towards the partner. These factors influence, but cannot be said to cause, the violence. And, importantly for us, many of these characteristics are observed among offenders. This is therefore a high risk population - high risk for family violence. I am concentrating in this presentation on our prevention and awareness programs for offenders, while a workshop later in this conference will present information on some of CSC's treatment programs. Among offenders, we are generally dealing with a group who may have very rigid ideas about various aspects of life, who do not accept the possibility that they are responsible for their actions, who do not empathize with others, who do not comprehend the consequences of their own actions, who are egocentric, and so on. We have thus adopted a wide range of programs that address these ways of thinking about and reacting to life, with the goal of teaching offenders new thinking skills and patterns that will help them deal more effectively, and more pro-socially, with life. A core program in this group is called Cognitive Skills Training, which teaches generic thinking skills, interpersonal problem-solving, decision-making and so on. For offenders who have serious problems as described above, this program is often a prerequisite for participation in other specific programs where the offender will use the skills learned to deal with their specific needs, such as substance abuse, or family violence.2 One of the these programs, entitled "Living Without Violence", addresses beliefs and attitudes about family roles and relationships, correcting myths about family relations, the relationship between the sexes and ultimately about family violence. This program discusses the issues in the third-person, that is, it does not include discussion of individual offenders' past history of victimization or whether they have committed any of the forms of abuse they are learning about. It is mainly educational and preventive in nature, and cannot be assumed to be thorough treatment for a known abuser. However, as earlier stated, we still cannot document all perpetrators, and thus we are keeping the selection criteria quite open for this program, so that we can encourage perpetrators, who may have been influenced by the information they obtained in this program, to disclose information that might lead to admission to a treatment program. The education information provided in this program is also an important introductory element in any good treatment program, and we thus try to ensure that treatment programs do not duplicate the information provided in this program, in an effort to make good use of our resources by planning a series of useful, related but not duplicative programs. The program is intended to lead offenders to: -internalize responsibility for ending violent behavior; -increase awareness about personal patterns and how to develop alternatives to violence; -learn to accept differences in partner or children without taking it as personal rejection; -receive factual information on the myths surrounding wife abuse and rape; -challenge traditional expectations and definitions of male and female roles; -examine the impact of the parenting role in perpetuating family violence; -change from the need to control others to control oneself. "Living Without Violence" is given in 10 sessions of two hours' duration. The program uses a variety of techniques (lecture, audio-visual materials, group discussion) and addresses the definition of family violence described above, in addition to the power and control analysis of family violence. Accordingly, the topics and issues covered in the program are not easy to deal with when working with certain groups of people, let alone offenders, unless they are very well-organized and presented by well-trained facilitators. Our goal in developing and implementing this program, as well as other programs, has been to ensure that staff have all the tools, knowledge and facilitation skills necessary to present this challenging program properly. For this reason, we select people who have had previous training and experience in delivering the other cognitive-based programs, and we provide additional background information on family violence as part of their training program. The second program I would like to discuss is entitled "Parenting Skills". This program was designed for male offenders who may know very little or nothing about dealing effectively with children. It provides basic knowledge about the broad range of needs children have, and about the consequences when parents do not meet these needs; and it provides skills on how to better meet these needs. The original selection criteria for this program includes identifying offenders who have previous histories of parenting problems, not necessarily only abuse. We are in the process of broadening these criteria to cover any offenders who need to learn about more effective parenting, partly due to the factor mentioned earlier, that we do not always have documented information on past parenting problems, but also because we want to use this program to address the goal of breaking the inter-generational cycle of crime and family violence. As stated earlier, we know that experience of abusive or ineffective parenting can lead to learning ineffective behaviors, or can increase the risk that the younger generation will repeat the cycle of abuse in adulthood. "Parenting Skills" covers topics such as: -different and changing family models; -parenting styles and child development; -children's needs; -interpersonal skills (watching, listening, problem-solving); -caring for the family; -abuse, in all forms; -managing emotions; -discipline; -passing on values to children. The