Job Specification

Purpose of Position :

To perform clerical work in the compilation, maintenance and processing of offender records and offender trust accounts at the Ottawa Carleton Detention Center.

Duties / Responsibilities :

1) Checking offender records to verify the legality of admittance documents, e.g. proper signatures, proper forms for committal/remand warrants; calculating and/or verifying sentences, fines, release dates, CPIC checks, victim notification, in accordance with court records, and ministry directives, policies, procedures and practices.

2) Performing a variety of keyboarding functions such as updating, inputting and retrieving offender data regarding remand dates, bail, temporary absences, transfer, misconducts and special concerns; checking for special holds, e.g. outstanding warrants, parole dates, discharge dates, on computerized offender tracking system.

3) Opening new files on admission and maintaining up-to-date offender files/records/ledgers/logs including photocopying; ensuring offender documents are completed upon notification of court appearance, transfer or discharge of offender; preparing release and notification documentation on high risk offenders; preparing a variety of statistical reports, e.g. temporary absence, provincial fines, logs. Receiving and verifying money for new admits.

4) Opening and maintaining computerized trust account Canteen Allowance Processing System (CAPS) for offenders by recording transactions from various sources, e.g., money received from visitors/mail; account withdrawals for purchases such as canteen, glasses, transportation,legal aid, family support; providing information on Offender Trust Account policies and procedures to offenders, institutional staff, and offender families; ensuring that CAPS is purged on a regular basis. Balancing Offender Trust cash and cheques using the trust reports; locating and correcting errors; following up discrepancies with offenders and institutional staff, Operational Manager, canteen supplier, other clerical staff.

5) Providing authorized information to institution staff, justice officials, law enforcement agencies, offenders and the general public such as court dates, verification of incarceration, committal warrants, offender programs, ministry procedures, transfer dates, condition of parole; liaising with court/ministry officials to clarify discrepancies, e.g. sentence documents, sentence/fine calculations.

6) Receiving and processing canteen order from outside supplier on a weekly basis by ensuring sufficient funds in accounts, posting disbursements, balancing, processing adjustments and arranging payment to suppliers; preparing and following up on unclaimed funds.

7) Providing backup in the absence of the Senior Records Clerk.

Managers have the right to assign additional duties.

The incumbent shall work in compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its regulations and any workplace practices as directed by the employer. The incumbent shall ensure that workers take precautions to protect the health and safety of themselves and others by complying with such acts, codes, policies, procedures or accepted workplace practices as may be appropriate. The incumbent shall advise workers of actual and potential dangers in the workplace and the required precautions.

Staffing and Licensing :

N/A

Knowledge :

Job requires knowledge of ministry offender records directives, policies and procedures, and with relevant sections of related legislation, e.g. Criminal Code, Young Offenders Act, Ministry of Correctional Services Act, to calculate and verify sentences/fines by checking admitting documents to ensure offender records are consistent with court sentences and legislation.

Job requires knowledge of ministry programs, e.g. Temporary Absence Program, earned remission and relevant procedures of criminal justice system e.g. bail procedures, immigration holds, court procedures, to respond to routine inquiries from offenders and family members ensuring confidentiality and Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act requirements are followed.

Job requires knowledge of OTIS and CAPS to input/extract data, ensuring offender information is correct and up to date; ensuring all offender sentences are entered into the system in accordance with procedures and legislation.

Job requires knowledge software packages to type letters pertaining to offender records, e.g. offender transfer letters, ad hoc reports, and maintain statistics.

Job requires knowledge of office procedures and policies to file offender records.

Job requires knowledge of arithmetic for sentence and fine calculations.

Skills :

Job requires analytical and reasoning skills to ensure accuracy of offender admission and discharge documents, e.g. proper signatures/forms, and to identify errors by calculating and/or verifying offender sentences/fine calculations including accessing OTIS and liaising with court/ministry staff to verify information.

Job requires analytical and problem-solving skills to identify and resolve discrepancies relating to offender records by liaising with court/ministry staff, referring to procedures, guidelines or supervisor.

Job requires determining the extent of information to be provided in response to inquiries regarding offender status and records by confirming information requested and verifying identity of caller.

Job requires oral communication skills to explain sentence calculations, e.g. consecutive versus concurrent sentences to offenders, order of sentences to be served, reduction of sentences for fines paid, and to provide authorized information to offenders, court officials and the public, e.g. discharge dates, court dates, fines/bail, and to exchange information with ministry staff, law enforcement agencies and other judicial personnel, e.g. confirming sentence dates, clarification of offender status.

Job requires written communication skills to prepare standard letters to offenders in response to questions of sentence calculation or offender file transfers.

Job requires interpersonal skills to interact tactfully and diplomatically with offenders/staff/public officials via telephone or in person, e.g. explain sentence calculation to offenders and their lawyers, clarify discrepancies, reviewing calculations to explain how calculated.

Freedom of Action :

Job requires working in accordance with ministry offender record procedures, guidelines, related legislation and court documents, including formula for sentence and fine calculations.

Work is subject to monitoring and review by supervisor to verify adherence to ministry procedural manuals/guidelines pertaining to offender management record/system and accuracy of computation of sentence and fines.

Job requires investigating matters, e.g. offender complaints regarding trust account balance, discharge/court dates.

Job requires referring to supervisor situations not covered by procedures/guidelines, e.g. court date, sentence calculation error, incorrect information pertaining to criminal history/charges.