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Conditional Release Decisions

Official Title: Performance Monitoring Report 2017-2018, Conditional Release Decisions
From: Parole Board of Canada

This section provides information on the following operational areas of the Board:

  1. temporary absence;
  2. day parole;
  3. full parole;
  4. statutory release;
  5. detention;
  6. long-term supervision;
  7. appeals.

Temporary Absence

Tables 40-44

This section contains information on the temporary absence decisions rendered by the Board.

Temporary absences (TAs) are used for several purposes, such as: medical, compassionate and personal development for rehabilitation. Under the CCRA, the Parole Board of Canada has the authority to authorize unescorted temporary absences (UTAs) for offenders serving a life sentence for murder, an indeterminate sentence, or a determinate sentence for an offence set out in schedule I or II. CSC has authority for all other UTAs. The CCRA also allows the Board to delegate its UTA authority to the Commissioner of CSC or to institutional heads. This has been done for all scheduled offences, except where the schedule I offence resulted in serious harm to the victim, or was a sexual offence involving a child.

Since the adoption of Bill C-483 (An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (escorted temporary absence)) on December 16, 2014, PBC must approve/authorize all ETAs for offenders serving life as a minimum sentence until the first successful ETA after day parole eligibility. CSC retains the authority to grant ETAs for medical reasons, to attend judicial proceedings or coroner’s inquests for these offenders. CSC has a delegated authority for ETAs for other offenders.

  • As a result of Bill C-483, the number of ETA release decisions rendered by the PBC more than tripled in 2015/16 (to 574 from 177 in 2014/15). The number decreased in 2016/17 to 498 (-13%) and further to 471 in 2017/18 (-5%).
  • In 2017/18, the Board rendered 419 UTA release decisions, a decrease of 22% when compared to 2016/17.

Figure 15. Temporary Absence Release Decisions

Temporary Absence Release Decisions
Text equivalent of Figure 15 – Temporary  Absence Release Decisions 
  ETA UTA
2013/14 149 602
2014/15 177 476
2015/16 574 551
2016/17 498 539
2017/18 471 419

Figure 16. Approval/Authorization Rates

Approval/Authorization Rates
Text equivalent of Figure 16 – Approval/Authorization Rates 
  ETA UTA
2013/14 77% 82%
2014/15 80% 76%
2015/16 84% 85%
2016/17 83% 88%
2017/18 89% 83%
  • The ETA approval/authorization rate increased from 83% in 2016/17 to 89% in 2017/18.
  • Over the last five years, the Atlantic region reported the highest ETA approval/authorization rate (95%), while the Prairie region, the lowest (72%).
  • The UTA authorization rate decreased to 83% in 2017/18 from 88% in 2016/17.
  • Over the last five years, the Prairie region reported the highest UTA authorization rate (89%), while the Pacific region, the lowest (56%).
  • The five-year average ETA approval/authorization rate for male offenders was higher than for female offenders (85%; 79%), while the five-year average UTA authorization rate was higher for female offenders (81%; 92%).
  • The five-year average ETA approval/authorization rate for Indigenous offenders was six percentage points lower than the rate for non-Indigenous offenders (80% v. 86%). The five-year average UTA authorization rate was ten percentage points higher for Indigenous offenders than for non Indigenous offenders (89%; 79%).
  • Over the last five years, almost all (99.8%) ETA release decisions rendered by the Board were decisions for offenders serving life sentences with an average ETA approval rate of 84%.
  • UTA decisions for lifers accounted for 71% of all UTA decisions rendered by the Board over the last five years, with an average UTA authorization rate of 83%.

Table 40. Approval/Authorization/Renewal Rates for Temporary Absences (%)

Year Atlantic Quebec Ontario Prairies Pacific Canada
ETA UTA ETA UTA ETA UTA ETA UTA ETA UTA ETA UTA
2013/14 91 59 81 90 78 58 56 90 100 51 77 82
2014/15 77 92 75 72 91 58 76 83 72 57 80 76
2015/16 97 62 97 87 79 65 72 92 90 55 84 85
2016/17 98 95 92 97 85 80 73 92 78 49 83 88
2017/18 100 93 88 91 90 73 80 85 92 68 89 83
5-year average 95 79 89 87 84 67 72 89 86 56 84 83

Note: Includes only cases where the Board made a decision to approve/authorize/renew or to not approve/authorize the absence.

Table 41. Approval/Authorization/Renewal Rates for Temporary Absences by Offence Type (%)

Year Murder Schedule I-Sex Schedule I-
non-sex		 Schedule II Non-Scheduled
ETA UTA ETA UTA ETA UTA ETA UTA ETA UTA
2013/14 78 83 - 67 0 84 - - - 50
2014/15 80 77 - 73 - 73 - - - 0
2015/16 85 83 - 92 60 86 - - - -
2016/17 83 89 100 89 100 85 - - - 100
2017/18 90 83 - 93 67 78 - - 100 83
5-year average 84 83 - 85 68 81 - - - 64

Note: Includes only cases where the Board made a decision to approve/authorize/renew or to not approve/authorize the absence.

Table 42. Approval/Authorization/Renewal Rates for Temporary Absences by Indigenous and Race (%)

Year Indigenous Asian Black White Other
ETA UTA ETA UTA ETA UTA ETA UTA ETA UTA
2013/14 75 89 67 88 67 63 79 79 100 63
2014/15 80 85 50 47 100 79 80 72 67 67
2015/16 80 91 81 75 79 78 87 81 94 75
2016/17 76 90 82 71 85 80 87 88 89 50
2017/18 87 87 88 71 94 74 90 82 100 55
5-year average 80 89 82 72 85 74 86 80 92 59

Note: Includes only cases where the Board made a decision to approve/authorize/renew or to not approve/authorize the absence.

Table 43. Approval/Authorization/Renewal Rates for Temporary Absences by Gender (%)

Year Male Female
ETA UTA ETA UTA
2013/14 76 79 81 94
2014/15 81 74 79 93
2015/16 86 85 67 86
2016/17 83 87 81 96
2017/18 89 82 95 89
5-year average 85 81 79 92

Note: Includes only cases where the Board made a decision to approve/authorize/renew or to not approve/authorize the absence.

Table 44. Approval/Authorization/Renewal Rates for Temporary Absences by Sentence Type (%)

Year Lifer Other Indeterminate Determinate
ETA UTA ETA UTA ETA UTA
2013/14 77 83 - 82 - 79
2014/15 80 77 - 67 - 72
2015/16 84 83 100 100 - 86
2016/17 83 89 100 83 - 89
2017/18 89 83 - 95 - 81
5-year average 84 83 - 86 - 82

Note: Includes only cases where the Board made a decision to approve/authorize/renew or to not approve/authorize the absence.
Definition: Lifers include those offenders sentenced to life as a minimum sentence or life as a maximum sentence. Other indeterminate includes dangerous offenders, dangerous sexual offenders, habitual criminals, and those offenders who are on Lieutenant Governor Warrants.

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