Conditional Release and Performance – Statutory Release

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

Statutory Release

All federal offenders serving determinate sentences are entitled to statutory release after serving two-thirds of their sentences, unless it is determined that they are likely to commit an offence causing death or serious harm to another person, a sexual offence involving a child or a serious drug offence before the expiration of their sentence. Offenders with indeterminate or life sentences are not entitled to statutory release. If an offender is not ordered detained by the PBC, the PBC has no authority to make a decision to not allow an offender to be released on statutory release. In these cases, the PBC’s authority is limited to imposing special conditions as well as making post-release decisions.

Figure 31. Proportion of Federal Releases on Statutory Release Compared to the Incarcerated Population Entitled to Statutory Release

Proportion of Federal Releases on Statutory Release Compared to the Incarcerated Population Entitled to Statutory Release
Text equivalent of Figure 31. Proportion of Federal Releases on Statutory Release Compared to the Incarcerated Population Entitled to Statutory Release
  Incarcerated population Releases on statutory release
2018/19 9,740 4,133 or 42%
2017/18 9,924 4,375 or 44%
2016/17 10,565 4,864 or 46% 
2015/16 10,800 5,270 or 49%
2014/15 11,306 5,368 or 47%
  • The proportion of releases of offenders on statutory release compared to the number of incarcerated offenders entitled to statutory release decreased to 42% in 2018-19 compared to the previous year. This reflects a general pattern in the last five years where increasingly more offenders were released on discretionary release, while fewer offenders were released on statutory release in each of the last five years.
  • The Prairie region reported the highest proportion (52%) of federal releases on statutory release compared to the number of incarcerated offenders entitled to statutory release in 2018-19, while the Ontario region reported the lowest proportion (34%).
  • Decreases in the proportions of releases on statutory release compared to the number of incarcerated offenders entitled to statutory release were reported for all offender groups. The proportion decreased for offenders serving sentences for sexual offences (from 31% in 2017-18 to 30% in 2018-19), for offenders serving sentences for violent offences (from 47% in 2017-18 to 45% in 2018-19), and for offenders serving sentences for non-violent offences (from 45% in 2017-18 to 43% in 2018-19).
  • The proportion was higher for Indigenous offenders (52%) than for non-Indigenous offenders (39%) in 2018-19.
  • Female offenders reported a higher proportion of federal releases on statutory release compared to their incarcerated population entitled to statutory release in 2018-19 (43%) than male offenders (42%).
  • The number of residency conditions imposed on statutory release increased 3% (from 1,836 in 2017-18 to 1,889 in 2018-19). The numbers increased 3% in the pre-release category (from 1,799 to 1,851) and negligibly in the post‑release category (from 37 to 38).

Outcome of Statutory Release Supervision Periods

  • In 2018-19, the successful completion rate on statutory release remained stable at 66% compared to 2017-18.
  • In 2018-19, the successful completion rate on statutory release decreased for offenders serving sentences for sexual offences (to 80%), the highest rate, and for offenders serving sentences for non-violent offences (to 68%). The rate remained the same for offenders serving sentences for violent offences (at 60%), the lowest rate.
  • Over the last five years (between 2014-15 and 2018-19), Indigenous offenders reported a lowest successful completion rate on statutory release (55%) than non-Indigenous offenders (69%).
  • Female offenders were more likely to successfully complete their statutory releases in the last five years (69%) than male offenders (65%).
  • In 2018-19, the successful completion rate increased in the Quebec (to 73%) and Prairie (to 58%) regions and decreased in the Atlantic (to 62%), Ontario (to 74%) and Pacific (to 65%) regions.

