Operational and Program Delivery Context – Reviews and Decisions
Official Title: Performance Monitoring Report 2018-2019, Operational and Program Delivery Context – Reviews and Decisions
From: Parole Board of Canada
Reviews and Decisions
Over the past five years, efforts have been made to streamline PBC’s case management processes, which resulted in changes to reporting practices. Therefore, caution should be exercised when comparing totals over the past five years as the definition of workload has changed.
Figure 19. Federal and Provincial Reviews
Text equivalent of Figure 19. Federal and Provincial Reviews
| Atlantic | Quebec | Ontario | Prairie | Pacific | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014/15 | 1,819 | 4,839 | 3,860 | 4,691 | 2,669 |
| 2015/16 | 1,676 | 3,902 | 3,529 | 4,376 | 2,290 |
| 2016/17 | 1,674 | 3,882 | 3,412 | 4,251 | 2,232 |
| 2017/18 | 1,606 | 3,474 | 3,500 | 4,396 | 2,323 |
| 2018/19 | 1,660 | 3,450 | 3,642 | 4,790 | 2,256 |
- In 2018-19, the Board conducted 15,185 federal reviews and 613 provincial reviews. Compared to the previous year, the number of federal reviews increased (+4%) and the number of provincial reviews decreased (-6%).
- In 2018-19, federal reviews for discretionary release (reviews for release on day and full parole) increased 3% (from 6,498 in 2017-18 to 6,667 in 2018-19). The Prairie region accounted for the majority of the increase (+12%).
- In 2018-19, federal reviews for workloadFootnote 5 increased 4% to 22,837 (7,533 reviews conducted with one Board Member and 7,652 reviews conducted with two Board Members).
- The number of Elder-Assisted Hearings (EAHs) increased in the last 3 years. Compared to last year, the number of EAHs increased 6% (from 679 to 720 in 2018-19) and when compared to 2015-16, the number increased 78% from 405. The increase is associated with in-reach conducted by the Board with Indigenous offenders. The Prairie region accounted for 53% of all EAHs in 2018-19.
The Board’s workload is also affected by the number of waivers and withdrawals, as well as postponements.
Note: Waivers and Withdrawals
A day parole review is conducted following receipt of an application from the offender. If an offender no longer wishes to be considered for day parole, he or she may choose to withdraw the application for a day parole review. If an offender wishes to proceed with the review without attending the hearing, then the offender may choose to waive the hearing, which would result in a review on file.
Full parole review is a legislated review, and as such, if an offender wishes not to undergo the review or not to attend the hearing, he or she must officially declare so by means of a waiver. In cases where an offender was denied full parole, but wishes to be reconsidered for full parole before the date prescribed by regulations, he or she cannot submit an application, in most cases, for a full parole review until one year following the previous review, unless recommended by CSC for an earlier review. Unlike legislated full parole reviews requiring waivers, offenders may withdraw this type of full parole application if they choose to do so.
Figure 20. Federal and Provincial Decisions to Delay a Review of a Case
Text equivalent of Figure 20. Federal and Provincial Decisions to Delay a Review of a Case
| Waivers | Postponements | Withdrawals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014/15 | 4,418 | 3,696 | 1,459 |
| 2015/16 | 4,151 | 4,510 | 1,506 |
| 2016/17 | 3,867 | 4,879 | 1,462 |
| 2017/18 | 3,218 | 5,584 | 1,572 |
| 2018/19 | 2,789 | 6,293 | 1,529 |
- In 2018-19, the Board rendered 2,786 decisions to accept a waiver of a federal parole decision (‑13%); 6,218 decisions to accept a postponement of a federal parole decision (+13%); and 1,072 decisions to accept a withdrawal of a federal parole application (four more) compared to 2017-18.
- In 2018-19, the Board rendered three decisions to accept a waiver of a provincial parole hearing (the same number as the year before); 75 decisions to accept a postponement of a provincial parole decision (15 fewer decisions than the year before); and 457 decisions to accept a withdrawal of a provincial parole application (47 fewer decisions than the previous year).
Figure 21. Decisions Rendered by the PBC
Text equivalent of Figure 21. Decisions Rendered by the PBC
| 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DP | 7,311 | 6,034 | 6,638 | 6,952 | 7,147 |
| FP | 6,495 | 4,634 | 5,093 | 5,345 | 5,558 |
| SR | 9,305 | 9,305 | 8,568 | 7,891 | 8,197 |
| Other* | 2,114 | 2,453 | 1,997 | 1,884 | 1,814 |
*Include Escorted and Unescorted Temporary Absences, One Chance Statutory Release, Detention and Long-Term Supervision
- In 2018-19, having conducted 15,798 federal and provincial reviews, the Board rendered 22,716 decisions. The number of PBC decisions increased 3% compared to 2017-18.
