SOC 3740 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Parole Board Of Canada, Nippon Professional Baseball, Prison Overcrowding
Week 10 – Community Corrections
Parole: True or False?
- Parole reduces the sentence imposed by the courts
o Not inside prison walls, but still not free, serve entire sentence
- Parole is automatically granted when an inmate becomes eligible for parole
o National Parole Board has absolute discretion
o Protection of society is the number one concern
- When making parole decisions the Board does not consider such things as prison overcrowding, quotas,
the political climate, and public outrage about certain high-profile offenders
o They are independent, administrative tribunal
o Supposed to be free from political and bureaucratic external pressure
- Statutory release is the same as parole
o Both forms of conditional release
o Statutory is the legal provision that automatically agrees that most offenders not yet granted
parole will serve their final 1/3 of sentence in the community
o Those not eligible are those serving life sentences and indeterminate sentences, or those who
pose a high risk to society
- Offenders on parole and statutory release are free to live their lives as they please
o Typically several conditions attached to release
- A life sentence in Canada means that offenders only have to serve 25 years before they are released
o First eligibility for parole is set at 25 years, but their eligibility does not guarantee they will have
release, when they are released they will have conditions
o Lifers are not eligible for statutory release, they will be on chance of parole for the rest of their
lives
- Most offenders released on parole in Canada successfully complete their sentences without committing
new offences
o Most do not commit a NEW offence, but there is a revolving-door
o They are back on technical breaches
Parole and Conditional Release
- Established in 1959 under the Parole Act, now governed by the 1992 Corrections and Conditional Release
Act
o However, conditional release mechanisms have a much longer history (e.g., 1899 Ticket of Leave
Act)
- The National Parole Board (NPB) has the authority to grant, deny, or revoke parole; to order the detention
of offenders who would otherwise be released by law after serving 2/3 of their sentence; and to apply
special conditions to statutory releases to ensure parolees do not get themselves in vulnerable situations
- Each year the NPB conducts thousands of reviews
- The NPB has jurisdiction over all offenders serving 2 years to life
o Plus the provinces and territories that do not have independent provincial boards (only QC and
ON have provincial boards)
- Responsibility for parole and conditional release is divided between the NPB and CSC
o The NPB makes release decisions; the CSC supervises offenders on parole/conditional release
- Main tenet: A gradual, controlled, and supervised release is the most effective way of ensuring public
safety
o Reflects a commitment to the rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders
- The parole board will be held responsible if that person goes out and harms somebody
- Research suggests that reintegration into the community is challenging for many offenders
o There are uerous arriers to reitegratio and you need adequate avenues of support set up
o Highlights the need for adequate resources & supports
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