Figure 32. Revocation with Violent Offence Rates on Statutory Release Supervision Periods

Pre-Release Residency Conditions for Federal Non-Violent Offenders
Text equivalent of Figure 32. Revocation with Violent Offence Rates on Statutory Release Supervision Periods
  Sexual Violent Non-Violent
2014/15 0.6% 2.1% 1.1%
2015/16 0.6% 2.1% 1.2%
2016/17 1.4% 2.1% 0.7%
2017/18 0.4% 2.0% 0.7%
2018/19 0.7% 1.6% 0.6%
  • Offenders serving sentences for violent offences had the highest revocation with a violent offence rate in each of the last five years. They accounted for 70% of all revocations with violent offence on statutory release in the last five years.
  • Over the last five years, Indigenous offenders had a higher revocation with violent offence rate on statutory release (1.7%) than non-Indigenous offenders (1.3%).
  • Male offenders were more likely to be revoked with a violent offence on statutory release in the last five years (1.5%) than female offenders (0.4%).
  • Over the last five years, the revocation with violent offence rates were above the national average of 1.4% in the Quebec (1.9%) and Pacific (1.7%) regions and below the national average in the Atlantic (1.3%), Ontario (1.0%) and Prairie (1.3%) regions.

Over the last ten years (between 2009-10 and 2018-19), the successful completion rate on statutory release for offenders who had a day and/or full parole supervision period prior to a statutory release supervision period on the same sentence was on average 15% higher than the rate for offenders who had no prior parole supervision period (74% v. 59%).

This finding is applicable, although to a different extent, to all offence types, Indigenous/Non-Indigenous and genders.

The possible explanation for this is two-fold:

  1. Offenders that had a day or full parole supervision period prior to statutory release had been assessed by the Board as not presenting an undue risk, which is why they were granted a release on parole.
  2. So even when their parole was revoked, these offenders had benefited from their time in the community (i.e. programs and support in the community) and were thus more likely to successfully complete statutory release.

The difference between offenders serving sentences on statutory release who had a prior day and/or full parole supervision period on the same sentence and those who did not is also significant for the revocation with violent offence rates. Over the last ten years (between 2009-10 and 2018-19), the rate of violent reoffending on statutory release for offenders who had a prior day and/or full parole supervision period prior to a statutory release supervision period on the same sentence was 1.2% compared to 2.1% for those offenders who did not have a prior day and/or full parole supervision period.

Figure 33. Successful Completion Rates of Statutory Release Supervision Periods With and Without a Prior Day and/or Full Parole on the Same Sentence

Pre-Release Residency Conditions for Federal Non-Violent Offenders
Text equivalent of Figure 33. Successful Completion Rates of Statutory Release Supervision Periods With and Without a Prior Day and/or Full Parole on the Same Sentence
  Without a prior day and/or full parole With a prior day and/or full parole
2009/10 57% 69%
2010/11 58% 72%
2011/12 57% 73%
2012/13 56% 70%
2013/14 58% 71%
2014/15 59% 75%
2015/16 59% 76%
2016/17 64% 77%
2017/18 62% 77%
2018/19 61% 77%
Table 115. Statutory Release Decisions
Year Pre-Release Post-Release Total
Change Condition Other Change Condition Revoked Susp./Rev. Cancelled Other
2014-15 6,295 36 535 2,198 125 116 9,305
2015-16 6,239 48 549 2,194 200 75 9,305
2016-17 5,641 55 599 1,857 350 66 8,568
2017-18 5,205 61 515 1,745 303 62 7,891
2018-19 5,470 47 523 1,756 355 46 8,197

Note: 'Other' includes the decisions of adjournment, no action, panel hearing ordered, postponement and termination.

