Conditional Release and Performance - Temporary Absence

Official Title: Performance Monitoring Report 2018-2019, Conditional Release and Performance - Temporary Absence
From: Parole Board of Canada

According to the CCRA s.102, the Parole Board of Canada may grant parole based on two key considerations: 

  1. the offender will not, by reoffending, present an undue risk to society before the expiration according to law of the sentence the offender is serving; and
  2. the release of the offender will contribute to the protection of society by facilitating the reintegration of the offender into society as a law-abiding citizenFootnote 6 .

The Board’s performance indicators measure whether offenders who have been granted parole successfully complete their supervision periods in the community and do not reoffend, violently or non-violently, before and after warrant expiry.

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; 
  8. post-warrant expiry readmission.

Temporary Absence

Tables 51-55

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 to 498 in 2016-17 (-13%), to 471 in 2017-18 (-5%) and further to 435 in 2018-19 (-8%).
  •  In 2018-19, the Board rendered 486 UTA release decisions, an increase of 16% when compared to 2017-18.

Figure 22. Temporary Absence Release Decisions

Temporary Absence Release Decisions
Text equivalent of Figure 22. Temporary Absence Release Decisions
  ETA UTA
2014/15 177 476
2015/16 574 551
2016/17 498 539
2017/18 471 419
2018/19 435 486

Figure 23. Approval/Authorization Rates

Approval/Authorization Rates
Text equivalent of Figure 23. Approval/Authorization Rates
  ETA UTA
2014/15 80% 76%
2015/16 84% 85%
2016/17 83% 88%
2017/18 89% 83%
2018/19 88% 86%
  • The ETA approval/authorization rate decreased from 89% in 2017-18 to 88% in 2018-19.
  • Over the last five years, the Atlantic region reported the highest ETA approval/authorization rate (94%), while the Prairie region, the lowest (76%).
  • The UTA authorization rate increased to 86% in 2018-19 from 83% in 2017-18.
  • Over the last five years, the Prairie region reported the highest UTA authorization rate (89%), while the Pacific region, the lowest (65%).
  • The five-year average ETA approval/authorization rate for male offenders was higher than for female offenders (86%; 83%), while the five-year average UTA authorization rate was higher for female offenders (83%; 91%).
  • The five-year average ETA approval/authorization rate for Indigenous offenders was five percentage points lower than the rate for non-Indigenous offenders (82% v. 87%). The five-year average UTA authorization rate was nine percentage points higher for Indigenous offenders than for non‑Indigenous offenders (89%; 80%).
  • 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 approval rate of 86%.
  • UTA decisions for lifers accounted for 70% of all UTA decisions rendered by the Board over the last five years, with an average authorization rate of 84%.
Table 51. 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
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 87 91 90 73 80 85 92 68 89 83
2018-19 85 90 87 90 91 80 86 89 88 76 88 86
5-Yr. Avg. 94 85 90 87 86 71 76 89 86 65 86 84

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

Table 52. Approval/Authorization/Renewal Rates for Temporary Absences by Offence Type (%)
Year Sexual Violent Non-Violent
ETA UTA ETA UTA ETA UTA
2014-15 - 73 80 76 - 0
2015-16 - 92 84 84 - -
2016-17 100 89 83 88 - 100
2017-18 - 93 89 81 100 83
2018-19 - 77 88 86 - 96
5-Yr. Avg. - 87 86 83 - 86

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

Table 53. Approval/Authorization/Renewal Rates for Temporary Absences by Indigenous and Non-Indigenous (%)
Year Indigenous Non-Indigenous
ETA UTA ETA UTA
2014-15 80 85 80 71
2015-16 80 90 87 81
2016-17 76 90 86 86
2017-18 87 87 90 78
2018-19 89 90 88 82
5-Yr. Avg. 82 89 87 80

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

Table 54. Approval/Authorization/Renewal Rates for Temporary Absences by Gender (%)
Year Male Female
ETA UTA ETA UTA
2014-15 81 74 79 93
2015-16 86 85 67 86
2016-17 83 87 81 96
2017-18 89 82 95 89
2018-19 87 86 94 82
5-Yr. Avg. 86 83 83 91

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

Table 55. Approval/Authorization/Renewal Rates for Temporary Absences by Sentence Type (%)
Year Lifer Other Indeterminate Determinate
ETA UTA ETA UTA ETA UTA
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
2018-19 88 88 100 88 - 81
5-Yr. Avg. 86 84 - 87 - 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.Day Parole

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