Ottawa, Ontario April 3, 2023
Breaches by Violent Offenders on Parole
Problems have arisen in our communities due to violent offenders being released on parole, and who with alarming regularity resume their criminal activities in breach of their parole conditions. Shootings, murders, assaults and the lucrative activities of drug and human trafficking are frequently resumed by these offenders. This greatly endangers the lives of the public and our communities.
At the present time, violent offenders on conditional release who break the conditions, do not face any consequences for doing so, and the breach is not recorded on the offenders’ record.
Private Member’s Bill C-325
To alleviate these problems, on 10 March 2023 MP Pierre Paul-Hus (Charlesbourg-Haute-Saint-Charles) introduced Bill C-325, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (conditions of release and conditional sentences).
Bill C-325 provides that if an offender on parole breaks the conditions, he will be liable to serve up to two years imprisonment, breaches of condition be recorded on the offender’s record, and that offenders of certain violent criminal acts (e.g. sexual assault) be precluded from serving their sentences in their homes and in their communities.
Bill C-325 provides a much needed opportunity for changing the way in which we protect our families and communities while also furthering the safe re-integration of offenders into society, which is ultimately the best way to protect our families and communities. A full and frank discussion on Bill C-325 provides the potential for much needed reforms and greater public awareness of the issues involved.
It is hoped that this will result in constructive scrutiny of the Parole Board of Canada’s failures to properly carry out its mandate, as well as judicial failures to properly safeguard society from dangerous offenders.
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Gwendolyn Landolt
National Vice-President and Legal Counsel
REAL Women of Canada
(905) 787-0348
Email: realwcto@realwomenofcanada.ca
Diane Watts
Researcher
REAL Women of Canada
(613) 236-4001
Email: realwcna@rogers.com