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

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

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

Federal and Provincial Decisions to Delay a Review of a Case
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.
Table 42. Federal and Provincial Reviews
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.

Table 43. Federal and Provincial Reviews by Review Type
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.

Table 44. Federal and Provincial Reviews for Workload
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.

Table 45. Federal and Provincial Decisions
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.

Table 46. Federal and Provincial Pre-Release Decisions
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.

Table 47. Federal and Provincial Post-Release Decisions
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.

Table 48. Detention Decisions
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.

Table 49. Federal and Provincial Elder-Assisted Hearings
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.

Table 50. Delays and Cancellations
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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