ID: ACJ21-A010 13 Oct 2026

by Rosemary Ricciardelli, Don Head, Nathalie Dufresne Meek, Gord Robertson, Jason Godin

Article 10: Creating the Foundation for a Ten-Year Longitudinal Study of Correctional Workers at the Correctional Service of Canada

Advancing Corrections Journal - Edition #21 - Effecting Change in Corrections | Article 10 (ACJ21-A010)

Abstract
The current article is about more than a partnership, the Canadian Correctional Worker Wellness, Organization, Responsibilities, and Knowledge (CCWORK) study remains a collaborative, co-implemented, co-designed, co-mobilized longitudinal study currently in year 9 of 10 for data collection.

Here, we speak to how such a vast, large, and extensive study came to fruition, specifically the alignment between the Union/Labour and Service/Employer as all were and remain concerned for correctional worker mental health. We present the diverse realities that interconnected to enable the mixed and triangulated methods study to start from four equally instrumental perspectives. Our focus is why research aimed at change was initiated, how the research and potential for and implementation of change was managed, and the role of evidence. CCWORK, given the strength of the foundation built, continued throughout a global pandemic, everchanging people in decision making positions (i.e., three commissioners, three union presidents, etc.), bureaucratic processes, and changing policies and practices. The key message being a research partnership requires a strong, invested, and committed foundation for success.

Keywords: Partnership, Foundation, Co-Implementation, Identified Need, Shared Intention

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Authors

Rosemary Ricciardelli

Professor (PhD), Research Chair in Safety, Security, and Wellness, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada

Dr. Rosemary Ricciardelli is Professor (PhD) and Research Chair in Safety, Security, and Wellness, at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Ricciardelli was elected to the Royal Society of Canada and is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. Her research centers on evolving understandings of the needs of public safety professionals and their leaders across sectors (i.e., correctional services, firefighting, intelligence, and policing) to reduce the prevalence and the severity of occupational, socio-cultural, and posttraumatic stress injuries, vulnerabilities, and harm. Her work includes justice-involved people, including people in prison or under community supervision, focusing on their social, mental, and physical health. She studies public health and public safety, including with a gendered lens, her interests lay in the supporting societies through empowerment of the frontlines in public health and safety for positive community impacts always informed by evidence. She leads a 10-longitudinal study, on the health and wellbeing experiences of correctional officers employed by Correctional Services Canada and has participated in correctional officer training with the Service. She works in partnership with all Correctional Services in Canada as well as the Uganda Prison Service, Michigan Department of Corrections, Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs, and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, as well as many other youth justice and health organizations. She co-directs MicroResearch (www.microresearch.ca), particularly focused on expanding the practices to include leaders and public safety sectors. She is listed as in the top 2% of cited scholars by Stanford.

Don Head

Don Head began his career in 1978 as a correctional officer at William Head Institution in Victoria, B.C., and over the course of his career took on a series of increasing responsibility in operational and managerial positions where he worked in four federal penitentiaries, CSC's regional headquarters of Pacific and Ontario, and National Headquarters in Ottawa. In 1995, he joined the Yukon Justice Department as the Superintendent of the Whitehorse Correctional Centre and then as the Director of Yukon Corrections and Probation. He then moved to Saskatchewan as Assistant Deputy Minister for the Department of Corrections and Public Safety. He returned to Corrections in 2002 as Senior Deputy Commissioner, responsible for a number of initiatives including the CSC Transformation Team, established in spring 2008. He also was responsible for the Aboriginal Initiatives Directorate, the Incident Investigation Branch, the Information Management Services Branch, the Performance Assurance Sector and the Management Structures and Deployment Standards initiative. In 2008, he was appointed as the Commissioner of Corrections for the Correctional Service of Canada responsible for 19,000 employees and 23,000 offenders. During his time as Commissioner in established numerous memoranda of understanding with various correctional jurisdictions around the world. He has been a member of the Asia Pacific Conference of Correctional Administrators, the International Corrections and Prisons Association, American Correctional Association, Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, and the North American Association of Wardens and Superintendents. He retired in 2018 and has been assisting as an expert witness on correctional services in various legal and court proceedings and assisting the Aleph Institute to address the needs of foreign nationals imprisoned around the world. Don Head has received numerous awards including the Governor General’s Corrections Exemplary Service Medal and Bar, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, Public Service Award of Excellence for Diversity and Employment Equity, and an Honorary Diploma from St. Lawrence College for leadership.

Nathalie Dufresne Meek

Leadership Coach

Nathalie Dufresne Meek began her career with the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) as a Parole Officer in the early '90s. While completing a Master's degree in Applied Criminology at the University of Ottawa, she spent time teaching at the undergraduate level in the Criminology Department. She then joined the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB) of Ontario where she supported injured workers and employers with accident prevention strategies, abilities management and support for returning to work. In 2006, Nathalie returned to CSC to coordinate the Return to Work Program where she later became Director of the Workplace Wellness & Employee Wellbeing directorate, leading a team of staff dedicated to the improvement of employee wellbeing. She then served as the Director General for different sectors/branches: the Executive Secretariat Sector (where she was Chief of Staff to former CSC Commissioner Don Head), Classification, Resourcing & Operations, Security, and then returned to work as Director General, Labour Relations & Workplace Management, alongside teams of people engaged in developing and supporting healthy work environments, a position she retired from in February 2022. Today, she continues to support current and emerging leaders in her capacity as a Leadership Coach. Nathalie is the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Commissioner’s Commendation Award, the Donald R. Yeomans Executive Award for Values and Ethics, the 2022 Mental Health Medal and a founding member of the Canadian Institute for Public Safety, Research and Treatment.

Gord Robertson

Correctional Officer, Kwìkwèxwelhp Healing Village, Correctional Service of Canada

Gord Robertson has over 30 years working with the Correctional Service of Canada as a Correctional Officer, is currently working at Kwìkwèxwelhp Healing Village in the Pacific Region and will soon be retiring from CSC. Gord spent 15 years on the National Executive of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers (UCCO-SACC-CSN) and one of his passions was looking for solutions to help Correctional Officers to deal with the serious mental health challenges that they face from performing their jobs. He knew of too many good Officers who hid their mental health issues and ended up taking their own lives or having complete breakdowns causing them to leave the workforce. He remains committed to breaking the stigma surrounding mental illness and operational stress injuries to this day.

Jason Godin

Jason Godin began his career in 1992 as provincial Correctional Officer at Quite Detention centre. In 1993 he joined the Correctional service of Canada working at both Kingston Pen & Millhaven institution. He is a founding member of the Union of Canadian Correctional officers and was elected as the Ontario Regional President for 4 consecutive terms. In 2013 he was elected National Vice President of the union & then elected as National President responsible for 7000 federal Correctional officers across Canada. He served on numerous joint national committees with the Correctional of Canada which included health & safety, national training, national security committee, return to work and was engaged in several mental health initiatives. He was a participant on the steering committee for workplace mental health injuries for public safety occupations. He has testified as an expert witness on several parliamentary & senate committees including the Standing committee on public safety & national security, standing committee on Justice & Human rights. He retired from the Correctional Service of Canada in 2020 after serving 28 years as a Correctional officer & labour activist.

Article 10: Creating the Foundation for a Ten-Year Longitudinal Study of Correctional Workers at the Correctional Service of Canada

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