Community Corrections Services
Community Corrections services are provided by the local CYFS offices to young persons in conflict with the law, or at risk of
conflict with the law. Youth Corrections Social Workers and other staff
perform duties such as: provide supervision to youth serving a variety of
court-ordered sentences; prepare reports to assist in the decisions of the
Youth Justice Court; engage in professional social work assessments, service
planning, and individual, family and group counselling; and assist in
program development and community mobilization.
Social workers generally provide supervision and supportive services to
youth serving the following types of sentences:
- Supervised Probation
- Community Service Order (work for the community)
- Personal Service Order (work for a victim)
- Custody and Supervision Order
- Deferred Custody and Supervision Order
In addition, social workers may provide preventative services to young
persons who are at risk of conflict with the law, or after-care services
with those who have completed youth sentences. Such services are offered on
a strictly voluntary basis.
The stated objectives of the Youth Corrections Program are as follows:
- Ensure that young offenders under court order are sufficiently
supervised in consideration of public safety.
- Adhere to the principle of the least restrictive level of
intervention in administering the sentence of the court, in preparing
pre-sentence reports and in making application for review of sentences.
- Involve the families of young persons at all stages of the
intervention process.
- Ensure that the sentence of the youth justice court is properly
fulfilled and that it is reviewed as the needs and circumstances of the
young person change.
- Provide sufficient community-based and custodial resources to meet
the sentencing needs of the youth justice court as outlined in the Youth
Criminal Justice Act, (Canada) and Young Persons Offences Act,
(Newfoundland).
- Co-ordinate and collaborate with other partners in the youth justice
system.
- Provide appropriate services, especially in the community, to young
offenders from distinct cultural groups or geographical areas, in
response to their special service needs.
- Involve community members, including non-governmental agencies, to
enhance or supplement the programs and services provided by government.
- Involve other government departments in jointly providing programs
and services to young offenders or in carrying out the principles of the
Youth Criminal Justice Act. (Canada) and the Young Persons Offences Act,
(Newfoundland and Labrador).
- Complete thorough social histories and, where required, co-ordinate
specialized assessments on young offenders appropriate to their degree
of involvement in the system, and/or their needs.
- Provide a consistent standard of service in all aspects of program
delivery.
- Provide opportunities for young offenders to learn more positive
behaviour and to make amends for their actions.
- Provide opportunities for young offenders to learn personal
accountability and the concept of individual responsibility.
- Promote greater community awareness of the principles that underlie
both the Youth Criminal Justice Act, (Canada) and the Young Persons
Offences Act, (Newfoundland and Labrador) and program objectives of Community Youth
Corrections.
- Provide all community-based and custodial programs in a humane,
caring fashion in which each young person is treated with respect,
courtesy, and dignity.