Table 116. Statutory Release Decisions by Region
Year Atlantic Quebec Ontario Prairies Pacific Canada
Pre Post Pre Post Pre Post Pre Post Pre Post Pre Post
2014-15 653 222 1,421 700 1,438 709 2,063 1,031 756 312 6,331 2,974
2015-16 614 234 1,489 786 1,321 650 2,114 1,001 749 347 6,287 3,018
2016-17 602 283 1,340 738 1,165 623 1,934 911 655 317 5,696 2,872
2017-18 514 254 1,101 591 1,104 505 1,960 947 587 328 5,266 2,625
2018-19 542 220 1,112 621 1,162 553 2,103 978 598 308 5,517 2,680
5-Yr. Avg. 585 243 1,293 687 1,238 608 2,035 974 669 322 5,819 2,834
Table 117. Statutory Release Decisions Following Elder-Assisted Hearings
Year Atlantic Quebec Ontario Prairies Pacific Canada
Pre Post Pre Post Pre Post Pre Post Pre Post Pre Post
2014-15 8 - 6 3 2 1 40 1 10 - 66 5
2015-16 7 - 3 2 9 1 46 2 14 2 79 7
2016-17 2 1 15 9 10 4 68 13 24 13 119 40
2017-18 8 2 6 8 31 16 74 14 30 27 149 67
2018-19 8 5 10 8 19 11 92 35 19 23 148 82
5-Yr. Avg. 7 3 8 6 14 7 64 13 19 16 112 40
Table 118. Proportion of the Incarcerated Population Released on Statutory Release
Year Incarcerated Population Year of SR Releases # of Releases on SR % of Incarcerated Pop. Released on SR
April 1, 2014 11,306 2014-15 5,368 47
April 1, 2015 10,800 2015-16 5,270 49
April 1, 2016 10,565 2016-17 4,864 46
April 1, 2017 9,924 2017-18 4,375 44
April 1, 2018 9,740 2018-19 4,133 42
Table 119. Proportion of the Incarcerated Population Released on Statutory Release by Region (%)
Year Atlantic Quebec Ontario Prairies Pacific
2014-15 42 41 44 59 47
2015-16 46 44 43 57 54
2016-17 51 42 38 53 47
2017-18 46 41 35 53 40
2018-19 44 40 34 52 38
Table 120. Proportion of the Incarcerated Population Released on Statutory Release by Offence Type (%)
Year Sexual Violent Non-Violent
2014-15 33 50 50
2015-16 31 52 52
2016-17 32 49 48
2017-18 31 47 45
2018-19 30 45 43
Table 121. Proportion of the Incarcerated Population Released on Statutory Release by Indigenous and Non-Indigenous (%)
Year Indigenous Non-Indigenous
2014-15 68 42
2015-16 63 44
2016-17 58 42
2017-18 56 40
2018-19 52 39
Table 122. Proportion of the Incarcerated Population Released on Statutory Release by Gender (%)
Year Male Female
2014-15 47 49
2015-16 49 52
2016-17 46 48
2017-18 44 42
2018-19 42 43
Table 123. Residency Conditions on Statutory Release
Year Pre-Release Post-Release Total
Imposed Det. to SR Residency Cancelled Imposed Prolonged Removed
2014-15 2,142 15 1 16 1 111 2,173
2015-16 2,264 21 6 21 3 101 2,303
2016-17 2,004 8 3 30 8 127 2,047
2017-18 1,773 29 3 27 10 85 1,836
2018-19 1,845 10 4 36 2 96 1,889

Note: Total = (pre-release imposed + detention to SR residency - cancelled) + (post-release imposed + prolonged).

Table 124. Residency Conditions on Statutory Release by Region
Year Region Pre-Release Post-Release
Imposed Det. to SR Residency Cancelled Imposed Prolonged Removed
2014-15 Atlantic 221 2 - - - 10
Quebec 517 3 - 3 1 29
Ontario 593 2 - 9 - 50
Prairies 471 3 - 1 - 5
Pacific 340 5 1 3 - 17
Canada 2,142 15 1 16 1 111
2015-16 Atlantic 225 2 - 1 - 5
Quebec 556 3 2 3 3 35
Ontario 564 5 3 12 - 45
Prairies 516 2 - 1 - 6
Pacific 403 9 1 4 - 10
Canada 2,264 21 6 21 3 101
2016-17 Atlantic 233 1 - 1 - 4
Quebec 503 2 1 10 6 50
Ontario 430 2 - 8 1 48
Prairies 498 2 1 2 - 9
Pacific 340 1 1 9 1 16
Canada 2,004 8 3 30 8 127
2017-18 Atlantic 191 2 - 2 - 7
Quebec 397 5 - 7 10 27
Ontario 383 3 1 6 - 29
Prairies 487 5 1 3 - 13
Pacific 315 14 1 9 - 9
Canada 1,773 29 3 27 10 85
2018-19 Atlantic 188 1 - 2 - 5
Quebec 415 3 1 11 2 28
Ontario 387 3 1 9 - 36
Prairies 550 - 1 2 - 12
Pacific 305 3 1 12 - 15
Canada 1,845 10 4 36 2 96
Table 125. Residency Conditions on Statutory Release Recommended by CSC (%)
Year Atlantic Quebec Ontario Prairies Pacific Canada
2014-15 91 85 83 85 80 84
2015-16 97 83 85 87 83 86
2016-17 96 88 91 86 82 88
2017-18 94 93 90 92 77 89
2018-19 95 92 95 92 89 92
5-Yr. Avg. 94 88 88 88 82 88

