Despite these measures, there were still
problems providing services to youth.

Making the youth system more “grown
up”

During this time, a major criticism of the
British Columbia youth corrections system was
lack of separation of the youth system from the
adult system. In many locations, youth
corrections shared callboards* and uniforms
with the adult system. Many staff worked in
both systems. This was viewed as contributing
to a lack of a youth-focused approach.
Transforming the youth system into one with
more features of the adult system was
controversial ever since the Corrections Branch
began managing youth corrections.

In November 1991, the Minister of Social
Services appointed a community panel to
review child protection issues. In its public
report,’ the panel acknowledged serious
problems affecting young people in youth
custody programs. It specifically mentioned the
lack of separation of the youth system from the
adult system.

The structure and operation of the system was
viewed as unable to provide youth with the
treatment and rehabilitative services intended
by the Young Offenders Act. In a report regarding
peer abuse prepared by the ombudsman in
1994, a broader criticism of the youth justice
system in British Columbia was presented. It
outlined an over-emphasis on security and
control, inadequate treatment programs and
lack of qualified staff as issues affecting the
youth system. It recommended:

» Replacing outdated facilities;
» Increasing staff levels—particularly in camps;

» Enhancing qualifications and training of staff;
and

« Improving institutional programs.

A final issue with the youth correctional system

related to the lack of other ministry

involvement with youth once they were placed

in custody. The community panel (1992) noted

this issue and recommended that:

» Responsibility for all programs and
institutions administered under the Young
Offenders Act must be transferred from the
Ministry of the Attorney General to the
Ministry of Social Services; and that

» All other related ministries must share
responsibility for these youths in the
community before and after release.

Although the ombudsman’s report supported a
more comprehensive approach to dealing with
youth, it stated:

A significant paradigm shift is necessary in
our provincial child and youth caring
institutions. Making this shift was
considered a cross-jurisdictional challenge
because of the overlapping populations and
vital inter-dependence among child welfare,
youth correctional, children’s mental
health, youth forensic and special education
programs.

The Gove Report

In May 1994, Justice Thomas Gove was
appointed to investigate the death of Matthew
Vaudreuil, a client of the B.C. child protection

46 Callboards are used to call auxiliary staff into service.
47 Making Changes: A Place to Start, released in October 1992.

210

Corrections in British Columbia