Thank you.
—and to make recommendations for the exercise of clemency through the royal prerogative of mercy.
The PBC consists of both GIC-appointed board members as well as public service employees who support them in their decision-making role. The PBC is a community board. We are, by law, to reflect the diversity of Canadian society. Our board members have diverse backgrounds spanning the fields of criminology, law, corrections, education, psychology, social work and the private sector, to name but a few.
Our conditional release program represents the majority of our work. In 2019-20, the Parole Board conducted 15,174 conditional release reviews. On a weekly basis, the PBC conducts an average of 281 federal reviews and renders a total of 407 federal decisions. These include reviews and decisions for temporary absences, day and full parole, post-suspension, detention and the varying of conditions for release.
In making conditional release decisions, the law requires the Parole Board to take into consideration all relevant available information related to an offender's case. Board members must consider and weigh information such as court and sentencing information, the nature and gravity of the offence and information obtained from victims, the offender and other components of the criminal justice system, including assessments provided by correctional authorities.
No single factor in a conditional release review is ever determinative in the PBC's decision-making. Public safety is the paramount consideration in all decisions and must be balanced against a rigorous risk assessment of the offender's ability to safely reintegrate into the community.
The board does not prepare offenders for release, nor does it manage or supervise offenders on release. That is the responsibility of the Correctional Service of Canada. The Parole Board's conditional release outcomes reflect the high quality of its decisions. Last year, 99% of day parole supervision periods and 98% of full parole supervision periods were not revoked for reoffending, and these numbers have remained consistent over the past 10 years.
I will turn my attention now to the Parole Board's operations and the measures we've taken during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the outset of COVID-19, the PBC has taken measures to protect the health and safety of the public, the offenders, its board members and staff while continuing to deliver its important public safety mandate. In doing so, we have been informed and guided throughout by the advice and recommendations of public health officials.
During this unprecedented period, the PBC has streamlined its operation to focus on core functions in the areas of conditional release decisions, operations and appeals, pardons and record suspensions, board member appointments and essential internal services. These core functions are primarily being delivered by board members and staff working remotely and by a small number of board members, executives, managers and critical staff working in PBC offices while practising social distancing.
Parole hearings are being conducted remotely via video conference or teleconference, as applicable, outside of correctional institutions. The PBC has also worked to streamline its processes and has modified some of its policies to provide additional flexibility to CSC and community—