program is given in 16 sessions of two hours' duration. As with Living Without Violence, this program speaks in the third party, and does not require offenders to speak of their personal experiences, or to admit abuse offenses. This is partly because the program is preventive and educational in nature, and will achieve its goals more readily using an educational approach. As well, we can use this program to encourage offenders not previously motivated to participate in more direct treatment-oriented programs. In addition, the target group could include virtually all offenders, operating on the premise that many of them, in fact many of us, could profit from learning basic information and skills to deal with our children. Both of these programs are delivered by Correctional Service of Canada employees, who have received training in the delivery techniques, as well as the issues related to family violence. The employees include correctional officers, case management officers, support staff, vocational instructors, and others. To date over 50 staff have been trained to deliver Living Without Violence, and about 40 to deliver Parenting Skills. The programs are implemented in over half of our 60 institutions. A word about cultural awareness. Both of these programs were primarily written addressing white male offenders, which is not to say that, for example, aboriginal offenders cannot participate in these programs, but simply that, developed as they were, the programs may not be as meaningful, useful or acceptable to other cultures. We therefore hope to develop an aboriginal parenting program, in consultation with our aboriginal advisory committees and aboriginal organizations currently delivering corrections or family violence programs. Since perceptions of the family, its role, operation and values, are so strongly based on culture, it makes sense to base programs aimed at aboriginal people on the modern and historical realities that are specific to their experience. With respect to treatment of family violence, we are presently operating a demonstration project in Winnipeg with Ma Mawi Chi Itata Inc., which begins in the Stony Mountain Institution and continues in the community after the offender's release. There will be a more detailed discussion of this program at a workshop Tuesday afternoon. NEEDS OF WOMEN Regarding gender, these programs were written with the male offender in mind. Indeed, the overall family violence initiative has focused to this point on abuse of women and children by men. Having regard for the staggering statistics on family violence, we are sure that we are addressing a large proportion of the perpetrators with this approach. Nonetheless, we are also responsible for about 300 women who are sentenced to federal prison, the majority of whom are past or current victims of abuse and also have children, for whom in many cases they are the sole parent. About half of all federal female offenders are housed in Prison for Women in Kingston, meaning that the overwhelming majority are separated from their families by huge distances. In all the consultations with women in the course of a major study of female offenders' needs a few years ago, and in much of the research conducted on female offenders, the single largest impact of imprisonment women express is separation from their children and the accompanying worries and tensions. Thus, the decision by the federal government to close Prison for Women and build new regional facilities is a direct result of this concern. But also, in developing programs for the new facilities, we will have to design programs that will address the experience and needs of women related to the impact of violence on their lives and on their parental responsibilities. The overall objective of these programs, though not the sole one, will be to assist the women to overcome the effects of past or current victimization on their lives, and take control of their lives in a positive direction. Many of them are survivors of abuse. What we would like to do is go beyond survival towards affirmation, control and success as law-abiding citizens, capable of taking control of their personal lives and competently caring for their children. ROLE OF FAMILIES Over the last 20 to 30 years, corrections agencies have increasingly focused on the role of families in corrections. We have learned to value strong and positive family relationships as an important factor in the rehabilitation of offenders. I emphasize the words - strong and positive - for a reason. Until the 1980's, family violence was not recognized or talked about in our society, and accordingly, was ignored or downplayed by major systems or organizations in our society, not the least by the criminal justice system and by corrections. It was the increasingly loud and persuasive voice of victims and their advocates who forced the discussion of family violence into the open, and resulted in action for change on the part of these same social systems. Knowing as we do now that the offender population is at high risk for family violence, and knowing that many forms of family violence, though not all, are in fact criminal offenses, it is therefore extremely important that corrections agencies and staff understand the issues and act to prevent family violence wherever possible. So we must add to and clarify our concept of "strong and positive family relationships" to ensure that this also means relationships free of violence or abuse. While we cannot arbitrarily decide which relationships are violent or abusive and which are not, we can use the most up-to-date and reasonable information and carefully train our correctional staff to ensure that in encouraging offenders to maintain