Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Performance Measures

The goals, objectives and strategies presented here are consistent with the Ministry’s vision of all British Columbians working together to make our province the safest place to live in Canada. Changes made since publication of the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General 2007/08 – 2009/10 Service Plan reflect our ongoing commitment to improving service planning and reporting.

This section begins with two high-level goals. Increasing public safety and strengthening public confidence in the provincial justice and regulatory systems are priorities for government, and these goals guide the Ministry in all of its work.

A number of key objectives and strategies are also presented, all of which work together to contribute to the Ministry’s success in meeting its goals. The Ministry’s programs and services work in concert to enhance public safety across the province and ensure effective justice and regulatory systems for all British Columbians.

Lastly, select performance measures are identified. These measures are long-term outcome indicators of the Ministry’s progress in achieving multiple objectives and, ultimately, its goals.

Measuring the performance of British Columbia’s justice and regulatory systems is complex. Long-term outcome measures, such as crime rates, victimization rates and recidivism rates, are affected by many different individual and socio-economic factors and are not under the exclusive control of any one program area or ministry. Rather, they are multifaceted outcomes involving all components of the justice system and many other areas of government, such as health, education and social services, as well as factors outside government’s control.

The measures in this report represent only a few critical aspects of performance, but together, they help us to assess the Ministry’s progress toward realizing its objectives and goals.

Goal 1: Increased safety for individuals and communities throughout British Columbia

Goal 2: Public confidence in British Columbia's justice and regulatory systems

These two high-level goals are relevant for all areas of the Ministry’s programs and services, and all of the objectives and strategies identified here contribute toward their achievement.

Objective 1: Integrated justice reform

A key priority for the Ministry is integrated justice reform to promote earlier access to solutions and to provide faster justice.

Strategies

A key strategy to achieve the objective of integrated justice reform is to implement evidence-based initiatives involving strengthened collaboration among criminal justice, health, housing and social service agencies. Specific initiatives include the following examples.

• Through the Prolific Offender Management Project, multiple agencies³ will co-ordinate at the local level to hold prolific offenders accountable through swift and certain consequences while providing them with social, mental health and addictions services to address issues that contribute to their criminal behaviour. The project will be launched in five communities in spring 2008.
• Community Court provides integrated justice, health and social services to address crime issues in Vancouver’s downtown core, bringing together prosecution, defence, corrections, victim services, health, housing and social services agencies to hold offenders accountable in a more timely way, but also to help them break their cycle of crime. The initiative endeavours to keep offenders safely in the community while providing the services they need to treat the issues that drive their criminal activities, such as homelessness, addictions and mental illness.
• The Provincial Community Safety Steering Committee was established to develop crime prevention and reduction strategies based on collaboration and integration, and on common priorities across the justice, health and social service sectors in British Columbia.
• The Bail Reform Project will increase the efficiency of bail processes, meaning fewer delays in matters proceeding to trials, earlier releases where appropriate, reduced transport of accused, reduced incidents in which the accused are released away from their home community, and fewer interruptions to scheduled court events.

Objective 2: Adequate levels of police services

Adequate levels of police services across the province are required to protect citizens and communities from crime and to respond to the changing nature of crime.

Strategies

Key strategies to meet this objective are to support the integration of existing police services and to update the Police Act and the Provincial Standards for Municipal Police Departments in British Columbia. These initiatives will ensure that police services are delivered in the most effective and efficient way possible, avoiding duplication and yielding economies of scale in protecting the public.

Another strategy is to implement new policing initiatives to increase capacity in areas such as supporting organized crime prosecutions, responding to high-tech crime and combating Internet-based child exploitation.

Objective 3: Offenders are supervised and managed based on court orders and risk to re-offend

A key objective of the Ministry is to ensure that offenders are supervised and managed based on their risk to re-offend. To effectively and efficiently supervise offenders while they are under court orders, and to achieve reductions in re-offending behaviour over the long term, it is critical to understand the risk an offender poses to society and how that risk can best be addressed.

Strategies

More than 20 years of correctional research have resulted in the development of standardized, validated risk/needs assessment tools that are used by the Ministry to provide information on offender risk to re-offend and rehabilitative needs. Ministry policy allows a 60-day period during which risk/needs assessments must be completed.

Objective 4: Reduced re-offending behaviour

A significant body of correctional research has confirmed that offender case management, offender responsiveness to change, and rehabilitative programming can mitigate harm, interrupt offending cycles and reduce re-offending behaviour.