- In 2018-19, pre-release decisions increased 2%, post-release decisions increased 7%, and detention decisions decreased 39%.
- Statutory releases accounted for the majority of decisions rendered by the Board in 2018-19 with 36%, followed by day parole with 31% and full parole with 24%.
- In 2018-19, the Board made more day parole (+3%), full parole and statutory release decisions (+4% each) than the previous year.
| Jurisdiction | Region | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal | Atlantic | 1,596 | 1,509 | 1,514 | 1,479 | 1,546 |
| Quebec | 4,839 | 3,902 | 3,882 | 3,474 | 3,448 | |
| Ontario | 3,860 | 3,526 | 3,410 | 3,500 | 3,642 | |
| Prairies | 4,582 | 4,261 | 4,104 | 4,235 | 4,644 | |
| Pacific | 2,257 | 1,927 | 1,887 | 1,961 | 1,905 | |
| Canada | 17,134 | 15,125 | 14,797 | 14,649 | 15,185 | |
| Provincial | Atlantic | 223 | 167 | 160 | 127 | 114 |
| Quebec | - | - | - | - | 2 | |
| Ontario | - | 3 | 2 | - | - | |
| Prairies | 109 | 115 | 147 | 161 | 146 | |
| Pacific | 412 | 363 | 345 | 362 | 351 | |
| Canada | 744 | 648 | 654 | 650 | 613 | |
| Canada | Atlantic | 1,819 | 1,676 | 1,674 | 1,606 | 1,660 |
| Quebec | 4,839 | 3,902 | 3,882 | 3,474 | 3,450 | |
| Ontario | 3,860 | 3,529 | 3,412 | 3,500 | 3,642 | |
| Prairies | 4,691 | 4,376 | 4,251 | 4,396 | 4,790 | |
| Pacific | 2,669 | 2,290 | 2,232 | 2,323 | 2,256 | |
| Canada | 17,878 | 15,773 | 15,451 | 15,299 | 15,798 |
Note 1: As of November 2014, following the implementation of the Integrated Decision System, the workload no longer includes decisions related to case management (administrative adjournment, postponement accepted/rejected, withdrawal accepted/rejected and panel hearing ordered). The year 2014-15 includes 2,439 such reviews conducted prior to November 2014.
Note 2: The provincial cases in the Quebec and Ontario regions were federal sentences which were completed in less than two years after the sentence was reduced by court order.
| Jurisdiction | Review Type | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal | In-person | 2,666 | 2,946 | 3,457 | 2,448 | 2,743 |
| Videoconference | 2,026 | 1,960 | 2,299 | 3,905 | 3,772 | |
| Teleconference | 8 | 5 | 13 | 6 | 12 | |
| Community | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | |
| Interpreter | 13 | 18 | 22 | 24 | 31 | |
| Paper | 12,418 | 10,195 | 9,004 | 8,262 | 8,623 | |
| Total | 17,134 | 15,125 | 14,797 | 14,649 | 15,185 | |
| Provincial | In-person | 25 | 21 | 45 | 52 | 51 |
| Videoconference | 5 | - | 6 | 20 | 16 | |
| Teleconference | - | - | - | 2 | 6 | |
| Community | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Interpreter | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Paper | 714 | 627 | 603 | 576 | 540 | |
| Total | 744 | 648 | 654 | 650 | 613 | |
| Canada | In-person | 2,691 | 2,967 | 3,502 | 2,500 | 2,794 |
| Videoconference | 2,031 | 1,960 | 2,305 | 3,925 | 3,788 | |
| Teleconference | 8 | 5 | 13 | 8 | 18 | |
| Community | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | |
| Interpreter | 13 | 18 | 22 | 24 | 31 | |
| Paper | 13,132 | 10,822 | 9,607 | 8,838 | 9,163 | |
| Total | 17,878 | 15,773 | 15,451 | 15,299 | 15,798 |
Note 1: As of November 2014, following the implementation of the Integrated Decision System, the workload no longer includes decisions related to case management (administrative adjournment, postponement accepted/rejected, withdrawal accepted/rejected and panel hearing ordered). The year 2014-15 includes 2,439 such reviews conducted prior to November 2014.