their family ties while in prison or on parole, we are not blind or deaf when the danger of family violence is present. This is one of the most important ways we can act on our mandate to protect society, both by preventing family violence today, and by trying to break the cycle of violence for the next generation. PROGRAMMES DE LUTTE CONTRE LA VIOLENCE FAMILIALE Dans le cadre de l'Initiative de lutte contre la violence familiale, le SCC a le mandat d'elaborer des programmes de prevention, de traitement et d'intervention en matiere de violence familiale a l'intention des detenus sous responsabilite federale pouvant etre appliques dans les etablissements et dans la collectivite. Cette Initiative comporte une importante composante de formation et de sensibilisation du personnel et met egalement l'accent sur les besoins des detenus autochtones et des femmes purgeant une peine federale. Certaines recherches revelent que les detenus sous responsabilite federale s'averent particulierement violents au sein de leur famille; compte tenu de ce style de vie, ces detenus presentent des risques tres eleves. Par consequent, il est imperatif que le SCC elabore des methodes et des strategies de traitement specialement adaptees aux besoins de ces detenus afin qu'ils ne retombent pas dans le cycle de la violence familiale du moment ou ils retournent dans la collectivite. Ces programmes s'adressent tout particulierement aux detenus sous responsabilite federale qui ont des antecedents de violence ou qui, selon leur agent de gestion des cas, sont tres susceptibles de commettre des actes de violence. Quoique ces programmes visent specialement les detenus sous responsabilite federale qui entretiennent ou qui ont deja entretenu des relations familiales empreintes de violence, il s'est revele necessaire d'adopter des criteres d'admissibilite plus larges de maniere a venir eventuellement en aide a tous les detenus dument orientes vers ce programme. Jusqu'a maintenant, les programmes offerts aux femmes purgeant une peine federale sont axes sur les services aux victimes d'actes de violence. La violence familiale est un probleme social possedant une dynamique complexe qui a une grande portee sur les services correctionnels. La lutte contre la violence familiale, a titre de nouvel objectif correctionnel, suppose de nouvelles facons d'intervenir aupres des detenus et des membres de leur famille. L'Initiative de lutte contre la violence familiale du SCC vise essentiellement a etablir un cadre permettant d'elaborer des programmes d'education preventive et de traitement en matiere de violence familiale, puis a mettre en oeuvre ces programmes en les dotant de composantes d'evaluation efficaces. Il importe de reconnaitre que le traitement des detenus aux prises avec des problemes de violence familiale est un domaine encore inexplore. Les techniques traditionnelles telles que les programmes de counseling conjugal et de maitrise de la colere se sont revelees inefficaces et meme dangereuses lorsque les problemes sous-jacents associes au pouvoir, au controle et a la violence n'ont pas ete regles. Les programmes visent a aider les detenus a maintenir des relations familiales et intimes qui ne sont empreintes d'aucune forme de violence. Il est vrai que le maintien de relations familiales peut faciliter la reinsertion sociale du detenu, mais il importe de reconnaitre la necessite de garantir la securite et le bien-etre des membres de sa famille. Le traitement repose sur des theories d'apprentissage social et feministes voulant que les actes de violence soient perpetres par les gens qui ont ete eux-memes victimes de tels actes ou qui ont pris exemple sur quelqu'un. L'etude du comportement tient compte d'un systeme global de valeurs societales selon lesquelles la femme est consideree et traitee comme etant inferieure a l'homme. Il s'agit de programmes de nature largement psychopedagogique qui permettent d'inculquer des connaissances et d'enseigner des aptitudes particulieres. On privilegie les seances de groupe car elles offrent des possibilites d'analyse experimentale et de soutien. Le counseling individuel et familial sert de complément (s'il y a lieu) aux seances de groupe. Comme nous l'avons deja mentionne, les travaux dans ce secteur n'en sont qu'a l'etape experimentale. Par consequent, nous n'avons elabore et mis en oeuvre que quelques programmes de traitement en matiere de violence familiale pour les detenus sous responsabilite federale et leur famille. Au cours de l'etape initiale de l'Initiative (1988-1992), des ententes contractuelles ont permis de mettre sur pied deux projets experimentaux implantes dans la collectivite a l'intention des liberes conditionnels sous responsabilite federale; ces projets se poursuivent actuellement (Edmonton et Ottawa). Des projets similaires ont ete elabores et mis en oeuvre en 1992-1993 a St. John (T.-N.), a Montreal (Quebec), a Toronto (Ont.) et a Victoria (C.-B.). De plus, deux programmes de traitement en matiere de violence familiale specialement concus pour les detenus autochtones sont actuellement elabores, mis en oeuvre et evalues a Winnipeg (Man.) et a Prince George (C.-B.). Ces deux programmes reposent sur une approche holistique visant a aider les detenus et leur famille au moyen de methodes de traitement adaptees a leur culture. Dans le but de mettre sur pied des programmes visant a la sensibilisation et education generale des delinquants, le Service correctionnel du Canada a aussi mis en vigeur deux programmes dans sa serie des programmes d'acquisition des competences psychosociales. Ce sont le Programme d'apprentissage des competences familiales et parentales et le Programme vivre sans violence. |
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