NEWS RELEASE

Ref: 830-600/24

Federal-Provincial-Territorial Meeting of Ministers responsible for Justice
Montreal, Quebec - December 4 and 5, 1997

December 5, 1997

SOLICITOR GENERAL RELEASES RESEARCH REPORT ON DIVERSION PROGRAMS

MONTREAL -- Federal Solicitor General Andy Scott today released a research report that will assist policy-makers, criminal justice practitioners and others interested in developing alternatives to incarceration for offenders. Mr. Scott is attending the Federal/ Provincial/ Territorial Ministers of Justice meeting here December 4-5.

"Diversion Programs for Adults" examines the findings from evaluation studies of diversion programs for adult offenders. Diversion programs are designed to provide an alternative to the traditional justice process for selected offenders, either before or after a charge is laid, with the purpose of avoiding further involvement with the criminal justice system.

The Federal Government’s Speech from the Throne in September pledged to develop alternatives to incarceration for low-risk, non-violent offenders, such as sentencing reforms, community diversion programs and alternative sanctions to imprisonment.

The Corrections Population Growth report released by Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers of Justice in May, 1996 also encouraged the greater use of diversion programs and other alternatives to incarceration. Further, it identified the need for research in this area, and stressed the importance of sharing information among jurisdictions.

"I am pleased to be able to share this report with my federal and provincial/territorial colleagues," said Mr. Scott. "Sound research will enable those working in the system to identify elements of successful programs, benefit from lessons learned, and make the most efficient and effective use of correctional resources."

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Reference:

Dan Brien Communications Assistant    (613) 991-2924

1997-027     This document is also available at the Solicitor General of Canada web site: www.sgc.gc.ca/

Backgrounder
Diversion Programs for Adults

At the January, 1995 meeting of Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers Responsible for Justice, Deputy Ministers and Heads of Corrections were charged with the task of identifying potential strategies for dealing with growing prison populations. The options identified were outlined in the Corrections Population Growth report published in May, 1996.

Recommendation #2 from the report called for the Department of the Solicitor General to undertake a research review of the literature on diversion programs. The results of this review are found in the report, Diversion Programs for Adults. The report reviews studies that attempt to divert offenders from incarceration by providing programs and services that manage their risk in the community.

The review found relatively few studies that provided sound evaluations of diversion programs. This finding highlights the need to conduct evaluations of these programs to identify the characteristics of programs that most effectively divert offenders from incarceration. Similar programs can then be developed and supported.

A major concern raised by the report is that many diversionary efforts actually add controls rather than decrease levels of correctional intervention with some offenders. That is, they "widen the net". Avoidance of net-widening however, can be achieved by greater use of objective offender risk assessments that permit the identification of appropriate offenders for diversion programs who would otherwise be facing time in prison.

The research review also suggests that unless efforts are made to target higher risk offenders for programs and to provide sufficient resources for diversion programs, the overall impact on total criminal caseloads will be small.

The type of research contained in the report is also important to enable policy-makers, governments and practitioners in the criminal justice field determine the most efficient use of correctional resources.

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December 1997

Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat (CICS)

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