Parole: Alberta has not yet reached cruising speed

The result of an election promise by current Premier Jason Kenney, the Alberta Parole Board is responsible for reviewing the files of inmates of provincial correctional centers who apply for parole.

After about a year and a half of activity, it has processed 28 times fewer files than the federal commission which, between 1^er February 2021 and March 31, 2022, considered 2,657 applications from Alberta offenders.

Its president Rick Hanson seems to explain this difference by the time factor.

If you receive thousands of requests [de libertés conditionnelles] do you have time to examine them all carefully […]he asked in an interview last month.

Similarly, the Alberta Department of Justice reported that it takes an average of 96 days for the provincial board to put together an inmate information package, and about eight days for a committee of the committee examines it and makes a decision.

Rick Hanson also said that despite the relatively small number of cases handled by the commission he heads, Albertans benefit greatly from the $680,000 in annual public funds allocated to the mission.

The use of parole

Generally, offenders sentenced to less than two years serve their sentence in provincial jails. Those sentenced to two years or more are incarcerated for their part in federal prisons.

Inmates can apply for parole after serving one-third of their sentence, and most are eligible for statutory release after serving two-thirds.

Rick Hanson said provincial inmates receive an information package explaining the procedures for applying for parole when they arrive in prison. Because provincial sentences are shorter, some are eligible for them within days or weeks of arriving behind bars, he said.

One of the conditions is to require, where appropriate, an inmate to attend a residential addiction treatment program. So far, four parolees have been subject to this condition, further explained the chairman of the provincial commission of parole.

He also said that the commission follows conditionally released convicts on a long-term basis to see who reoffended and who successfully reintegrated into society and what circumstances led to successful reintegration.

Deficiencies reported

Since the creation of the provincial commission, 44 parole applications have been approved. In addition, the parole of three people has been revoked.

Ellen Sutherland is a criminal lawyer and represents certain offenders seeking parole. Although she welcomes the existence of a provincial commission, she nevertheless considers that it has shortcomings.

She suggests, for example, that the provincial system house inmates on day parole in halfway houses like the federal system does.

She also notes the absence of a hearing in the Alberta system where the process is done in writing, which she says could deter some inmates who do not know or have difficulty writing from applying for parole.

Ellen Sutherland also asks the provincial commission to publish its decisions to allow, for example, the public to understand the elements that motivated such and such a decision.

Justice Minister Tyler Shandro said the public can ask the department to see copies of individual decisions.

Professor of sociology at the University of Alberta, Temitope Oriola agrees with Ellen Sutherland’s view and urges the commission to proactively publish its decisions and their rationale online.

Rick Hanson said the commission is considering anonymizing ― for privacy reasons ― and abbreviating decisions for later posting online. However, he did not commit to a timetable.

With information from Janet French