Strategies

Case management plans are developed for offenders based on the risk/needs assessments conducted, serving to guide program interventions on an individual basis.

The Ministry also delivers correctional (core) programming in accordance with best practices in this field. Core programs are designed to address risk factors known to contribute to criminality and focus on the acquisition of cognitive skills necessary to bring about behavioural change. They are available in adult custody facilities and for offenders serving community sentences, delivered by trained staff and contracted services to offenders who pose higher risks for re-offending.

Through partnerships with the ministries of Education, Employment and Income Assistance, and Health, the Ministry is focusing on an integrated model for delivering substance abuse management programs and health services for offenders in custody and for those under supervision in the community. Programs are also being developed to teach practical skills and to better meet the re-integration needs of incarcerated offenders.

Objective 5: Reduced over-representation of Aboriginal people in the justice system

The Ministry is working with other ministries, Aboriginal agencies and community representatives to reduce the disproportionate representation of Aboriginal people in all areas of the justice system.

Strategies

Key strategies include:

• providing stable and culturally appropriate housing and programming for high-risk, high-needs Aboriginal offenders;
• further establishing community and restorative justice alternatives to the traditional justice system;
• undertaking capacity-building in First Nations communities; and,
• improving understanding and relationships between Aboriginal people and criminal justice professionals.

Objective 6: Elimination of trafficking in persons in British Columbia

The elimination of trafficking in persons for sexual exploitation and forced labour is a Ministry priority. In 2007, the Ministry created Canada’s first Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons.

Strategies

To meet this objective, the Ministry is building collaboration across numerous jurisdictions and agencies, including other provincial ministries, federal departments, law enforcement agencies and non-governmental organizations, including transition and safe houses. Key strategies include:

• collaborating with law enforcement, immigration and border officials on more effective methods of identifying potentially trafficked travellers;
• working with the health professions and educational institutions to develop front-line responder training for health care providers;
• building research capacity within the academic community; and,
• developing public education campaigns for communities, schools, health care agencies and agencies providing services to immigrants.

Objective 7: Effective protective programs for vulnerable adults, youth and children

Another key objective is the maintenance of effective protective programs to enhance public safety.

Strategies

The Ministry maintains the Protection Order Registry, a confidential database containing all civil and criminal protection orders issued in British Columbia. The intent of the registry is to contribute to the reduction of violence against vulnerable adults, youth and children through support of the enforcement of civil and criminal protection orders.

Conducting criminal record checks on individuals who work with children is another key strategy. Criminal record checks are mandatory under the Criminal Records Review Act for anyone who works with children or who has unsupervised access to children in the course of employment, or in the practice of an occupation, and who is employed by, licensed by or receives operating funds from the provincial government.

Objective 8: Community crime prevention and restorative justice programs

In preventing crime and victimization, the Ministry strives to go beyond the traditional responses to crime that focus on sentencing and incarceration, focusing instead on eliminating the root causes of crime. Research indicates that communities can become safer if they actively engage in programs designed to reduce the incidence of crime and repair the harm caused by criminal behaviour.

Strategies

The Ministry continues to provide funding and support to community-based crime prevention and restorative justice programs, and works with stakeholders to promote collaborative approaches to community safety.

Objective 9: Timely information, assistance and support for victims of crime

Victims of crime require a range of supports and services to reduce the impact of crime and trauma.

Strategies

Key victim service strategies include:

• offering information, referrals and practical support to victims of crime and their families through victim service programs;
• administering the Crime Victim Assistance Act and Program to ensure that victims have access to financial assistance and other benefits;
• notifying impacted victims of end-of-sentence release of identified offenders;
• providing training and support to victim service workers; and,
• increasing public awareness of the services available to victims of crime.

Objective 10: Minimized loss of life and human impact from disasters and emergencies

A significant objective of the Ministry is the reduced overall impact of any disaster or emergency in the province.

Strategies

Key strategies to achieve this objective include:

• working with local governments, First Nations, provincial ministries and agencies, federal departments, other jurisdictions, industries and volunteers to support four main pillars of emergency management — prevention, preparedness, response and recovery; and,
• providing leadership to the emergency structure during emergencies and disasters.