| Region | Year | 1 Board Member | 2 Board Members | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal | Provincial | Federal | Provincial | ||
| Atlantic | 2014-15 | 901 | 222 | 695 | 1 |
| 2015-16 | 701 | 164 | 808 | 3 | |
| 2016-17 | 737 | 155 | 777 | 5 | |
| 2017-18 | 675 | 124 | 804 | 3 | |
| 2018-19 | 711 | 110 | 835 | 4 | |
| Quebec | 2014-15* | 2,839 | - | 1,999 | - |
| 2015-16 | 2,190 | - | 1,712 | - | |
| 2016-17 | 1,962 | - | 1,920 | - | |
| 2017-18 | 1,733 | - | 1,741 | - | |
| 2018-19 | 1,742 | 1 | 1,706 | 1 | |
| Ontario | 2014-15 | 2,404 | - | 1,456 | - |
| 2015-16 | 1,980 | - | 1,546 | 3 | |
| 2016-17 | 1,727 | 2 | 1,683 | - | |
| 2017-18 | 1,661 | - | 1,839 | - | |
| 2018-19 | 1,757 | - | 1,885 | - | |
| Prairies | 2014-15 | 2,690 | 104 | 1,892 | 5 |
| 2015-16 | 2,346 | 113 | 1,915 | 2 | |
| 2016-17 | 2,201 | 144 | 1,903 | 3 | |
| 2017-18 | 2,264 | 151 | 1,971 | 10 | |
| 2018-19 | 2,421 | 140 | 2,223 | 6 | |
| Pacific | 2014-15 | 1,278 | 398 | 979 | 14 |
| 2015-16 | 1,045 | 357 | 882 | 6 | |
| 2016-17 | 953 | 335 | 934 | 10 | |
| 2017-18 | 904 | 350 | 1,057 | 12 | |
| 2018-19 | 902 | 342 | 1,003 | 9 | |
*One review was done with three board members.
Note: The provincial cases in the Quebec and Ontario regions were federal sentences which were completed in less than two years after the sentence was reduced by court order.
| Jurisdiction | Region | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal | Atlantic | 2,182 | 2,102 | 2,178 | 2,112 | 2,194 |
| Quebec | 6,907 | 5,595 | 5,796 | 5,053 | 5,084 | |
| Ontario | 5,071 | 4,682 | 4,527 | 4,721 | 4,861 | |
| Prairies | 7,005 | 6,448 | 6,204 | 6,388 | 7,023 | |
| Pacific | 3,091 | 2,746 | 2,706 | 2,889 | 2,707 | |
| Canada | 24,256 | 21,573 | 21,411 | 21,163 | 21,869 | |
| Provincial | Atlantic | 324 | 237 | 231 | 185 | 150 |
| Quebec | - | - | - | - | 3 | |
| Ontario | - | 3 | 2 | - | - | |
| Prairies | 169 | 174 | 220 | 242 | 218 | |
| Pacific | 476 | 439 | 432 | 482 | 476 | |
| Canada | 969 | 853 | 885 | 909 | 847 | |
| Canada | Atlantic | 2,506 | 2,339 | 2,409 | 2,297 | 2,344 |
| Quebec | 6,907 | 5,595 | 5,796 | 5,053 | 5,087 | |
| Ontario | 5,071 | 4,685 | 4,529 | 4,721 | 4,861 | |
| Prairies | 7,174 | 6,622 | 6,424 | 6,630 | 7,241 | |
| Pacific | 3,567 | 3,185 | 3,138 | 3,371 | 3,183 | |
| Canada | 25,225 | 22,426 | 22,296 | 22,072 | 22,716 |
Note 1: As of November 2014, following the implementation of the Integrated Decision System, the workload no longer includes decisions related to case management (administrative adjournment, postponement accepted/rejected, withdrawal accepted/rejected and panel hearing ordered). The year 2014-15 includes 3,206 such decisions rendered prior to November 2014.
