I think it is important to say something about the concerns of the victims we meet with and the organizations that work with them.
After offenders are sentenced and serve time, their release must be gradual, they must be monitored in the community and they must be supervised. That is the best guarantee for the safety of victims and society in general. The major concern is that offenders are released without supervision. That is the risk with the proposed amendment.
I would also like to add that this amendment does not come from victims' rights groups. I also read carefully what the ombudsman said last week. This is a major change and the amendment is not proposed by the groups.
What victims want is for individuals released from prison to show they followed programs that led to a result. We want them to follow their plans under the charge of supervising officer. If the released individual breaches the conditions, there will be consequences. The release could be gradual. However, this amendment to the schedule pertaining to all the violent crimes does not provide this guarantee.
Offenders can also be significantly affected. This amendment may have an impact on their motivation to change. There can be a financial impact on the system. I am not sure whether the costs have been assessed. In short, we are very concerned about this amendment that has not been requested by organizations. On the contrary, victims want the offenders to be supervised, released gradually and monitored, meaning that a watchdog follows them when they are outside on parole.
I think that is something we often hear and it is important. The safety of victims is important when someone is sentenced, especially for violent crimes.