In addition, action is under way in the Ministry in support of government’s climate change objectives. In many cases, this involves working on broad cross government initiatives covering facilities, vehicles, procurement, and information technology. The Ministry is also promoting greenhouse gas emission reduction strategies that staff can implement within the Ministry and at home.

Objective 11: Promotion of fire prevention, life safety and property protection programs

The promotion of fire prevention, life safety and property protection programs throughout British Columbia is a priority for the Ministry.

Strategies

Key to achieving this objective is the development and maintenance of strong working relationships with local governments, fire service organizations and other jurisdictions. The Ministry continues to strengthen its relationships with partner agencies and stakeholder groups, and enhance the support it provides to fire departments, local governments and the public.

Objective 12: Coroners’ reports based on current, consistent and timely information

Operating within the Ministry, the BC Coroners Service investigates all sudden and unexpected, unexplained or unattended deaths, makes recommendations to improve public safety through preventative measures, and helps people deal with the trauma of death through provision of timely and accurate information. To most effectively assist citizens and improve public safety, coroners’ cases must be completed in a timely manner and be based on current and consistent information.

Strategies

Key strategies include:

• increasing emphasis on training programs to maximize the effectiveness of all coroners;
• providing coroners with electronic access to field investigation forms and protocols; and,
• continuing to work with the Ministry of Health and other agencies to ensure the availability of timely pathology and toxicology services.

Objective 13: Increased road safety

Increased road safety throughout the province remains an important objective of the Ministry.

Strategies

The Ministry is working collaboratively with all road safety partners and stakeholders to formulate and implement an action plan to focus road safety resources on reducing fatalities and serious injuries from preventable vehicle crashes. This is being achieved, in part, through strengthening of British Columbia’s child passenger safety regulations, and through higher penalties for not wearing seat belts.

Work is also in progress focusing on high-risk and drinking drivers, including the development of specific interventions that will be applied at the first signs of habitual bad driving.

The Ministry continues to work with police agencies on innovative and enhanced road safety enforcement initiatives across the province, such as Integrated Road Safety Units, the Intersection Safety Camera Program and the Integrated Municipal Provincial Auto Crime Team.

Objective 14: A comprehensive regulatory framework for gaming

It is in the public interest that gaming be conducted within a strong regulatory framework that balances economic activity with the socially responsible management of gaming.

Strategies

A key strategy to meet this objective is to implement changes to British Columbia’s legal and regulatory framework for gaming to ensure that all gaming in the province is subject to a high level of rigour and scrutiny.

Other strategies include:

• implementing a province-wide media campaign and educational outreach program to increase public awareness of how the gaming industry is regulated and gaming revenue is distributed; and,
• implementing, evaluating and reporting on recommendations made by the Ministry’s Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch, the Office of the Ombudsman, and the independent auditing firm, Deloitte & Touche LLP, concerning the lottery retail network, including registering all lottery retail managers and operators, certifying all tickets and lottery equipment, auditing compliance of the British Columbia Lottery Corporation, and investigating all allegations of wrongdoing.

Objective 15: Reduced incidence of illegal gambling

Reduced incidence of illegal gambling and unlawful activity in commercial gaming venues is a priority for the Ministry.

Strategies

The Ministry continues to work toward fully implementing the Illegal Gambling Enforcement Strategy. This includes:

• working with law enforcement agencies to develop and implement better means of identifying and reducing money laundering and loan sharking in commercial gaming venues; and,
• working collaboratively with the Ministry of Attorney General and law enforcement agencies to better identify and investigate gaming offenders and illegal gambling activity in liquor-licensed establishments, and ensuring standards of charge approvals are met, so that an increased number of cases are brought before the courts.

Objective 16: Responsible gambling practices

The Ministry strives to ensure that responsible gambling practices and healthy choices are encouraged to reduce the harmful impacts of excessive gambling.

Strategies

The Responsible Gambling Strategy is designed to expand on current programs and services and includes:

• implementing a youth problem gambling prevention strategy, including developing teaching tools for schools and presenting awareness campaigns at select post-secondary campuses;
• working with the British Columbia Lottery Corporation to expand the Responsible Gambling Information Centre program in casinos and community gaming centres across the province; and,
• working collaboratively with Aboriginal groups to increase awareness of problem gambling programs and services.

Objective 17: Reduced problems associated with liquor misuse in and around licensed establishments

Liquor industry members have a legal responsibility to minimize harm to their customers and to any individual or community affected by the consumption of liquor in their establishments.

