An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (maximum security offenders)

This bill changes how Correctional Service Canada classifies and houses certain high-risk inmates. Currently, security classification (maximum, medium, or minimum) is determined through a general assessment process set out in regulations. Under this bill, any inmate who has been legally declared a "dangerous offender" under the Criminal Code, or who has been convicted of more than one first-degree murder, must automatically be given a maximum security classification, without the usual case-by-case discretion applying to that decision.

The bill also requires that these specific inmates actually be held in a maximum security penitentiary, or in a maximum security section of a penitentiary, rather than being transferred to a lower-security facility. It adjusts the rules on inmate transfers so that this maximum-security requirement cannot be overridden by a transfer decision. Finally, it confirms that inmates classified as maximum security under this new rule are not eligible for unescorted temporary absences from prison, the same restriction that already applies to other maximum-security offenders.

In short, the bill removes discretion in these specific cases: dangerous offenders and multiple first-degree murderers will be locked into maximum security classification and facilities, and will not be eligible for unescorted temporary leave.

This bill amends the Corrections and Conditional Release Act to mandate that the Correctional Service automatically assign a maximum security classification to any inmate found to be a dangerous offender or convicted of more than one first-degree murder, removing discretion the Service previously had in those cases.

• Mandatory classification — the Correctional Service "shall" (not "may") assign maximum security to inmates meeting these criteria, under new subsection 30(1.1), overriding the general classification process in subsection 30(1).
• Confinement requirement — inmates so classified must be confined in a penitentiary or area designated "maximum security," per new subsection 28(2).
• Restriction on transfers — the Commissioner's existing power to authorize transfers under section 29 is made "subject to" subsection 30(1.1), meaning transfer authority cannot override the mandatory maximum classification for these offenders.
• Loss of eligibility — offenders classified as maximum security under this new rule become ineligible for unescorted temporary absences, per amended subsection 115(3).
• No discretion or exception process stated — the bill does not include any provision for case-by-case review, appeal, or exception to the mandatory classification once the criteria (dangerous offender finding or multiple first-degree murder convictions) are met.
• No new body or reporting mechanism created — the bill amends existing classification and confinement rules but does not establish any new office, review board, or reporting requirement to Parliament.