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A halfway house is sort of like a transition from prison to the community.
It is a community based residential facility for offenders, where they can serve a portion of their sentence in the community.
Halfway houses continue the correctional services of an institution (there is 24-hour supervision, counselling services and treatment programs), however the inmate can also gain employment (or go to school) and are usually closer to their families.
There are two types of halfway houses for Federal offenders:
- Community Residential Facilities (CRFs): Thee are halfway houses run by nongovernmental private facilities and usually accept mostly non-violent offenders. There are approximately 175 CRF facilities throughout Canada. Click here for a list of CRFs.
- Community Correctional Centres (CCCs): Are government run facilities run by CSC and will accept both non-violent and violent offenders. There are approximately 17 CCCs throughout Canada. Click here for a list of CCCs.
Halfway House Availability
When an inmate is given Day Parole (or a Unescorted Temporary Absence, UTA) they will be sent to a halfway house. The inmate must apply to halfway houses of their choice and wait to be approved.
Representatives of the halfway house will visit the institutions periodically and may meet with the inmate to interview them/check up on them.
Once approved, when they receive their Day Parole they will be released into the custody of the halfway house (sometimes they will have to wait for a bed to become available which could take weeks or months).