Parole: Contributing to Public Safety (Continued)

1. Introduction

This document explains how conditional release, in general, and the National Parole Board, in particular, contribute to public safety through quality decision making on the various forms of release during an offender's sentence. It provides information on topics related to the subject of parole and other forms of conditional release.

We hope that this document will assist you in gaining a greater understanding of the conditional release system and its role in contributing to public safety through the safe reintegration of offenders into the community.

2. Preface

Responsibility for federal corrections in Canada is shared between two agencies within the Department of Public Safety Canada – the National Parole Board (NPB or the Board) and the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC). Both agencies operate under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA).

Correctional Service of Canada (CSC)

CSC is responsible for managing penitentiaries which house offenders serving sentences of two years or more. CSC is also responsible for assessing and managing risk, delivering offender programs, and making recommendations to the NPB regarding release decisions. CSC also supervises offenders in the community who have been granted conditional release, as well as offenders with long term supervision orders, and those on statutory release.

National Parole Board (NPB)

The NPB is an independent administrative tribunal that has exclusive authority under the CCRA to grant, deny or revoke parole or, under certain circumstances, to order the detention of offenders subject to statutory release. The Board can also impose special (or additional) conditions on offenders under conditional or statutory release or long term supervision orders.

The NPB has authority to make conditional release decisions for offenders in federal and territorial prisons. The Board also makes parole decisions for offenders serving sentences of less than two years in provinces that do not have their own parole boards (only the provinces of Quebec and Ontario have their own parole boards).

In deciding on any conditional release, the Board makes a thorough assessment of all relevant aspects of the case to determine whether or not release of the offender will constitute an undue risk to public safety and whether release of the offender will contribute to the protection of society by facilitating their reintegration into society as a law-abiding citizen.

Other NPB responsibilities include making decisions on whether to issue, grant, deny or revoke a pardon under the Criminal Records Act (CRA) and making clemency recommendations to the Government of Canada.

3. Mission Statement of the National Parole Board

The National Parole Board, as part of the criminal justice system, makes independent, quality conditional release and pardon decisions and clemency recommendations. The Board contributes to the protection of society by facilitating as appropriate, the timely reintegration of offenders as law-abiding citizens.

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