I am pleased to be here today. My name is Renée Collette and I'm the Executive Vice-Chairperson of the National Parole Board. I'm also the current acting Chairperson of the Board. Who are we? My comments will be of a more general nature, as I prefer to let you ask the questions.
The National Parole Board was established in 1959 to act as an independent administrative tribunal. We do not have any surveillance responsibilities. The NPB thus operates at arm's length from government. Its powers are spelled out in the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, as are the powers of my colleague's organization. We are governed by Part II of the act.
The NPB has the authority to decide the opportune moment to conditionally release offenders into the community as well as to revoke the parole of offenders who breach their release conditions. As well, it can order that offenders remain incarcerated until their statutory formal release date, as my colleague eloquently explained, specifically those offenders whom we have reason to believe could commit a serious offence resulting in death or serious injury, or a serious drug-related offence.
The NPB also administers the Criminal Records Act and has the authority to make decisions, to grant and to revoke pardons. Furthermore, the NPB makes recommendations to Cabinet with respect to the royal prerogative of mercy.
Each year, the Board reviews between 22,000 and 24,000 cases. Parole decisions are written down and documented and available on request to the public. Approximately 21,500 parole decisions have been made public over the last five years. Our hearings are open to the public. Those wishing to do so, including members of this committee, may ask to attend a hearing as an observer. I invite you to do that. Over 5,600 people, including victims and members of the media, have attended parole hearings in the past five years.
Who are the board members? We are 45 full-time members appointed for five-year terms and also about 40 part-time members appointed for three-year terms. Board members are appointed for their competency and are thoroughly trained in risk assessment and decision-making before sitting on hearing panels or making file decisions. They are recruited through a process that identifies the most qualified and are appointed by the government. Our members reflect the multi-cultural diversity of Canada, and their backgrounds represent all walks of life—education, social work, medicine, law, police, and business as well as private and public service management.
Our legislation, the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, defines the board's mandate as contributing to the safety and protection of the public by making decisions on the timing and conditions of release that will best facilitate the rehabilitation of offenders and their reintegration into the community. Therein lies the value of parole, contributing to public safety and to the gradual and supervised reintegration of the offender into the community.
Our legislation guides and directs the decision-making process. It directs us on how to conduct hearings, what we have to consider, the timing of these decisions, and when we have jurisdiction and when we do not; it requires us to follow procedural safeguards and respect the duty to act fairly; and it protects board members from civil action if they have done their job as the law and policy require.
Our decisions are subject to appeal to the appeal division of the board and to the Federal Court of Canada.
The CCRA includes two basic principles that are fundamental to the work of the board: the protection of society is to be the paramount consideration in the determination of any case, and we are to make the least restrictive determination consistent with the protection of society.
Who are the individuals affected by our decisions? All federally sentenced offenders serving sentences of two or more years in a federal institutions, and provincially sentenced offenders serving sentences of at least two years in seven of the ten provinces and in the three territories that do not have their own parole board. At present, Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia have their own provincial parole boards. Therefore, most of our work involves federally sentenced offenders.
Who are these offenders? My colleague described them to you, but let me give you a brief profile. The majority of them are repeat offenders. Nine out of ten have already been convicted of an offence in either youth or adult court. Two thirds have already served time in a provincial adult facility and one in four has already served time in a federal institution.
The vast majority of federally sentenced offenders in Canada, or four in five, are serving definite sentences. Their incarceration will therefore come to an end at some point and eventually, and inevitably, they will be released into the community. Offenders serving life or indeterminate sentences are also legally eligible for parole and we are required to apply the same criteria to these cases.
What kind of information do we base our decisions on? We depend heavily on information that comes to us from a variety of sources, including police, crown attorneys, courts, provincial corrections, federal corrections, federal parole officers, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, private agencies, as well as victims of crime.
Our decision-making process is very systematic and disciplined. The risk assessment involves a thorough and comprehensive review of the offender's past, present, and future. The past means the complete history--for example, the nature and severity of the current as well as previous criminal offences; family background; education; employment; peer groups; criminal association; history of drug or alcohol abuse; previous prison terms as well as previous releases on bail, probation, or parole; and impact of the offence on the victim.
The present includes whether the offender has addressed the question of change; a review of institutional behaviour, participation in programs, and the benefits derived; whether the risk of reoffending has been reduced; whether the offender understands the severity of the offence and harm to the victims; and whether the offender recognizes the factors that contributed to his criminal behaviour
Regarding the future, there is an assessment of the offender's release plan, community support, employment prospects, availability of release and prevention programs, supervision controls, and special conditions necessary to manage risk in the community.
What are the outcomes of our decisions? Over a three-year period, nearly three-quarters of those on full parole completed their sentence successfully; 15% are returned for a violation of release conditions; 10% are returned for conviction of a new offence, and out of that, only 1% for a violent offence. Outcomes for day parole are even better.
Under the Criminal Records Act, the NPB receives over 25,000 applications for pardon each year. I have to say that it's going up. Pardons are granted in 98% of cases. Since the Criminal Records Act was introduced in 1970, nearly 350,000 Canadians have been granted pardons. All but 3% of these are still in force, indicating that a vast majority of pardon recipients remain crime-free in their communities.
This was a short summary. I thank you for your attention, and I'm ready for your questions.