Strategies

Key strategies include:

• targeting resources on high-risk establishments and focusing inspections and investigations primarily on service to minors, over-service, overcrowding and illicit alcohol;
• strengthening integrated partnerships with stakeholders, such as local government staff and officials, police and industry members;
• minimizing the number of contraventions and achieving increased voluntary compliance through knowledgeable licensees; and,
• streamlining enforcement processes to impose more timely consequences for non-compliance.

Performance Measures

The performance measures identified here are used to indicate the Ministry’s progress toward achieving multiple objectives and, in the long term, realizing the goals of increased public safety throughout the province and public confidence in British Columbia’s justice and regulatory systems.

Public confidence in the justice system

Members of the public must have confidence and trust in the justice system for it to function effectively and to ensure continued public participation and support. The Ministry and the Ministry of Attorney General are tracking public confidence in the justice system in British Columbia as a key indicator of its effectiveness.

The forecast and targets for this measure are based on the averaged results from the 2006/07 monthly BC Omnibus Survey conducted by BC Statistics. The survey uses a subset of questions from the General Social Survey on Social Engagement (Cycle 17) conducted by Statistics Canada in 2003. Statistics Canada conducts surveys to measure confidence in public institutions roughly every five years.

Public satisfaction with police services

One component of public trust and confidence in the justice system is satisfaction with the work of the police, as well as the efficiency and effectiveness of the court, correctional and parole systems. Public perceptions of specific components of the justice system contribute to a greater understanding of levels of public confidence in the justice system in general.

The Ministry is working with the Ministry of Attorney General to develop a survey to explore the perceptions and experiences of British Columbians with various areas of the justice system, including police services. The survey will be administered on an annual basis to a random sample of British Columbians. Specific methodological considerations, including timing, have yet to be confirmed.

Public satisfaction with gaming regulation

The Ministry is tracking public satisfaction with the regulation of gaming in the province. Satisfaction with the regulation of gaming indicates public confidence that the industry is operating in compliance with provincial legislation and policies and that the Ministry’s activities meet citizens’ expectations for the gaming industry.

Victimization rates

Measures of self-reported victimization have become widely used social indicators of the safety of individuals in their homes and communities. Victimization rates complement officially recorded crime rates based on police records and are arguably more comprehensive indicators of the volume of crime, because data from victimization surveys include criminal victimization occurrences that were not reported to police, as well as those that were.

Specific targets for this measure have not been established because of the complexity of the many factors influencing victimization rates.

Percentage of offenders not re-offending

To indicate the overall effectiveness of the justice system in deterring and rehabilitating offenders, the Ministry tracks the percentage of adult offenders who do not re-offend for two years following a finding of guilt and sentencing by the courts. However, criminal behaviour is a highly complex phenomenon involving many different individual and socio-economic factors, and changes in rates of re-offending are not directly attributable to the activities of any one component of the criminal justice system. Measures of re-offending are influenced by many different factors and establishing targets for them is fraught with difficulty. More specific targets for this measure have therefore not been established.

Number of traffic fatalities and injuries per 100,000 population

Key measures of road-user safety are the rates of traffic fatalities and injuries in the province per 100,000 people. As well as resulting in loss of life, motor vehicle crashes have a significant impact on society in terms of quality of life, affecting income and productivity, incurring legal and court costs, and placing demands on medical, insurance, police and municipal services.

Familiarity with efforts to address problem gambling

The Ministry is tracking the percentage of British Columbians who are familiar with problem gambling programs and services in the province. Increases in familiarity will indicate the effectiveness of problem and responsible gambling education and awareness initiatives undertaken by the Ministry.

Percentage of inspected/investigated liquor licensees in compliance

The Ministry tracks the percentage of inspected or investigated liquor licensees who are found to be in compliance. Increased voluntary compliance indicates the level at which licensees understand and are willing to co-operate with the liquor regulatory framework. An increase in voluntary compliance in areas such as over-service and avoidance of service to minors may also indicate that liquor misuse is decreasing, leading to increased public safety for British Columbians.

The Ministry has been targeting resources towards public safety contraventions and high-risk (problem) establishments. This has created a greater certainty of enforcement consequences for non-compliant licensees, leading, in the short term, to a higher level of voluntary compliance. Over the longer term, the compliance rate may decrease as the Ministry continues to focus resources on high-risk, chronically non-compliant licensees. The targets for this measure have been adjusted accordingly.