offenders suffering from drug addictions, chronic diseases such as AIDS
and hepatitis C and mental illnesses.

The CCJD’s corrections curriculum reflects these changes. When John
Laverock passed away in 1995, the division was training about 2,400 proba-
tion officers, family court counsellors and correctional officers working in
provincial adult and youth correctional institutions. Under the guidance of
Paul Pershick as Director from 1995 to 2003, the training mandate reflected
the increasing demands and complexity of modern corrections. Serving the
B.C. Corrections Branch, Youth Justice Services and Family Justice Services
Division, the CCJD provides not only a full range of face-to-face courses,
but also more than fifty online offerings. The classroom and distance educa-
tion curriculum was continually refreshed to meet the emerging training
needs of students and industry.

Until 2004, people interested in a career in adult-custody correc-

Correctional offices tions had to take prerequisite courses in order to qualify, but now B.C’s

trained et the HBC eight adult correctional centres recruit suitable individuals and provide an

spaak with an in-mace initial thirty-day classroom and prescribed on-the-job training for them

ai ihe “veser Regional on site and online, with instructors based at the JIBC New Westminster

Coriecticnal Cane: in campus. Then they take over the ensuing seventeen months courses such as

Manta Xidge. conflict resolution, ethics and correctional practice and managing a diverse
population as well as force options and legal opinions—a far cry from the
early days.

Tim Stiles, the Division’s current Director was, among many other
roles in his career, the head of three adult corrections facilities before
assuming his current position in 2003. Today, he says, “We work with the
Corrections Branch of the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General
to design courses to make sure we meet their operational requirements.
It's always been a joint enterprise and a good partnership that ensures that
training keeps up with changing practices as well as changes in the law.
Training is ongoing for correctional officers—their effectiveness depends
on it”

These changes demand that, among other abilities, today’s correc-
tional officers must be more sophisticated and have a wider and deeper set
of skills. They must be familiar with using computers, be good communica-
tors and understand innately how to deal with people. More than before,
there is considerable legal oversight so officers must also understand the
laws that govern their activities. Most important perhaps, the public has
high expectations for corrections—it wants offenders to be rehabilitated for
their crimes and not to re-offend. (As explored in the Social Justice chapter,
the Division's mandate also includes training for probation officers and
family justice counsellors.)

Along with online and classroom training, the CCJD also offers
simulation training. In the Dr. Donald B. Rix Public Safety Simulation

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