Pinpointing particular groups continued as part
of the recruitment process for both the
community and institutions. It was deemed
particularly important to recruit aboriginal
candidates due to the disproportionate number
of aboriginal offenders in the correctional
system. Greater success was experienced in
recruiting aboriginal individuals to the
community, compared to institutions.
Recruitment of women to work in prisons also
remained a challenge.

The old model of recruitment, hiring and
in-service training allowed the Branch to make
decisions regarding community postings of new
recruits. In some instances, offices were forced
to operate with vacancies until new employees
completed basic training. Most recruits were
hired on provincial postings and only allowed
to state their preference of work location.

The Branch, however, could place these recruits
anywhere in the province for two years. This
allowed the Branch to fill remote or northern
vacancies. Por some new probation officers,
placements outside of the Lower Mainland
caused complaints—at least until they became
established in their new community.

This provincial pool and Branch placement
resulted in many probation officers applying to
relocate after completion of their two years.
Relocation, including attendance at job
interviews, housing searches and moving
expenses were all accomplished at Branch
expense. The ERP attempted to resolve this
situation by allowing new graduates to apply for
vacancies in any location. Unfortunately,
vacancies in many northern locations went
unfilled. Students received their ERP training in
the Lower Mainland and chose to remain there,
instead of applying for positions elsewhere.

Challenge exams

A challenge exam was developed to
accommodate individuals with experience and
training in corrections or a related field. A
student who achieved a mark of at least 80% on
a Challenge exam could be exempted from all or
part of the program.

Challenge exams wete viewed as maintaining
high standards of training and competency for a
position while providing credit for training and
experience. Eligible candidates for a challenge
exam included individuals who:

a Worked as a security officer/correctional
officer or probation officer for the Branch;

a Were out of service for more than two years;
or

«» Worked as a full-time correctional officer or
probation officer in another jurisdiction.

Specialized training

Changes to offender populations during the
1990s prompted specialized training for
probation officers and correctional officers.
Staff required additional training to deal
effectively with sex offenders, spousal assault
offenders and the mentally disordered.

The most comprehensive training developed
for sex offenders. Although basic training
provided information about this offender
group, it was not adequate to meet standards
for supervision of sex offenders in the
community. In 1990, the Justice Institute
offered the first sex offender management
training course for probation and institutional
staff. This was expanded to a certificate
program in 1993-94,

In response to investigations arising from the
Perrault and Gamache cases, sex offender

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Corrections in British Columbia