Camrose, AB – Kevin Sorenson, Member of Parliament for Crowfoot, and Minister of State (Finance) is pleased with Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s announcement that the Conservative Government will introduce legislation to further protect Canadian families by ending the practice of automatic early release for repeat violent offenders. “This measure is keeping with our Throne Speech promise and exactly the kind of protections that our riding has supported for many years,” Sorenson says.
Under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA), federal offenders serving fixed-term sentences are allowed to serve the final third of their sentence in the community under supervision and subject to conditions. The Government has determined that this is the wrong approach when it comes to repeat violent offenders. Therefore, under the proposed legislation, repeat violent offenders will no longer be granted statutory release after serving two-thirds of their sentence. These measures reflect the Government of Canada’s ongoing commitment to keep our streets and communities safe while ensuring that the rights of victims are placed over those of criminals.
Sorenson continues, “During my tenure as your Member of Parliament, constituents have contacted me concerned over cases where repeat violent offenders have been released – only to commit more violent crimes. Our government is doing something about it. We are committed to protecting Canadian families by ensuring that statutory release provisions are used with greater discipline and that violent offenders are kept off the streets and out of our communities.”
“I look forward to the debate once the pending legislation has been tabled in the House of Commons. Once again, we are putting the rights of innocent law-abiding Canadians – potential victims – ahead of the rights of the criminals – in this case the repeat violent offenders,” Sorenson concludes.
Quick Facts
Statutory release (SR) is a presumptive release by law at the two-thirds mark of a fixed sentence, and takes effect automatically unless the Parole Board of Canada determines that the offender is likely to commit another serious offence.
Under SR, eligible federal offenders serve the final third of their sentence in the community, under supervision and subject to conditions which can include a residency condition (i.e., reside at a ‘halfway-house’). Only offenders serving determinate (i.e., fixed-term) sentences are eligible for SR, whereas inmates serving a life sentence or an indeterminate sentence are always ineligible.
The proposed amendments to the Corrections and Conditional Release Act would seriously restrict statutory release for repeat federal offenders who have previously received a prison sentence of five years or more that includes a serious violent component.
The amendments will allow repeat offenders to be exposed to correctional programming in penitentiaries for a longer period of time to change behaviour which contributes to reoffending.
These changes complement other tough on crime actions introduced by our Government, including:
Tougher prison sentences for sexual offences against children, serious gun crimes, impaired driving, and selling drugs to children;
Providing the courts with the discretion to end sentence discounts for multiple murders; and,
Repealing the Faint Hope Clause which allowed offenders serving a life sentence with a parole ineligibility period of more than 15 years to apply for parole after serving 15 years in prison.
