Inmates don’t get programs, supports to prepare for life after release, Manitoba’s auditor general says

Manitoba’s auditor general is calling on correctional officials to do more to prepare inmates for life on the outside so they don’t end up back behind bars.

A new report from auditor general Tyson Shtykalo says that to prevent people from reoffending and to improve public safety, the complex factors that led to an inmate’s incarceration need to be addressed.

The problem, he said, is that assessing what an inmate needs — aside from basic health and safety — doesn’t happen until they’re sentenced. And as many as 80 per cent are detained in custody on remand while they await sentencing.

“A lot of times, when the sentencing does come, it’ll be ‘time served’ and they’re released at that point,” Shtykalo said.

“There’s kind of a time crunch to when this needs assessment is done, the programming can be put in place and an appropriate release plan can be developed.

Remand populations have been going “up and up and up” over the last few decades, with longer stays in facilities that were set up for very short incarcerations, said University of Manitoba criminology instructor Frank Cormier.

“There’s virtually no programming available for people while they’re being held in remand,” Cormier said. “They’re not getting any sort of treatment, support, rehabilitative program, anything like that…. Nothing has happened to try to address the things that got them into trouble with the law in the first place.”

The 38-page audit report looked at the province’s Correctional Services Division in 2023 and found that release plans were often “vague and rudimentary” in describing how the inmate would stay out of custody. It cited examples such as “quit drinking” or “stay sober — follow conditions” and “stay out, don’t get caught.”

There were inconsistencies in custody release plans, which are “critical” for reintegration into the community, the report said.

Reintegration is challenging when many incarcerated people lack connections or a sense of belonging, Cormier said.

“Many people end up incarcerated because they were not integrated in society in the first place. They weren’t part of a stable family, they didn’t have stable employment. They were sort of outside of the larger society,” he said.

“That’s one of the main reasons people end up in jail or prison in the first place.”

The audit found little evidence of inmates being connected to outside resources while locked up.

Nearly one-fifth of the inmates in the auditor’s report said they’ll have a problem finding a home when they’re released.

When asked about their plans for housing, 14 per cent of inmates indicated they were “homeless or transient” and 18 per cent indicated they would have “accommodation problems,” the audit report said.

Release plans require the inmate to provide an address where they will reside. In some cases, the address provided was just a location — “Thompson, MB,” for example — and in others it was a homeless shelter. In one instance, it was a community from which the inmate was banned, the report said.

The number of people held in Manitoba’s jails is increasing, and Indigenous people continue to be over-represented, said Shtykalo, whose report calls for more targeted programming.

Premier Wab Kinew said Thursday that his government is addressing crime with more funding to hire police while addressing its root causes with school food programs and greater educational opportunities.

The audit found group programming, education and work opportunities for inmates were limited and often didn’t address the issues that put them in conflict with the law.

It pointed to the cancellation of the Mancor Prison Industries program in 2018 that taught inmates marketable trades to increase their employment chances. The program gave them a sense of purpose, routine and pride in their work and its loss “created a large gap,” the report said, recommending the government assess education and employment opportunities.

Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said that recommendation — and the Mancor program cut by the former Tory government — was one of 10 listed in the report that stood out for him.

Other recommendations include making sure that healing lodges are set up effectively with defined objectives to serve the Indigenous population in Manitoba’s jails, and connecting offenders with outside agencies and organizations to provide continuing supports.

The audit also called for upgraded data collection and analysis, noting technical issues with an outdated case-management system that was implemented in 1999.

The government said it is looking for a replacement for that system.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca