Parole: Contributing to Public Safety (Continued)

8. The Decision Process

Q.  How do parole boards decide if an offender should be granted parole?

A.  The protection of society is the paramount consideration in any decision of release.

The Board will grant parole only if in their opinion:

• the offender will not present an undue risk to society before the end of the sentence; and
• the release of the offender will contribute to the protection of society by facilitating his/her return to the community as a law-abiding citizen.

Most parole decisions of the National Parole Board are made after a hearing with an offender that is usually held in the institution where the offender is incarcerated. However, some decisions are made on the basis of a parole case file review.

The National Parole Board continues to review its policies and to support research designed to assist Board members in making quality conditional release decisions.

 

Q.  What are the policies that guide National Parole Board members in making decisions about parole?

A.  National Parole Board policies require that Board Members systematically review the risk that an offender might present to society if released.

Initial risk assessment:

First, Board Members review all available and relevant information about the offender to make an initial assessment of risk. This will include:

• the offence;
• criminal history;
• social problems, such as alcohol or drug use and family violence;
• mental status, especially if it affects the likelihood of future crime;
• performance on earlier releases, if any;
• information about the offender's relationships and employment;
• psychological or psychiatric reports, in some cases;
• opinions from professionals and others such as police, judges, aboriginal elders, and other information that indicates whether release would present an undue risk to society; and,
• information from victims.

Board Members also consider the statistical probability of an offender to re-offend. They look at how often new offences are committed by a group of offenders with characteristics and histories similar to those of the person under review.

Specific factors:

After this initial assessment, the Board looks at such specific factors as:

• institutional behaviour;
• information from the offender that indicates evidence of change and insight into criminal behaviour and management of risk factors;
• benefit derived from programs that the offender may have taken, such as substance abuse counseling, sex offender treatment programs, life skills, native spiritual guidance and elder counseling, literacy training, employment, social and cultural programs, and programs that help offenders deal with family violence issues;
• appropriate treatment for any disorder diagnosed by a professional; and
• the offender's release plan.

After considering all of this information and usually after holding a hearing with the offender, Board Members make a decision whether to grant parole. If release is granted, the Board may add conditions to those already required by law, based on the principle of the least restrictive option that is consistent with the protection of the public. To impose a special condition, such as a requirement not to drink alcohol, the condition must be considered reasonable and necessary to manage risk and be related to the offender's criminal behaviour.

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