Research at a glance

March 2009 | Number R193
PDF

Waivers, Postponements and Withdrawals: Offenders, Parole Officers and National Parole Board Perspectives

KEY WORDS: parole review, waivers, postponements, withdrawals,

Why we did this study

Trends in delays and cancellations of parole reviews are of concern to both the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) and the National Parole Board (NPB).

Examining factors that may be contributing to delays and cancellations of parole reviews is important for several reasons, including: (1) promoting and working toward a safe, gradual return of offenders to the community; (2) reducing time and resource costs associated with these decisions for CSC in terms of population management and for NPB in terms of parole hearings; (3) ensuring that periods of incarceration are not longer than necessary from a risk management perspective; and (4) to recognize that in instances where offenders are released without appearing before the Board, victims are not given the opportunity to attend the hearing and to provide a victim impact statement.

What we did

This collaborative research between CSC and NPB includes a profile and qualitative study. The profile study examined the characteristics of offenders who waived, postponed or withdrew a parole review application. The qualitative study examined reasons for delays and cancellations as reported by offenders, parole officers, and NPB staff and Board members.

What we found

A small group of offenders accounts for almost one-quarter of the delays and cancellations for the entire nation.

Most offenders who waived, postponed or withdrew an application for parole review were: Male, and more likely to be Aboriginal offenders, those with higher risk and need ratings, and serving longer sentences for more serious and multiple offences.

Most offenders attributed the reason for delays and cancellations to incomplete correctional programming, a perceived lack of support for a conditional release, and recent incidents that reflected poorly on their behaviour.

Although Parole Officers and NPB staff and Board members generally thought delays and cancellations were being used appropriately and for legitimate reasons, last minute decisions (within 21 days of the scheduled hearing date) were reported to have considerable time and resource implications, particularly for the NPB.

Program completion/waitlists, insufficient staffing and increasing offender caseloads, intake assessment and case management, the information-sharing process, and offenders waiting to be released at their statutory release date, were all factors perceived by CSC and NPB staff as contributing to delays and cancellations.

What it means

Circumstances under which offenders choose not to appear before the Board are varied and often multi-faceted. This research underscored that delays and cancellations are a shared concern for CSC and NPB and efforts to address issues contributing to these decisions will have a greater impact if they are undertaken jointly.

For more information

Cabana, T., Beauchamp, T., Emeno, K., & Bottos, S. (2009).  Waivers, postponements, and withdrawals: Offenders, parole officers and National Parole Board perspectives.  Ottawa:  Correctional Service Canada.

To obtain a PDF version of the full report, contact the following address: research@csc-scc.gc.ca

Prepared by: Tammy Cabana

Contact:  Research Branch

(613) 996-3287
research@csc-scc.gc.ca