Note: This percentage is calculated by dividing the number of residency conditions recommended by CSC which were imposed by the Board by the total number of residency conditions imposed by the Board.

Table 126. Residency Conditions on Statutory Release Concordance with CSC (%)
Year Atlantic Quebec Ontario Prairies Pacific Canada
2014-15 95 99 99 99 98 98
2015-16 97 100 98 99 98 99
2016-17 98 97 97 99 97 98
2017-18 96 98 94 96 97 96
2018-19 94 98 95 98 96 97
5-Yr. Avg. 96 99 97 98 97 98

Note: The concordance rate is calculated by dividing the number of residency conditions imposed by the Board which were recommended by CSC by the number of residency conditions recommended by CSC.

Outcome Rates of Statutory Release Supervision Periods

Table 127. Outcome Rates for Statutory Release
Outcome 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19
# % # % # % # % # %
Successful completions 3,756 62.7 3,779 62.8 3,781 66.8 3,572 66.3 3,262 65.7
Revoked for breach of conditions 1,648 27.5 1,663 27.6 1,412 25.0 1,299 24.1 1,279 25.8
Revoked for non-violent offences 491 8.2 485 8.1 382 6.8 445 8.3 366 7.4
Revoked for violent offences 91 1.5 95 1.6 83 1.5 70 1.3 56 1.1
Total revocations with offence 582 9.7 580 9.6 465 8.2 515 9.6 422 8.5
Total completions 5,986 100 6,022 100 5,658 100 5,386 100 4,963 100

