What happens after I apply for parole?

Once the Adult Parole Board gets your parole application, it can do one of three things:

1. Refuse your parole application or
2. Defer your parole (put off deciding to a later date) or
3. Move your application to the next stage – a parole suitability assessment.

Important: the Board can make this decision without speaking to you. You will be told afterwards about the result of your application.

Option 1: Refuse your parole

If the Adult Parole Board refuses your application and denies parole, they do not have to give you reasons why.

You can write to the Board to request a review, but the Board does not have to review the decision. If they refuse to review your decision, they will let you know in writing.

For most people there is no limit to the number of parole applications you can make. This means that you can just apply for parole again.

The situation is different for people serving a life sentence who have been refused parole. In this situation, the Board can set a minimum period of time until you are allowed to apply again (no longer than five years). The Board can only grant parole during this period if:

• You are in imminent danger of dying or are seriously incapacitated, meaning you don’t have the physical ability to harm anyone or
• You have demonstrated that you don’t pose a risk to the community.

Option 2: Defer your parole

If the Adult Parole Board decides to defer your parole, this means that the Board does not think your application should go to the next step yet. But you can apply again later.

If this happens, the Adult Parole Board should give you:

• A date when you can re-apply and
• Reasons why your application was deferred.

One of the most common reasons the Board defers parole is when a person cannot provide a suitable address to live at on parole. The Board might defer your parole to give you time to find somewhere suitable to live.

If the Board doesn’t think you have enough time left in your sentence to find somewhere suitable to live, they might refuse your parole instead.

Option 3: Moving your application to the next stage: Parole Suitability Assessment

If the Adult Parole Board decides to move your application to the next stage, you will have a “parole suitability assessment”. You are not guaranteed parole at this stage.

Community Corrections will prepare a report with information about your:

• Risk to the community
• Employment/job history
• Family and social life
• Drug and alcohol use history
• Behaviour in prison
• The place you are going to live if you get parole

They will make a recommendation about whether you should be allowed parole, and what parole conditions you should have.

Important: If you are classified as a Serious Violent Offender or Sex Offender, Community Correctional Services will also prepare a review of your behaviour in prison. This includes information about:

• Whether your behaviour in prison was positive or negative
• What your work ethic in prison was like
• Who you associated with in prison
• Your ability to control your emotions
• Any violent behaviour in prison
• Any substance abuse in prison
• Your relationships with your family and friends in the community
• Whether you are interested in working with support services
• Any evidence of sexual aggression