Thanks for the question.
Maybe I should justify that statement up front. One of the things I witnessed at the Parole Board of Canada, being there over and over again, was a very high level of professionalism. I know that some people have publicly criticized the parole board, but these people are trained very well. Those on the review panel have access to tens of thousands, probably even hundreds of thousands, of case precedents. They know what to look for in regard to offenders when they're coming before the parole board in terms of what efforts they've made to rehabilitate, the kinds of ways they've communicated publicly in regard to those they've harmed, and so on. So they have a good idea, going forward, of the kinds of cases they're dealing with.
As for those who go into the parole board meeting, again, they have conflicted emotions as well. They're hoping against hope that the person stays there, depending on the feeling they have—i.e., if he has not taken the steps to rehabilitate, or if they're afraid for their own personal safety when the offender is released.
But they don't really know. They have no idea what the outcome will be at the parole board, or how the offender will testify. It really is like going into a very scary void for the family or the victims when they walk into the room and are presented with this very official procedure.