Note 2: The provincial cases in the Quebec and Ontario regions were federal sentences which were completed in less than two years after the sentence was reduced by court order.
| Jurisdiction | Region | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal | Atlantic | 1,782 | 1,664 | 1,681 | 1,624 | 1,716 |
| Quebec | 5,513 | 4,168 | 4,459 | 3,882 | 3,821 | |
| Ontario | 3,792 | 3,518 | 3,471 | 3,702 | 3,717 | |
| Prairies | 5,508 | 4,956 | 4,886 | 4,981 | 5,565 | |
| Pacific | 2,346 | 1,996 | 2,049 | 2,166 | 2,022 | |
| Canada | 18,941 | 16,302 | 16,546 | 16,355 | 16,841 | |
| Provincial | Atlantic | 294 | 214 | 210 | 166 | 132 |
| Quebec | - | - | - | - | 3 | |
| Ontario | - | 3 | 2 | - | - | |
| Prairies | 164 | 172 | 211 | 232 | 207 | |
| Pacific | 434 | 405 | 394 | 445 | 424 | |
| Canada | 892 | 794 | 817 | 843 | 766 | |
| Canada | Atlantic | 2,076 | 1,878 | 1,891 | 1,790 | 1,848 |
| Quebec | 5,513 | 4,168 | 4,459 | 3,882 | 3,824 | |
| Ontario | 3,792 | 3,521 | 3,473 | 3,702 | 3,717 | |
| Prairies | 5,672 | 5,128 | 5,097 | 5,213 | 5,772 | |
| Pacific | 2,780 | 2,401 | 2,443 | 2,611 | 2,446 | |
| Canada | 19,833 | 17,096 | 17,363 | 17,198 | 17,607 |
Note 1: As of November 2014, following the implementation of the Integrated Decision System, the workload no longer includes decisions related to case management (administrative adjournment, postponement accepted/rejected, withdrawal accepted/rejected and panel hearing ordered). The year 2014-15 includes 3,020 such pre-release decisions rendered prior to November 2014.
Note 2: The provincial cases in the Quebec and Ontario regions were federal sentences which were completed in less than two years after the sentence was reduced by court order.
| Jurisdiction | Region | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal | Atlantic | 357 | 400 | 479 | 457 | 463 |
| Quebec | 1,263 | 1,330 | 1,281 | 1,125 | 1,230 | |
| Ontario | 1,144 | 1,077 | 1,027 | 962 | 1,116 | |
| Prairies | 1,313 | 1,360 | 1,258 | 1,332 | 1,405 | |
| Pacific | 639 | 672 | 618 | 678 | 658 | |
| Canada | 4,716 | 4,839 | 4,663 | 4,554 | 4,872 | |
| Provincial | Atlantic | 30 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 18 |
| Quebec | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Ontario | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Prairies | 5 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 11 | |
| Pacific | 42 | 34 | 38 | 37 | 52 | |
| Canada | 77 | 59 | 68 | 65 | 81 | |
| Canada | Atlantic | 387 | 423 | 500 | 476 | 481 |
| Quebec | 1,263 | 1,330 | 1,281 | 1,125 | 1,230 | |
| Ontario | 1,144 | 1,077 | 1,027 | 962 | 1,116 | |
| Prairies | 1,318 | 1,362 | 1,267 | 1,341 | 1,416 | |
| Pacific | 681 | 702 | 656 | 715 | 710 | |
| Canada | 4,793 | 4,898 | 4,731 | 4,619 | 4,953 |
Note: As of November 2014, following the implementation of the Integrated Decision System, the workload no longer includes decisions related to case management (administrative adjournment, postponement accepted/rejected, withdrawal accepted/rejected and panel hearing ordered). The year 2014-15 includes 91 such post-release decisions rendered prior to November 2014.
| Region | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic | 43 | 38 | 18 | 31 | 15 |
| Quebec | 131 | 97 | 56 | 46 | 33 |
| Ontario | 135 | 87 | 29 | 57 | 28 |
| Prairies | 184 | 132 | 60 | 76 | 53 |
| Pacific | 106 | 78 | 39 | 45 | 27 |
| Canada | 599 | 432 | 202 | 255 | 156 |
Note: As of November 2014, following the implementation of the Integrated Decision System, the workload no longer includes decisions related to case management (administrative adjournment, postponement accepted/rejected, withdrawal accepted/rejected and panel hearing ordered). The year 2014-15 includes 95 such detention decisions rendered prior to November 2014.
