Quick Facts

• Parole is the early release of an offender from prison under the supervision of a parole officer. Only a Parole Board can make decisions about parole.
• Probation is a sentence to community supervision imposed by a judge.
• Parole does not shorten the sentence; 1/3 of the sentence is served in prison and the remaining 2/3 is served in the community on parole.
• If parole is denied, the offender must be released, by law, after serving 2/3 of the sentence; in effect, the sentence is shortened when parole is not granted.
• The Ontario Parole and Earned Release Board handles all adult offenders in the province, who have prison sentences of under two years; the National Parole Board handles all offenders who have prison sentences of two years or more.
• Day parole, which allows the offender to be out of custody during the day for program purposes, only applies to offenders released by the National Parole Board.
• Only adult offenders are eligible to be considered for parole. Young Offenders are not eligible for parole.
• Parole hearings are held in correctional institutions where offenders are incarcerated.
• A quorum of two Board members sits to hear and consider each and every case.
• The Parole Board will only grant parole if it is satisfied that: the offender will not, by re-offending, present an undue risk to society before the expiration of sentence; and, the release of the offender will contribute to the protection of society by facilitating reintegration (Federal Corrections and Conditional Release Act).
• Any interested party, including victims, may make submissions to the Parole Board for due consideration.
• There are standard conditions set in legislation which a parolee must abide by and, often, special conditions (e.g., attending a treatment program, abstaining from alcohol) set be the parole Board for that particular case.
• A parolee is required to report to the parole officer and police department immediately on reaching his or her home community. Thereafter, the parolee reports to the parole officer a minimum of twice per month for the first three months, then at least once per month.
• If a parolee breaks a parole condition, then parole may be suspended whereupon the offender is returned immediately to jail.
• Suspended parolees are seen by the Board at post-suspension hearings, where parole may be revoked. Where parole is revoked, the offender serves the remaining portion of the sentence in custody.