He will look into complaints and evaluate correctional practices
The federal government has announced the appointment of David Paradiso, Office of the British Columbia Ombudsman deputy ombudsman, as the permanent correctional investigator of Canada.
Paradiso takes up the mantle on October 13. In this role, he will spearhead the Office of the Correctional Investigator, look into complaints, evaluate correctional practices, and suggest ways to bolster the fair treatment of federally sentenced individuals.
He will take over from Valerie Phillips, who began acting as interim correctional investigator on June 18.
“David Paradiso is an accomplished executive leader with 35 years of experience in public sector oversight, legal analysis and independent investigations. He has advanced fairness, accountability and organizational performance across multiple Canadian jurisdictions and is well-positioned to lead the OCI on a permanent basis,” said Gary Anandasangaree, federal public safety minister, in a statement.
Paradiso worked with the Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario for almost five years. He was an investigator and ombudsman representative.
He logged a six-year tenure as director of investigations at the Office of the Correctional Investigator, where he ran its program on investigations of allegations against penitentiary administrators, Moreover, he was the executive director and senior counsel of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s external review committee; during his five-year stint, he served as interim chair twice and was responsible for assessing employment grievances and RCMP member appeals.
In 2014, Paradiso took up the post of deputy ombudsman at Office of the British Columbia Ombudsman, which he holds until now. He is part of the Law Society of Ontario and was called to the bar in 1991 after receiving his bachelor of laws from Western University in 1990.
“I look forward to working with the correctional investigator and his team to support a correctional system that is safe, humane and focused on rehabilitation and successful reintegration,” Anandasangaree said.
The OCI is the independent ombuds for federally sentenced offenders in the country. The office serves as an impartial supervisor of the Correctional Service of Canada.
