Reports and Publications

Parole and Public Safety:
A Public Forum

Preface

(Final Report)

The lack of public awareness of the parole system is a good reason for the Board to continue with its citizen engagement strategy, which was launched during 2000/01. In 2000-01 the National Parole Board, in cooperation with the Canadian Criminal Justice Association, conducted a series of citizens' forums in 12 major cities across Canada.

They were conducted to give the public an opportunity to participate in a dialogue about parole and conditional release, to express their views, share their concerns, clarify their understanding and offer suggestions for possible improvement.

Forums were held in Victoria, Vancouver, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Toronto, Hull, Montreal, Moncton and Halifax. Nearly 500 people participated in these forums which were aimed at promoting dialogue, participation and exchange. Rather than relying on a presentation and lecture format, a case study was used to engage participants in the parole decision-making process. There were a number of common themes that emerged from the various forums:

• There was a great deal of interest in the recruitment, selection and appointment of Board members. For most participants this was their first opportunity to meet Board members face to face, to ask questions about their education, their background, their experiences and their training. Some expressed an interest in applying to become Board members.
• The risk assessment process was seen as useful and basic to a clear understanding of how parole decisions are made. It addressed questions and concerns from participants about Board members being manipulated or deceived by offenders.
• There was much discussion on the requirements of the law concerning conditional release eligibility dates and that the Board is required to consider all applications when offenders become eligible.
• Case management, including the quality and intensity of supervision, the availability of programs in the community, as well as the types of controls and tools available to support relapse prevention, was the focus of much interest and attention by participants.
• Most participants expressed a deal of concern about how victims are treated in Canadian criminal justice and expressed strong views that the process should become much more inclusive. Participants were very interested in knowing to what extent the views of victims were considered in parole decision-making.
• There were many issues raised that were beyond the scope of the National Parole Board and involved the respective roles of law enforcement, the crown attorney, the judiciary, provincial and federal correctional jurisdictions. One forum concluded that negative perceptions of the Parole Board may stem from the role it has at the end of the justice continuum after many other interventions and decisions have already been made.
• There was much discussion and support for the need of increased public information about parole and corrections. Many acknowledged that their views on parole had been shaped mostly by media coverage of high-profile incidents and expressed appreciation for an opportunity to meet face-to-face with Board members and staff.

The forums gave Board members and staff an opportunity to address many widely held misconceptions about parole and conditional release that culminated in the publication of a booklet entitled: "Parole Decision Making: Myths and Realities". As public understanding of, and support for, the work of the Board are key elements in the safe reintegration of offenders in the community, the Board has expanded the citizen's forum model to include 31 sessions in communities across the country in 2000/01.