NCJ Number
106119
Date Published
1986
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This document explains criteria and procedures used by Canada's National Parole Board in implementing 1986 amendments to the Parole Act and the Penitentiary Act, which pertain to the board's handling of potentially high-risk offenders.
Abstract
Amendments adopted July 24, 1986, authorize the National Parole Board to retain in custody until sentence expiration or to place under strict community residential conditions those inmates considered likely to commit an offense causing death or serious harm before the end of their sentence. Inmates who have committed a serious offense but are not judged by the board to pose a high risk for committing a similar offense prior to the end of their sentence are released on mandatory supervision. They will not be entitled to earn remission of sentence again if the first release is revoked. In determining an inmate's high-risk potential, the board will consider a persistent pattern of violent behavior, psychological evidence of a likelihood the inmate will commit a serious offense prior to sentence termination, reliable information that the inmate is planning to commit a serious offense prior to sentence termination, and the availability of supervision programs which adequately protect the public. These measures are balanced by the use of existing statutory authority to accelerate the release of low-risk inmates into community programs with strengthened supervision and assistance.