Community
In 2011, Prince Albert became the first community in Canada to effectively implement the Hub model of community mobilization. Since that time, over 800 individuals and families have been supported through collaborative risk-driven intervention facilitated by Prince Albert Hub. This model has and will continue to fundamentally change the landscape of community safety and wellness across the country. Based on this model, interest has grown across Canada and beyond. In that last two years, Prince Albert-inspired Hubs have become operational in Ontario, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Alberta and throughout Saskatchewan.
Dr. Chad Nilson, the inaugural research fellow at the University of Saskatchewan’s Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science and Justice Studies, has completed his preliminary impact assessment of the Prince Albert Hub. The results of his research show that the Hub is an extremely promising model of community mobilization. The key findings are that (1) the Hub model brings added value to the current work of human service providers (such as police officers, teachers, social workers, addictions counselors); and (2) the Hub lowers the probability of harm among individuals with composite risk factors (such as alcoholism, violence, criminal activity, neglect) by more quickly and efficiently connecting them with multiple services and supports.
Read the full report here: Preliminary Impact Assessment May 2014
The project is a jurisdictional scan of the mental health, education, and employment programs available to IRCS youth returning to northern Saskatchewan to support their community reintegration and the possible technologies that may be used to increase their access to any required programming. The jurisdictional scan includes a literature review, interviews with mental health and corrections professionals, and an environmental scan of the programs and technologies available in 30 northern Saskatchewan communities.
Working with the RCMP F Division to examine the relationship between public perceptions of crime, feelings of safety and fear, victimization, and reported crime statistics in areas of the province policed by the RCMP, the Centre designed and conducted a telephone survey through the Social Sciences Research Laboratories—Survey and Group Analysis Laboratory at the University of Saskatchewan. The survey provided an opportunity to explore whether perceptions of crime and victimization were associated with feelings of safety and fear of crime. It also allowed for an examination of the extent to which perceptions of crime and self-reported rates of victimization compare to official crime statistics.
Funded by the Homelessness Partnering Secretariat of Employment and Social Development Canada, this project involved an examination of how supportive housing programs (e.g., Housing First Initiatives) for individuals with concurrent mental disorders (ICMDs) have been implemented, with a view to determining where improvements can be made and to provide information that would be useful for replicating the model on different scales. The need for and feasibility of implementing supportive housing for ICMDs in Saskatoon was also examined.
Final Report English - May, 2014
Working in collaboration with the Restorative Action Program in Saskatoon, this project involved the development and piloting of data collection tools and the piloting of a performance monitoring process aimed at tracking program activities, outputs, and outcomes.
Completed for the John Howard Society of Saskatchewan, this project involved a detailed review of the STR8UP program - its objectives, activities, structure, operation and stakeholder perceptions, with a view to providing recommendations for consideration in program planning and development. This project was completed in part through the fulfillment of student internship requirements of the Applied Social Psychology Program, Department of Psychology, and scholarship requirements of the Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science and Justice Studies.
Policing
This project involved evaluation of the RCMP-supported Community Cadet Corps that exist in multiple Saskatchewan communities, with a view to assessing various aspects of program structure and function, as well as whether the programs have helped build community-RCMP relationships, the extent to which the programs have contributed to a reduction in risk factors for crime among youth in those communities, and what impact the program has had on individual outcomes.
On behalf of the Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice - Corrections and Policing, the Centre conducted a scan of existing models and organizational/governance structures for the design and delivery of Corrections and Police training and research activities identified in other Canadian and International jurisdictions, focusing on the overall models in use as well as professional groups targeted (e.g. probation officers, correctional workers, police officers).
On behalf of the RCMP F Division, the Centre conducted an independent review of air service use and assessment of requirements of the RCMP in Saskatchewan. This work involved a review of RCMP documents concerning air services, consultation of literature on air services, and interviews with key law enforcement air service stakeholders in both Saskatchewan and other parts of the country.
Seeing Oneself is a personality-targeted alcohol and substance abuse prevention and early intervention program for youth, developed between 1997 and 2000 by Dr. Nancy Comeau from Dalhousie University. It is intended to reduce alcohol and substance abuse and associated antisocial behaviors by directly addressing youth's specific reasons and motivations for using substances and building their relevant coping skills.
