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I , Government Gouvernement of Canada du Canada
National Commission nationale des Parole Board libérations conditionnelles DECEMBER 1984 \<(/
TO THE STAFF AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD
A yearly source of amazement to me is how the warmth of the spirit of Christmas tends to invade one's sensibilities during the early parts of December. This is not caused by the crass commercialization which seems to begin almost before Grey Cup day, nor the decorations that tend to be found in the windows of commercial establishments (and even on office partitions), nor is it necessarily the music that one hears repetitively on the radio.
This warmth tends to gradually seep in and evoke memories, some of them sad and some of them happy, of the past year. It also brings forward memories of fi Ili friends and associates, some of whom are still with us li iii and others who are not. But most significant, it make one realize how important to one's peace of mind are the people with whom one ii iii works, and how inter-dependent we are one with the El§ in other.
,111 Itï As a reflection of this warmth, may I simply pass on to you my kindest personal regards and best wishes for a warm Christmas with your loved ones, and to thank you for your continuing contribution to the work of the
Board. LIBRARY MINISTRY OF THE SOLICITOR
15 1987
BIBLIOTHEQUE CanadU MINISTÈRE DU SOLLICIIEUR GÉNtRAL NPB Action CNLC II CRIMINAL IMMERSION (in Lavai)
The 22nd Congress of la Société de criminologie du Québec was held October 24 - 26 at Laval with Deputy Solicitor General Jean Charron as guest of honour on opening day. This year, the general theme was "The criminal justice system: its raison d'être and evolution". Meetings and workshops were organized under three particular themes: foundations of the Canadian criminal justice system, new orientations in the system for minors, and for adults.
Senior Board Member Jean Paul Gilbert, as president of la Société (since 1979) and Guy Petit-Clair, Regional Administrator/Case Supervision were members of the organizing committee.
A special workshop on life sentences was held at the Federal Training Centre before an audience comprised of about thirty inmates of that institution (some serving life sentences), as well as participants of the Congress, criminologists, members from the committee for prisoners' rights, and so on. The panel, presided over by Professor Guy Lemire of the department of Criminology of the Université de Montréal, was composed of Board Member Roméo Beaupré, Judge Jacques Lessard of the Session Court, and Gilles Thibault, an inmate from the Federal Training Centre. ; 3
M. Beaupré presented statistics on life sentences and, in a brief talk, defined the mandate of the NPB and the criteria by which it makes its decisions, underlining that the Board takes into account the inmate's rights and needs. Afterwards M. Beaupré and Regional Manager/Case Preparation Michel Frappier answered questions from the floor, principally on life sentences, parole eligibility after 25 years, and programs of reintegration - judged insufficient by those serving long sentences.
M. Beaupré indicated after the Congress that he considered it regrettable that the question of victims' rights was not addressed during the workshop.
REO Serge Lavallée participated in a workshop on judicial decisions relative to correctional concerns. Renée Millette, lawyer for the office of Inmates Rights, stressed the excellent cooperation between the NPB and her organization, remarking that the Board was fully conversant with the rights of inmates and always available when problems arose. The participants in this workshop, CSC case managers and residential unit managers, expressed concern at the scope of inmates' rights in the area of access to information and procedural safeguards.
On the closing day, M. Gilbert, as outgoing president, presented the "société' Beccaria prize to Micheline Baril, Doctor of Criminology at the Université de Montréal; the Archambault-Fauteux prize to the Law Reform Commission, accepted by its president, Mr. Justice Allen M. Linden; and the Denis Gagné prize to the Lakeshore YMCA for its crime prevention work with young people during the past year. WHAT'S IN A NAME?
Many years ago (I could have said a long time ago but...) I was asked what my last name was by an interviewer. I replied "It's Long". Long pause... The interviewer (he seemed a bit short-tempered at this point) asked again "What's your last name?" And again I replied "It's Long". Red-faced at this point he said It I don't care how long it is, it will still fit in the space. Now what's your name?"
What's in a name?
Recently I read an article in the Winnipeg Free Press on Dave Rempel who was awarded the CSC's citation for meritorious service. The headline read "Parole godfather friend to inmates". For those of you who have been in the "system" for a good number of years, the human interest story on Rempel's outstanding career was well deserved. However, in the second paragraph the reporter referred to him as the "godfather of the local National Parole Board office". Rempel served admirably with the National Parole Service, which used to be part of the NPB until the late 70's when it became an arm of the CSC. 5
Often though media references to the National Parole Service (which no longer exists as a separate entity) and to parole officers (who are now affectionately known as CMOI's* or CMOC's* within CSC) are equated by the public with the NPB and staff of the Board, in the same way that "mandatory supervision" is often used interchangeably with "parole".
What's in a name?
In a recent letter to the Chairman of the NPB, a member of the public wrote:
"It did not escape my notice that the National Parole Board's 6th floor, Ottawa District Office, 150 Kent St. is protected from the public by a shock resistant glass enclosure, with only a small speak hole through which one can communicate with the Parole Board staff. Of course a buzzer must be sounded to draw the staff's attention to the fact that a visitor is in the area. Surely the Parole Board staff is not being protected from the victims. Is it possible that the Board is unsure of the inmates' ability to cope with the stress of living free or is it their propènsity for violence?".
To this, the Chairman replied:
"The Ottawa District Office, 150 Kent Street, is an office of the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC), not the National Parole Board. Parole officers who supervise inmates on release in the community are staff of the CSC, not the Board...".