Note: Total includes completions of statutory release of federal offenders who were subsequently convicted of a new offence and given an indeterminate sentence, as well as those serving determinate sentences for offences of second degree murder. The offenders with determinate sentences serving sentences for murder were transfers from the United States or convictions under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Table 128. Outcome Rates for Statutory Release by Region
Year Region Successful Completion Revoked for Breach of Conditions Revocations with Offence Total Revocations with Offence Total Completions
Non-Violent Violent
# % # % # % # % # % #
2014-15 Atlantic 382 64.7 159 26.9 43 7.3 6 1.0 49 8.3 590
Quebec 849 69.6 261 21.4 93 7.6 16 1.3 109 8.9 1,219
Ontario 1,031 71.2 344 23.8 59 4.1 14 1.0 73 5.0 1,448
Prairie 1,077 53.1 679 33.4 233 11.5 41 2.0 274 13.5 2,030
Pacific 417 59.7 205 29.3 63 9.0 14 2.0 77 11.0 699
2015-16 Atlantic 413 65.8 171 27.2 39 6.2 5 0.8 44 7.0 628
Quebec 912 68.2 301 22.5 88 6.6 36 2.7 124 9.3 1,337
Ontario 926 71.2 311 23.9 50 3.8 13 1.0 63 4.8 1,300
Prairie 1,051 53.4 648 32.9 244 12.4 27 1.4 271 13.8 1,970
Pacific 477 60.6 232 29.5 64 8.1 14 1.8 78 9.9 787
2016-17 Atlantic 394 60.7 201 31.0 44 6.8 10 1.5 54 8.3 649
Quebec 1,014 74.2 262 19.2 66 4.8 24 1.8 90 6.6 1,366
Ontario 878 75.0 242 20.7 39 3.3 11 0.9 50 4.3 1,170
Prairie 1,057 57.7 555 30.3 193 10.5 26 1.4 219 12.0 1,831
Pacific 438 68.2 152 23.7 40 6.2 12 1.9 52 8.1 642
2017-18 Atlantic 345 63.7 140 25.8 47 8.7 10 1.8 57 10.5 542
Quebec 866 71.9 244 20.3 69 5.7 25 2.1 94 7.8 1,204
Ontario 849 77.0 204 18.5 41 3.7 9 0.8 50 4.5 1,103
Prairie 1,098 56.7 568 29.3 257 13.3 15 0.8 272 14.0 1,938
Pacific 414 69.1 143 23.9 31 5.2 11 1.8 42 7.0 599
2018-19 Atlantic 303 61.6 140 28.5 42 8.5 7 1.4 49 10.0 492
Quebec 794 73.0 233 21.4 42 3.9 18 1.7 60 5.5 1,087
Ontario 768 73.8 214 20.6 47 4.5 11 1.1 58 5.6 1,040
Prairie 1,027 57.9 529 29.8 203 11.4 16 0.9 219 12.3 1,775
Pacific 370 65.0 163 28.6 32 5.6 4 0.7 36 6.3 569
Table 129. Outcome Rates for Statutory Release by Offence Type (%)
Offence Type Year Successful Completion Revoked for Breach of Conditions Revocations with Offence Total Revocations with Offence Total Completions (#)
Non-Violent Violent
Sexual 2014-15 76.1 19.9 3.5 0.6 4.0 720
2015-16 79.1 17.3 3.1 0.6 3.7 655
2016-17 77.8 19.6 1.2 1.4 2.6 582
2017-18 85.0 13.0 1.6 0.4 2.0 560
2018-19 80.2 17.1 2.0 0.7 2.7 586
Violent 2014-15 57.2 32.0 8.6 2.1 10.7 2,841
2015-16 56.7 32.8 8.4 2.1 10.5 2,939
2016-17 62.9 27.7 7.3 2.1 9.4 2,822
2017-18 59.7 28.9 9.4 2.0 11.3 2,726
2018-19 60.3 30.0 8.1 1.6 9.7 2,510
Non-Violent 2014-15 65.2 24.5 9.2 1.1 10.2 2,425
2015-16 65.7 24.2 9.0 1.2 10.2 2,428
2016-17 68.9 22.8 7.5 0.7 8.2 2,254
2017-18 69.9 20.8 8.6 0.7 9.3 2,100
2018-19 68.5 22.8 8.1 0.6 8.7 1,867
Table 130. Outcome Rates for Statutory Release by Indigenous and Non-Indigenous
Year Ind./N-Ind. Successful Completion Revoked for Breach of Conditions Revocations with Offence Total Revocations with Offence Total Completions
Non-Violent Violent
# % # % # % # % # % #
2014-15 Ind. 980 52.2 657 35.0 197 10.5 43 2.3 240 12.8 1,877
