Toughened sentences means prisoners miss chance to re-integrate

Canada’s auditor general says hundreds of inmates from maximum and medium-security penitentiaries are being dumped back into communities across the country, rather than being gradually reintegrated into society to ensure they don’t violently reoffend.

In a report released Tuesday that is likely to raise political questions about the Conservative government’s law and order agenda, Auditor General Michael Ferguson identified significant shortcomings in the federal prison system and parole policies that, he said, threaten to undermine community safety and security.

The government has taken a hard line with criminals by imposing mandatory minimum sentences for some crimes, eliminating accelerated parole for first-time offenders, and extending the amount of time before re-applying for parole.

In his report, the auditor general found federal inmates are spending more time behind bars as fewer are being released on parole when they first become eligible. Nearly 54 per cent of offenders never receive parole, and are only released when this is legally required. Most come from medium- and maximum-security facilities.

“We found that offenders are serving more of their sentences in custody and spending less time under (parole) supervision in the community,” Ferguson said. “In 2013-14, about 1,500 offenders were released directly into the community from medium- or maximum-security penitentiaries without the full benefit of a gradual re-entry into society.”

Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney said the Conservative government has supported Correctional Service Canada (CSC) efforts at rehabilitation through correctional plans and other programs to address the threat of reoffending.

But he was also unapologetic about steps the government has taken to make it more difficult for some offenders to get parole, including making it easier for an offender’s victim to speak at parole hearings and proposed legislation that would keep repeat violent offenders behind bars without any chance of parole.

The auditor general’s report, in turn, cited Parole Board data showing offenders released on parole are less likely to commit a violent crime before their sentence expires than those who are only released when legally required.

It also said Correctional Services Canada (CSC) data “consistently shows that low-risk offenders who have longer portions of their sentence in the community have more positive reintegration results.” About 40 per cent of low-risk offenders never get parole.

Part of the reason federal inmates are spending more time behind bars is because CSC officials scaled back the number of times it recommended to the Parole Board that an offender be released on parole. “This was the case even for offenders who had been assessed as a low risk to offend,” the report says.

More inmates are also waiving or delaying parole hearings when they first become eligible. Exactly why isn’t clear, and Ferguson called on CSC to investigate.