| Jurisdiction | Region | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal | Atlantic | 34 | 21 | 24 | 28 | 31 |
| Quebec | 54 | 50 | 69 | 63 | 77 | |
| Ontario | 26 | 48 | 64 | 105 | 97 | |
| Prairies | 196 | 194 | 282 | 298 | 383 | |
| Pacific | 98 | 91 | 164 | 181 | 131 | |
| Canada | 408 | 404 | 603 | 675 | 719 | |
| Provincial | Atlantic | - | - | - | - | - |
| Quebec | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Ontario | - | 1 | - | - | - | |
| Prairies | - | - | 2 | 2 | - | |
| Pacific | 1 | - | - | 2 | 1 | |
| Canada | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | |
| Canada | Atlantic | 34 | 21 | 24 | 28 | 31 |
| Quebec | 54 | 50 | 69 | 63 | 77 | |
| Ontario | 26 | 49 | 64 | 105 | 97 | |
| Prairies | 196 | 194 | 284 | 300 | 383 | |
| Pacific | 99 | 91 | 164 | 183 | 132 | |
| Canada | 409 | 405 | 605 | 679 | 720 |
Note 1: As of November 2014, following the implementation of the Integrated Decision System, the workload no longer includes decisions related to case management (administrative adjournment, postponement accepted/rejected, withdrawal accepted/rejected and panel hearing ordered). The year 2014-15 includes one such review conducted prior to November 2014.
Note 2: The provincial case in the Ontario region was a federal sentence, which was completed in less than two years after the sentence was reduced by court order.
| Region | Year | Waived | Postponed | Withdrawn | Rescheduled | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fed. | Prov. | Fed. | Prov. | Fed. | Prov. | Fed. | Prov. | ||
| Atlantic | 2014-15 | 640 | - | 300 | 21 | 161 | 160 | 21 | - |
| 2015-16 | 478 | - | 345 | 22 | 159 | 93 | 11 | - | |
| 2016-17 | 437 | 1 | 352 | 24 | 124 | 144 | 8 | - | |
| 2017-18 | 378 | - | 364 | 9 | 117 | 134 | 18 | - | |
| 2018-19 | 328 | 1 | 550 | 21 | 131 | 127 | 19 | - | |
| Quebec | 2014-15 | 707 | - | 1,347 | - | 163 | - | 89 | - |
| 2015-16 | 692 | 2 | 1,648 | - | 143 | - | 48 | - | |
| 2016-17 | 583 | - | 1,434 | - | 146 | - | 47 | - | |
| 2017-18 | 474 | - | 1,419 | - | 140 | - | 97 | - | |
| 2018-19 | 385 | - | 1,375 | 1 | 148 | - | 24 | - | |
| Ontario | 2014-15 | 1,282 | - | 649 | - | 272 | - | 35 | 1 |
| 2015-16 | 1,203 | 2 | 851 | 2 | 292 | - | 120 | 3 | |
| 2016-17 | 1,225 | 1 | 1,036 | 8 | 286 | 1 | 314 | 18 | |
| 2017-18 | 897 | 2 | 1,323 | - | 324 | - | 354 | 7 | |
| 2018-19 | 877 | 1 | 1,524 | 1 | 293 | - | 302 | 9 | |
| Prairies | 2014-15 | 1,153 | 3 | 902 | 16 | 283 | 116 | 27 | 3 |
| 2015-16 | 1,189 | 1 | 1,116 | 5 | 307 | 132 | 46 | 9 | |
| 2016-17 | 1,110 | 2 | 1,265 | 14 | 253 | 209 | 44 | 11 | |
| 2017-18 | 1,040 | - | 1,625 | 32 | 329 | 229 | 522 | 77 | |
| 2018-19 | 792 | - | 1,911 | 31 | 306 | 195 | 813 | 87 | |
| Pacific | 2014-15 | 630 | 3 | 446 | 15 | 128 | 176 | 76 | 1 |
| 2015-16 | 584 | - | 499 | 22 | 187 | 193 | 84 | 2 | |
| 2016-17 | 507 | 1 | 717 | 29 | 146 | 153 | 98 | 1 | |
| 2017-18 | 426 | 1 | 793 | 19 | 158 | 141 | 307 | 29 | |
| 2018-19 | 404 | 1 | 858 | 21 | 194 | 135 | 283 | 12 | |
| Canada | 2014-15 | 4,412 | 6 | 3,644 | 52 | 1,007 | 452 | 248 | 5 |
| 2015-16 | 4,146 | 5 | 4,459 | 51 | 1,088 | 418 | 309 | 14 | |
| 2016-17 | 3,862 | 5 | 4,804 | 75 | 955 | 507 | 511 | 30 | |
| 2017-18 | 3,215 | 3 | 5,524 | 60 | 1,068 | 504 | 1,298 | 113 | |
| 2018-19 | 2,786 | 3 | 6,218 | 75 | 1,072 | 457 | 1,441 | 108 | |
Note: Postponement cases in 2014-15 include decisions where the postponement accepted decision was recorded as the final decision and cases where the postponement decision was entered as a decision status.
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