Structured Intervention Units and the Implementation Advisory Panel

Structured intervention units (SIUs) are used when an inmate cannot be safely managed within a mainstream inmate population.

SIUs allow the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) to address the safety and security risks of these inmates, while providing them with support and opportunities with the goal of safely returning them to a mainstream inmate population as soon as possible. While in an SIU, the inmates can continue to make progress towards eventual successful rehabilitation and reintegration into the community.

The amendments to the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA) to introduce SIUs came into force on November 30, 2019.

Implementation Advisory Panel

The Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness appointed Howard Sapers as the Chair of a renewed Structured Intervention Unit Implementation Advisory Panel (SIU IAP) to monitor, assess and report on issues related to the ongoing implementation of the Structured Intervention Units.

The renewed Panel will reflect a diverse spectrum of perspectives, knowledge and experience related to federal corrections and the unique needs of federal inmates.

Appointees

Mr. Howard Sapers – Chairperson

Mr. Sapers, a prominent expert on effective and humane corrections management, previously served as the Correctional Investigator of Canada and an Independent Advisor to the Government of Ontario on corrections matters. He has also served as Vice-Chairperson for the Prairie Region of the Parole Board of Canada, Director of the Crime Prevention Investment Fund at the National Crime Prevention Centre, and as Executive Director of the John Howard Society of Alberta. Mr. Sapers is a past President of the Canadian Criminal Justice Association. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Forum of Canadian Ombudsman and, between 2012 and 2016, was a North American Regional representative to the International Ombudsman Institute. Mr. Sapers is currently a Trustee on the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s (CAMH) Board of Trustees. He is a Visiting Professor at the University of Ottawa’s Department of Criminology, Adjunct Professor at Simon Fraser University’s School of Criminology, and has been awarded an Honourary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Ottawa.

Dr. Anthony Doob – Member

Dr. Doob is Professor emeritus of criminology and was a long-serving director of the Centre of Criminology at the University of Toronto. He has championed the place of empirical evidence in the development of policy for over 40 years, notably as a member of the Canadian Sentencing Commission, as a contributor to programs of the National Judicial Institute and as the founder and co-director of the University of Toronto’s Criminological Highlights, a publication that provides an accessible look at recent high quality research. Since 2009, Dr. Doob has been a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada's Academy of Social Sciences. He received the University of Toronto’s Carolyn Tuohy ‘Impact on Public Policy’ award in 2011 and was awarded the Order of Canada in 2014 for his scholarship in the field of criminology and his role in shaping Canadian justice policy.

Date modified:

2021-07-23