Investigation and Standards Office

On this page

• Investigation and Standards Office
• What we do
  • Correctional complaints and investigations
  • Review disciplinary hearings
  • Critical incident reviews
  • Inspections
• Reports and resources
• Declaration of Commitment
• Related links
• Contact us

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Investigation and Standards Office

The Investigation and Standards Office (ISO) was established in 1974 in accordance with section 28 of the Correction Act to provide independent oversight to BC Corrections.

The ISO headquarters is based in Victoria and the team is comprised of a director, deputy directors, inspectors and administrative support staff.

The ISO has memorandums of understanding to provide critical incident, complaint, and inspection services to the Court Services Branch, Ministry of Attorney General, and to Youth Justice Services, Ministry of Children and Family Development.

What we do

Correctional complaints and investigations

• Investigate justice-related complaints and inquiries made by people in custody and under community supervision
• Provide oversight for BC Corrections’ complaint process to ensure that concerns are being addressed quickly and fairly 
• Work in collaboration with BC Corrections to investigate and resolve complaints in a timely manner. Complaints are generally either successfully resolved or determined unsubstantiated
• Investigate serious incidents within BC Corrections facilities and make recommendations to address contributing factors

Review disciplinary hearings

• Review disciplinary hearings in accordance with the principles of administrative fairness and natural justice 
• Upon receipt of a request to review a disciplinary hearing decision, under the Correction Act Regulation, the director may suspend a penalty imposed pending the completion of the review 

In accordance with the Correction Act Regulation, the director may:

• Confirm the decision made and penalty imposed
• Confirm the decision made and substitute another penalty
• Rescind the decision made and the penalty imposed
  • Direct a new disciplinary hearing be convened

Critical incident reviews

• Participate and provide oversight in Critical Incident Reviews (CIRs). A CIR is a formal process, initiated by the Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General to investigate incidents that significantly impact a correctional centre, community corrections office, or BC Corrections operations
• The CIR thoroughly examines all relevant information to establish factual findings, identify potential causal factors, and make recommendations to prevent or reduce the likelihood of similar incidents in the future

Critical incident reviews are conducted on serious incidents such as:

• Serious disturbances in correctional centres
• Deaths of individuals in custody
• Serious assaults
• Escapes from correctional centres
• Any other incidents that are deemed to be significant and warranting a review

The ISO retains the authority under the Correction Act to proceed with an independent investigation of a critical incident

Inspections

• Under section 27 of the Correction Act, conduct independent inspections of adult provincial correctional centres in B.C., to ensure compliance with international standards of confinement
• Inspections of provincial adult correctional centres are comprehensive, evidence-based, and focus on the experience of individuals in custody and the conditions at B.C. correctional centres
• The ISO inspection standards assess the treatment, conditions, and experience of individuals in correctional centres. These inspection standards are guided by internationally recognized standards of confinement, primarily the Nelson Mandela Rules. Each standard describes the treatment and conditions a correctional centre is expected to achieve

Reports and resources

Visit the Reports and resources page to access all ISO reports and resources.