N-Ind 2,776 67.6 991 24.1 294 7.2 48 1.2 342 8.3 4,109
2015-16 Ind. 970 52.4 632 34.2 212 11.5 36 1.9 248 13.4 1,850
N-Ind. 2,809 67.3 1,031 24.7 273 6.5 59 1.4 332 8.0 4,172
2016-17 Ind. 982 58.0 510 30.1 172 10.2 28 1.7 200 11.8 1,692
N-Ind. 2,799 70.6 902 22.7 210 5.3 55 1.4 265 6.7 3,966
2017-18 Ind. 940 55.7 509 30.1 214 12.7 26 1.5 240 14.2 1,689
N-Ind. 2,632 71.2 790 21.4 231 6.2 44 1.2 275 7.4 3,697
2018-19 Ind. 904 58.1 461 29.6 174 11.2 18 1.2 192 12.3 1,557
N-Ind. 2,358 69.2 818 24.0 192 5.6 38 1.1 230 6.8 3,406
Table 131. Outcome Rates for Statutory Release by Gender
Year Gender Successful Completion Revoked for Breach of Conditions Revocations with Offence Total Revocations with Offence Total Completions
Non-Violent Violent
# % # % # % # % # % #
2014-15 Male 3,567 62.7 1,573 27.6 463 8.1 89 1.6 552 9.7 5,692
Female 189 64.3 75 25.5 28 9.5 2 0.7 30 10.2 294
2015-16 Male 3,545 62.4 1,579 27.8 460 8.1 93 1.6 553 9.7 5,677
Female 234 67.8 84 24.3 25 7.2 2 0.6 27 7.8 345
2016-17 Male 3,528 66.6 1,330 25.1 361 6.8 80 1.5 441 8.3 5,299
Female 253 70.5 82 22.8 21 5.8 3 0.8 24 6.7 359
2017-18 Male 3,336 66.0 1,218 24.1 431 8.5 70 1.4 501 8.5 5,055
Female 236 71.3 81 24.5 14 4.2 0 0.0 14 4.2 331
2018-19 Male 3,064 65.4 1,220 26.0 346 7.4 56 1.2 402 8.6 4,686
Female 198 71.5 59 21.3 20 7.2 0 0.0 20 7.2 277
Table 132. Outcome Rates for Statutory Release With and Without Prior Day and/or Full Parole Supervision Periods on the Same Sentence
Year/Type Successful Completions Revoked for
Breach of Conditions
Revocations
With Offence
Total Revocations
with Offence
Total Compl.
Non-Violent Violent
# % # % # % # % # % #
2014-15
Without DP/FP 2,715 59.1 1,403 30.5 402 8.7 76 1.7 478 10.4 4,596
With DP/FP 1,041 74.9 245 17.6 89 6.4 15 1.1 104 7.5 1,390
Prior DP 894 74.3 219 18.2 75 6.2 15 1.2 90 7.5 1,203
Prior FP 17 81.0 1 4.8 3 14.3 0 0.0 3 14.3 21
Prior DP&FP 130 78.3 25 15.1 11 6.6 0 0.0 11 6.6 166
2015-16
Without DP/FP 2,720 58.8 1,410 30.5 414 8.9 85 1.8 499 10.8 4,629
With DP/FP 1,059 76.0 253 18.2 71 5.1 10 0.7 81 5.8 1,393
Prior DP 926 75.5 231 18.8 63 5.1 7 0.6 70 5.7 1,227
Prior FP 13 76.5 2 11.8 0 0.0 2 11.8 2 11.8 17
Prior DP&FP 120 80.5 22 13.4 8 5.4 1 0.7 9 6.0 149
2016-17
Without DP/FP 2,731 63.6 1,173 27.3 322 7.5 71 1.7 393 9.1 4,297
With DP/FP 1,050 77.1 239 17.6 60 4.4 12 0.9 72 5.3 1,361
Prior DP 940 76.9 219 17.9 54 4.4 9 0.7 63 5.2 1,222
Prior FP 13 86.7 1 6.7 1 6.7 0 0.0 1 6.7 15
Prior DP&FP 97 78.2 19 15.3 5 4.0 3 2.4 8 6.5 124
2017-18
Without DP/FP 2,490 62.4 1,062 26.6 373 9.4 64 1.6 437 11.0 3,989
With DP/FP 1,082 77.5 237 17.0 72 5.2 6 0.4 78 5.6 1,397
Prior DP 955 76.3 227 18.1 67 5.4 3 0.2 70 5.6 1,252
Prior FP 9 81.8 1 9.1 1 9.1 0 0.0 1 9.1 11
Prior DP&FP 118 88.1 9 6.7 4 3.0 3 2.2 7 5.2 134
2018-19
Without DP/FP 2,150 61.2 1,019 29.0 299 8.5 47 1.3 346 9.8 3,515
With DP/FP 1,112 76.8 260 18.0 67 4.6 9 0.6 76 5.2 1,448
Prior DP 978 75.3 246 18.9 67 5.2 8 0.6 75 5.8 1,299
Prior FP 9 100.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 9
Prior DP&FP 125 89.3 14 10.0 0 0.0 1 0.7 1 0.7 140

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