I’m about to be sentenced and think I’m going to jail – what do I need to know?

Depending on the length of your sentence you may be destined for either a provincial, territorial, or federal facility. Sentences of two years or more are served in federal facilities, and two years or less are served in provincial facilities – though there are a few exceptions. If your sentence is close to two years, a day will sometimes be added or subtracted to ensure that you go to the type of facility that suits you better. Sometimes a federal facility is better because it has more accessible programming.

When you are first incarcerated you will be placed into an assessment unit. For federal inmates, the largest assessment unit in Ontario is Joyceville. Provincial inmates are usually placed in the institution closest to them. Upon arrival you will have a correctional plan developed and your security level will be established. This process can take a few months. Depending on your correctional plan and your security level you might be transferred to another facility within the region. It is extremely rare to be incarcerated outside of your region or Province (there are 5 federal regions).

It’s very unlikely that you will spend the entire length of your sentence in a facility. If you spent any time in pre-trial custody, you will likely be given enhanced credit for those days (for example, if it was one month, you might have one and a half months credited to your sentence). If you are of good behaviour, you’ll likely be released early, either on parole or statutory release (mandatory after 2/3 of sentence).

If you have additional questions, a great deal of information may be obtained through the Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services at: www.mcscs.jus.gov.on.ca/english/corr_serv/CS_main.html