Quebec’s parole system to change in 2007

A year from now, victims of violent crime will know when their assailants come up for parole and have a chance to say what they think about their release.

These are among the sweeping changes to Quebec’s parole board which will come into effect next February.

Quebec’s public security minister Jacques Dupuis announced the series of changes last week, and said that $22 million has been set aside to implement these changes.

The overall idea behind these changes, Dupuis told journalists, is to restore public confidence in Quebec’s corrections system.

Under the new parole system:

* All new inmates will undergo an intake evaluation to determine things such as whether they’re potentially violent, whether they have drug or alcohol addictions, or whether they’re mentally ill;
* A single file with all inmate information will be accessible on line in a datebase shared to police, corrections officials and staff, probation officers and, in some cases, to community groups;
* Inmates serving sentences longer than six months must seek parole or even a temporary absence through the parole board rather than through the prison directors;
* Victims will be notified when their assailants are eligible for parole, when the hearing will be held, and what the release date will be;
* Victims will be allowed to send written reports for parole officials to consider.

There will be more emphasis on rehabilitation, Dupuis said, because sooner or later, all inmates are released. Inmates need to know to respect the law when they return to life outside of jail, he said.

The new pot of money will also be used to hire 90 full-time and 16 part-time staff to carry out the new evaluations and follow-ups.