This
submission is on behalf of the 500 men and women who work in the Phase I young offender
facilities that are under the direct control of the government. Our facilities are
responsible for the care and custody of children who commit offences prior to the age of
16. Because they are a direct operating expenditure of the government, they are known as
DOE facilities. They are: Syl Apps Youth Centre, York Detention
Centre, Maurice H. Genest
Detention Centre, Project D.A.R.E and Sault Ste. Marie Observation and Detention Home.
(In addition, the Arrell Youth Centre and the William E. Hay Centre were also DOE
facilities at the time this brief was written and delivered to the government;
unfortunately, they have since been divested. Information regarding these facilities has
not been edited out of this brief in order to describe the full system of DOE Phase 1
facilities as it stood in April 1998 when this submission was made to the Ministry.)
We are skilled professionals who have chosen this field as a career.
We care about the young people in our facilities and we care about the system. All of us
are deeply committed to ensuring that the young people in our care are successfully
reintegrated into their families and communities.
In the following submission we are responding to the
Ministry of Community and Social Services’ (MCSS) proposal to divest our seven
facilities. Quite simply, we believe this move would compromise the care and custody of
our clients and the safety of our communities. Why? Because we offer top-quality services
that are nationally recognized– such as the secure treatment program at Syl Apps
– at a cost that is comparable with the transfer payment sector, according to
statistics published in the 1997 Annual Report of the Provincial Auditor.
We are often our clients’ last hope. Many of them have
been bounced around the system for years. Transfer payment agencies will not take these
children because they are too troubled, or have severe mental health problems. It is
important to note that in the current system, community agencies can refuse to take a
child. We cannot. Our mandate is to take any child that the Ministry of Community and
Social Services directs us to accept. We are the open door in a system often faced with
children in crisis who present challenges that other service providers cannot cope with.
We co-operate with other ministries including, Health, Education, and Corrections where we
work to ensure the child’s special needs are looked after.
The following is an important statistic to keep in mind:
More than 40 per cent of the secure custody Phase I young offender facilities, including
designated beds, in Ontario are directly operated. There's a reason for that. We are the
safety net when something goes wrong in the transfer payment system. We take the problem
children when no one else will and the professionalism of our staff ensures the safety of
the community.
As the criminal justice system and services to children
face growing public scrutiny and demands for change, directly operated programs for
Ontario's children who are incarcerated make more and more sense. This is especially true
in this time of transition: changing values and public outcry have prompted new directions
for young offenders both through legislation and policy and program initiatives. Around
us, is rapid and dramatic change in the way children's services are being delivered. There
is a need for a foundation of stability, consistency and above all, accountability. We
believe that the direct relationship between the Ministry of Community and Social Services
and the seven facilities we work in provide that foundation.
In the end, it all comes down to accountability. A directly
operated facility is directly accountable to the government and therefore the taxpayers of
this province. If something goes wrong, the public has the right to go to their elected
representatives and demand changes. And the government can make those changes.
Ministry-financed research shows that accountability has resulted in the delivery of
programs that provide troubled children with their best chance to become a positive force
in their communities. We want the opportunity to continue that fine record. Ontario's
children and our communities deserve nothing less.
Go to Compliance with the Young
Offender Services Manual | Return to Main Young Offenders
Facilities Page
