Additional information – Bill C-83 and the Cost of Structured Intervention Units

On November 24, 2021, the PBO published a report on Bill C-83 and the cost of implementing structured intervention units in federal correctional institutions.

Following the report’s publication, the PBO was asked for additional information regarding: the amount spent and allocated for full body scanners, a break down of where health funding has been spent, and the per-inmate cost of operating structured intervention units in a women’s institution compared to a men’s correctional institution.

This blog post contains the additional requested information using data provided by Correctional Services Canada (CSC).

CSC has not yet spent funds on body scanners. CSC expects to spend approximately $250,000 per scanner, one for the Bath Institution and one for the Edmonton Institution for Women, by the end of the 2021-22 fiscal year.

Health spending for 2019-20 and 2020-21 can be broken into four spending categories:

($ millions)	2019-20	2020-21
Enhanced Primary Care and Intake	3.22	9.06
Professional Practice Leads	0.53	0.32
Regional Treatment Centres	1.86	2.40
Enhanced Psychiatric Services	0.94	1.49
Grand Total	6.56	13.27

The per inmate cost of operating structured intervention units in 2020-21 was $154,800 and $291,600 for men’s and women’s correctional institutions, respectively. These calculations exclude monthly spending in institutions with an average monthly inmate population of zero when rounded to the nearest whole number. The PBO did not estimate the daily per inmate cost as the number of inmates in an SIU is not a cost driver on a daily basis.