NCJ Number
191630
Journal
Justice Report Volume: 16 Issue: 2 Dated: 2001 Pages: 12-16
Editor(s)
Gaston St-Jean
Date Published
2001
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the issues and events that the Canadian National Parole Board faced during the 1980's.
Abstract
A public opinion survey in the mid-1980's found that nearly 60 percent of respondents thought the Parole Board was too lenient. Canadians tended to vastly overestimate the amount of violent crime in society. In 1981, violent offenses represented only 5.7 percent of the total number of crimes reported to police. The most prevalent misconception about parole was that it was the end of the sentence. Government and parole officials were unable to convey the notion that parole does not, in any sense, mean unconditional freedom. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms became law in 1982, and the difficulties involved in making parole decisions greatly increased as the rights of the inmate were defined and expanded. In the late 1980's, the Board was the focus of public anger over the release of inmates who went on to commit heinous crimes. In 1987, the Canadian Sentencing Commission recommended that parole be abolished. The Law Reform Commission called for disbanding the National Parole Board in favor of a "sentence supervision board."