Factors That Influence Parole Decisions in Canada

The first thing to know about parole is that the Parole Board of Canada (PBC) has complete control over who receives or does not receive parole. The second thing worth knowing about the PBC is that is it an independent entity operating outside the influence of the prisons and the government. That means that the PBC does not consider issues like overcrowding in prisons when making decisions.

The Decision-Making Process

The decision-making process relies on two principles: the protection of society is first, and deciding what is necessary and proportionate regarding the sentence and for the conditional release is second.

Main Considerations

The mains considerations undertaken by the board are whether or the releasing the offender will pose an undue risk to society or rather will releasing the offender be good for society because the offender will be able to return to life in the community as a law-abiding citizen.

Risk Assessment

In order to reach a conclusion about parole, the PBC conducts a thorough risk assessment using scientific and actuarial tools and considers the following things about each offender:

Social and criminal history

Background factors that may have contributed to criminal behaviour

Type of offence

Progress made by the offender in prison programs

Victim statements

The offenders supports in the community and plans for after release.

The PBC takes its job very seriously, and considers each offender’s case individually. More information can be found on the Government of Canada Website, noted below.

Sources:

https://www.canada.ca/en/parole-board/services/parole/parole-decision-making.html

Michael Bloom is a very experienced criminal defence lawyer, who started his career as a Crown Prosecutor.

If you have any questions about this article or would like to schedule a free consultation with Mr. Bloom, please call his office at (604) 603-5513 or Toll-Free at (877) 603-5513.