NCJ Number
130635
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 53 Issue: 4 Dated: (July 1991) Pages: 182-184
Date Published
1991
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Following a 1988 murder in Toronto, Canada, by an inmate on conditional release from a Federal penitentiary, the Toronto 27 Group was founded to implement one of the coroner's office recommendations (recommendation no. 27).
Abstract
The Toronto 27 Group consisted of representatives from various branches of the criminal justice system, private agencies that serve offenders, and members of the general public. Group meetings are open to the general public. The coroner's recommendation that the group is implementing involves education of the public about criminal justice policy and practice, particularly regarding community-based corrections, and improved measures for ensuring that community corrections programs do not endanger the public. Although the Toronto 27 Group consists of members whose interests might have led to the trading of accusations as to who was at fault in the security breach that led to the murder, the members succeeded in working together in an effort to advance the cause of community corrections while improving its effectiveness. The group has undertaken various means to foster dialogue with the public on the purpose and effectiveness of community corrections, notably participation in the National Forum on Offender Rehabilitation, participation in Crime Prevention Week, media contacts, public-speaking opportunities, and the publication of educational resources. In an effort to improve community-corrections services, the group conducted a survey of existing community services for offenders. This information is being used to close some of the identified gaps in community-corrections security and services.