Making a Complaint to the Office of the Correctional Investigator

Are you in the right place?

Who Can Make a Complaint?

  • Federally sentenced individuals (offenders), incarcerated or in the community;
  • An offender on behalf of another offender; and
  • Family and friends on behalf of an offender.

Note: You are required to submit a written release to designate a family member or any other third party to act on your behalf.

 

When can you make a complaint?

We encourage you to try and resolve issues informally or through Correctional Service Canada's (CSC) internal grievance process before contacting our Office. It's always best to resolve complaints at the institutional level.

Reach out to our Office if:

  • There is an emergency (e.g. a serious and urgent matter that could result in immediate harm to you or involves significant legal rights, such as involuntary transfers, inability to access urgent medical care, or placement in restrictive conditions);
  • You feel that you have been treated unfairly;
  • You feel that you have not received a satisfactory response to your complaint using CSC's internal grievance process; or,
  • If you feel that CSC has not complied with the Corrections and Conditional Release Act or other laws, regulations, or policies.

 

What falls outside of our jurisdiction?

  • Complaints pertaining to provincial corrections.
  • Complaints regarding the Parole Board of Canada decisions (does not include matters involving parole officers and CSC case management decisions regarding conditional release).
  • Complaints regarding outside courts and/or judicial decision-making.

 

Do you have the information we require?

In order to process your complaint in an efficient and timely manner, we will require the following pieces of information.

  • Your name (or offender you are contacting on behalf of).
  • FPS Number.
  • Institution or coordinates in the community (telephone number and mailing address).
  • A short description of the problem or emergency.
  • Steps you have taken to resolve the matter at your institution or in the community.

You may choose to make your complaint anonymously, but this could result in delay and other complications.       
 

File your complaint!

Mail:

Office of the Correctional Investigator
P.O. Box 3421, Station "D"
Ottawa ON K1P 6L4

Telephone:
1-877-885-8848 (Toll Free)
Monday-Friday: 8:30 - 16:30 EST

Outside of regular office hours (evenings, weekends, holidays), you can leave a message on our answering machine.

Fax: 613-990-9091

Email: org@oci-bec.gc.ca

In Person:
During scheduled institutional visits by Office of the Correctional Investigator (OCI) staff, feel free to arrange an interview in advance or to approach the investigator during their institutional visit.

 

What do we do with your complaint? 

The Office has full control over decisions to investigate, and how an investigation will be done. Once you make a complaint to our Office, we normally proceed in the following manner:

 

1. Intake and Assessment

Intake staff will receive, assess and prioritize your complaint. At this initial stage, we may:

  • Provide you with information about any law and policy that may apply.
  • Ask you to try other ways to solve your problem.
  • Ask for more information or clarification.
  • Request permission to look at your files.
  • Determine whether your complaint raises concerns that require further action.

 

2. Inquiry Stage

Once your complaint has been reviewed, it is assigned to an investigative staff member for follow-up. Normally, the OCI will begin by making contact with CSC officials to see if there is any way to resolve your complaint quickly.

This inquiry will help the OCI determine whether or not the CSC's actions or decisions were fair, appropriate and in compliance with policy and law. If it is determined that the CSC's actions were appropriate, you will be advised in writing and no further action will be taken.

 

3. Investigation

Where it appears that CSC actions or decisions may have been unfair, inappropriate or not in compliance with policy and law, then we will investigate.

An investigation may require many steps, including, but not limited to:

  • Contacting you directly to discuss your complaint;
  • Requesting access to relevant CSC case records, files and decisions;
  • Interviewing involved staff or witnesses;
  • Conducting a site visit; and/or,
  • Reviewing relevant laws, policies, procedures and guidelines.

Once the OCI has gathered all the relevant information and completed the investigation, you will be advised in writing of the findings and recommendation(s) (if any) that will be shared with CSC.

CSC will then decide whether or not it agrees with the recommendation(s) and the steps they will take to respond to the recommendation(s), or, if CSC does not agree, what they will do instead.

 

What can you expect?

Communication standards

Respectful communication is essential for the OCI to provide timely and effective service. Complainants are expected to treat staff with respect, dignity, and to communicate their concerns honestly and clearly. 

The OCI recognizes that the problems that come with serving a federal sentence can cause a tremendous amount of stress and frustration. OCI staff understand how this can affect a person’s behaviour and interactions. However, the OCI will not tolerate unreasonable behaviour/conduct. Warnings about such behaviours will be given before ending interactions to provide a person with the opportunity to modify their behaviour/conduct. 

Unreasonable behaviour/conduct may affect the OCI’s ability to continue an interaction or meet service standards. In serious situations, communication may need to be paused or ended to ensure a safe working environment. 

• Hours of operation
The OCI’s hours of operation are Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, excluding statutory holidays taking place in the National Capital Region. 

• Telephone
If the OCI cannot answer your call, complainants can leave a voicemail. All incoming calls and voicemails are documented and logged into the Case Management System within one (1) business day. 

• Mail
All incoming mail is documented and logged into the Case Management System within three (3) business days of receipt. 

• Email
All emails to the OCI are acknowledged within three (3) business days of receipt.

• In person 
Complainants can call to schedule an in-person meeting during scheduled institutional visits by OCI staff. The OCI is committed to visiting all federal institutions twice per year. While staff will make every effort to meet with individuals during these visits, it may not be possible to accommodate all interview requests. In such cases, a telephone appointment may be scheduled instead.

Complainants contacting the OCI may choose their preferred method of communication. Unless a complainant has requested otherwise, the OCI will usually reach out to complainants through regular mail. 

The OCI may, for security and confidentiality purposes, determine that it is preferable for the complainant to contact the Office directly to follow up on previously filed complaints. Such decisions will be recorded and shared with the complainant upon request. 

Complaint management standards

In all cases, the OCI’s goal is to resolve complaints informally, in a timely and transparent manner, and at the lowest level possible through negotiation and discussion. As an independent and impartial investigative organization, the OCI does not take sides and will only take steps if it is determined that a complaint has merit. The OCI also ensures that urgent matters are dealt with on a priority basis.
Service standards

• Complaint Intake 
All incoming communications are documented and logged into the Case Management System within 1 to 3 business days, depending on the method of communication. Urgent issues are escalated as soon as possible.

Where the preliminary analysis determines that further investigation would be premature or not required, the OCI aims to achieve early resolution of complaints within 10 business days. 

• Complaint Inquiry
The time required to complete an inquiry often depends on the clarity and completeness of the information provided by the complainant, the amount of information needed to understand the issue, and the timeliness of responses from CSC. 

When an inquiry is completed and the decision is not to investigate, the complainant is notified in writing within 15 business days.

• Complaint Investigation
When an investigation suggests that the complaint may be founded, preliminary findings are shared with CSC to allow them to provide comments before a conclusion is reached.

The OCI generally aims to complete an investigation and provide written findings and recommendations to the complainant within 60 business days, but some investigations may require more time.

Should an investigation require more than 30 business days to complete, the OCI will notify the complainant. 

Confidentiality

All communications between federally sentenced individuals and the OCI are confidential, including those taking place over the phone. Conversations cannot be recorded or monitored by CSC. All written correspondence to and from the OCI must, by law, be delivered unopened. A person or group cannot be disciplined or punished because they have contacted the OCI. 

During the OCI’s work, it may be necessary to disclose information to CSC authorities to establish the merit of a complaint, to investigate or to make findings and recommendations relative to a complaint. Complainants should raise concerns about disclosure or access to their personal information by CSC during their initial contact with the OCI.