Beginning in 2003, the program was adapted into a culturally-informed model for working with Aboriginal and Inuit youth, and in 2013, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) “F” Division implemented the Seeing Oneself program in two locations in southern Saskatchewan and enlisted the Centre to conduct an evaluation of those sites.
The evaluation assessed the quality of the program implementation in Saskatchewan in terms of its fidelity to the tested and supported program model and its effectiveness and sustainability within the Saskatchewan context. It sought to establish which aspects of the program implementation were successful and appropriate and what aspects, if any, could be improved. Components of program implementation included a review of the site selection process, facilitator training, youth screening and selection, program delivery and follow-up, perceived outcomes, and overall sustainability needs of the program.
Law, Courts, and the Judicial System
A literature review was prepared for the Ministry of Justice on the use of administration of justice charges and related sanctions in both Canada and the US. The report identified trends in both jurisdictions related to administrative charges and sanctions, factors impacting violation and revocation, and principles for effective strategies in administering administrative sanctions and reducing technical violations. A complimentary report addressing trends in the use of pre-trial risk assessment instruments was also completed as part of the same literature review.
During 2014-15, the Centre continued to follow the development of the Mental Health Support Strategy (MHSS) within the Provincial Court of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. The initiative, led by The Honorable Judge Shannon Metivier with widespread involvement from various government and community partners, seeks to address the need for specialized forensic mental health services in Saskatoon for adults with a mental health condition who have been charged with an offense. Leading up to the implementation, in November 2013, of a dedicated court docket twice per month for cases referred to the MHSS, several Centre members, including Centre Director Steve Wormith and Executive Committee members Glen Luther (College of Law) and Mansfield Mela (College of Medicine), were active in supporting the strategy through the provision of training for members of the MHSS network and advice regarding research and evaluation. In February 2015 the Centre concluded a process evaluation report on the first 9 months of the MHSS with information to inform the continued planning and development of the MHSS. Involvement is expected to continue with a more in-depth review of the MHSS to include the coding and analysis of data collected during the first full year of the court’s operation with a view to informing continued planning and development.
Corrections
Working in collaboration with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice - Corrections and Policing, the Centre conducted a review of activities and outputs stemming from First Nations and Métis Cultural Programs in Saskatchewan correctional facilities. This project involved the development of data collection tools, interviews, focus groups, and training sessions with cultural coordinators, cultural advisors, Aboriginal Elders, and Ministry staff.
On behalf of the Correctional Service Canada, Evaluation Branch, the Centre conducted a scan of existing Aboriginal Corrections programs and services across Canada and within international jurisdictions with an aim to identify emerging trends, priorities, initiatives, and service delivery models relevant to Aboriginal Corrections and how they compare to CSC's Aboriginal services and programs subsumed under the Strategic Plan for Aboriginal Corrections.
The project involved a literature review into the types and frequency of self-harm behavior that is observed/reported in Canada and internationally, as well as a review of evidence-based approaches to effectively responding to or managing self-harm behavior.
One of the most important areas of prison growth is related to the pretrial population, those persons who are charged with the commission of certain offenses and are awaiting commencement or completion of their case. While some of these individuals are released during an initial hearing, others are detained for the duration of their trial. A recent innovation in this area has been the use of pretrial risk assessments (PTRAs), instruments that objectively assess a defendant's risk of failing to appear, or to commit a new crime prior to their trial date. Research suggests that PTRAs have validity in decreasing the amount of pretrial defendants housed in prisons or jails, may help to honor the presumption of innocence through the expanded release of low-risk pretrial defendants, and may increase efficiencies in the criminal justice system.
The Centre was contracted by Public Safety Canada to conduct a literature review on the present state of empirical research on risk assessments of impaired drivers and to examine the predictive accuracy of the Level of Service Inventory-Ontario Revision (LSI-OR) in predicting recidivism among impaired drivers. The data analyzed in this project was provided by Ontario’s Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services (MCSCS).
Working in collaboration with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice - Corrections and Policing, the Centre completed a quantitative analysis to assess the predictive validity of the Saskatchewan Primary Risk Assessment tool and to determine whether there is empirical support for the creation of a very high-risk category.
Led by Dr. Arlene Kent-Wilkinson, College of Nursing, the Forensic Interdisciplinary Research Saskatchewan Team (FIRST) conducted a baseline study to identify the current needs of offenders with mental health and/or substance abuse disorders in the province of Saskatchewan, and to inform future research.