* CMOC - Case Management Officer Community * CMOI - Case Management Officer Institution 6
Some recent headlines in the press:
"Parole reform in works"
- the article is devoted sol,ely to changes in the mandatory supervision system.
"Cop Killer on Day Pass"
- the report focuses on the release of an inmate held under a Lieutenant Governor's Warrant.
"Readers want Tougher Parole Regulations"
"Another killer has fled after being released from prison on a day pass. The parole system allows inmates in jail for life to walk our streets after serving only one-sixth of their time"
- Where is the logic?
What's in a name?
To make a 1 long'story short (as Senior Member Roy Evans has often said) what can we do to change this situation? Sometimes nothing. Often it is simply a matter of dealing with the media using clear precise language, avoiding jargon. The media should not have to guess what the Board is saying, and use of clear, precise language will cut the guessing down to a minimum. 7
The Communications Division is currently working on a Media Guide for Board spokespersons, and for Board Members and staff who have contact with the media and the public. It contains many ideas and suggestions that should help in our public relations efforts, along with a number of other useful tidbits of information.
This guide will be available in late March.
Lemman Long
For your information
If you haven't already seen the October 30 issue of CSC's LET'S TALK, we recommend you pick up a copy. There's a special section on 'suicide'. In 1983, 20 inmates took their own lives; in 1982, the number was 15. One hopes this is not a trend. Typically, according to the insert, these suicides "tend to be young, male, single, under-educated, and have scars or tattoos. They are serving short sentences in a high-security level prison. They have alcohol and/or drug abuse problems, and have attempted suicide previously".
Not unnaturally, this is a matter of grave concern to the CSC, so much that the Service is aiming to give all institutional staff at least two days' training in suicide prevention. The insert describes what CSC is doing to sensitize its staff through workshops in the regions. 8
EDUCATING THE YOUNG
This year, the Communications Division commissioned a survey to gauge how the NPB and parole are perceived by Canada's youth.
Decima Research interviewed students in high schools selected at random in Nova Scotia, Québec, Ontario, and Alberta and the group's efforts tipped us to the fact that we've got work to do if we are to inform young people adequately about the value of parole and the effectiveness of the Board.
Some of Decima's rather alarming findings:
- Only 54 per cent of those interviewed have heard of the Board, although they have a vague idea of what parole is; - On average, the students feel that only about 45 per cent of parolees will complete their parole successfully; 9
- The students believe that about 40 per cent of those convicted of offences return to society unsupervised; - Most feel that juvenile offenders will become adult offenders.
On the positive side, Decima determined that:
- Seventy six per cent of those interviewed believe inmates should start back into society before the end of their sentence; - Eighty two per cent say parole is a useful means of getting released convicts back into the community.
What can be done to help ensure that today's students bring to their adult lives the proper perception of the important part parole plays in our criminal justice system?
Provincial departments of education and school officials in the four provinces tested say they would like to see an NPB information kit on parole made available to students.
Such a kit could be used as part of criminal law courses currently on the drawing board in many provinces. In fact, such a course is planned for introduction in Québec schools in 1986.
The four provinces have expressed their willingness to participate in the design, development and use of the kit, and consultations to date indicate contents should 10
include a video program, a teacher's manual, and an information booklet. As well, the concept is firmly supported by private sector criminal justice agencies such as the John Howard Society and the Elizabeth Fry Society.
Assisting our youth to become well-educated and well-informed is surely one of the chief challenges we face. Through the development of an NPB information kit for use in the schools we would be in a position to help meet that challenge.
- Al Strickland
EARLE DID IT AGAIN. .
He drew the holly and doves of peace that illustrate our Christmas issue - as he did last year. He's our resident artist extraordinaire! (Disguised as Earle Hanratty, Personnel Officer at H.Q.) Thanks, Earle. 11
TO TAPE OR NOT TO TAPE?
ITEM ONE - In the October NATIONAL, the monthly publication of the Canadian Bar Foundation, the following short item appeared under the heading "Judges asked to let cameras in courts":
There are no longer any good reasons for keeping tape recorders and cameras out of Canadian courtrooms during trials, news media representatives have told the Canadian Association of Provincial Judges.
The judges, who were considering the question of electronic public access to the courts at their annual meeting in St. John's, watched a videotaped summary of the arguments in favor of and opposed to television and radio access to trials.
The tape...showed how television access to U.S. courts has developed and how it has affected coverage of trials.
The Canadian Judicial Council has said there is no place in the courtroom for cameras, but...news organizations were heartened by recent statements by Chief Justice Brian Dickson who hinted he may be willing to reconsider the question.
ITEM TWO - In the Ottawa Citizen, November 12, there was an article by staff writer, Stephen Bindman under the heading "TV cameras needed in court: j udge" . The judge in question was Mr. Justice Samuel Grange of the Ontario Court of Appeal, head of the inquiry into the suspicious baby deaths at the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children earlier this year. He had allowed cameras at the inquiry. 12
At the annual convention of the Criminal Lawyers' Association on November 10, Justice Grange said that "the public would get a better picture of the justice system if they could see it, instead of just reading about it in newspapers".
(Grange) "If it's a public trial, surely the public has a right to see it.
(The Citizen) "Although most stations could not broadcast entire trials and would be forced to edit, Grange says that already occurs when newspapers report on trials. 'I haven't found that TV excerpts are any better or worse than print. They can't do everything so they do what they think is important'."
The judge admits that he is in the minority on this issue with his colleagues. "They think justice will suffer and our traditions will be aff.ected. The only reason I'm not of that school is because I've had a little experience and I found that is not so. I think if my colleagues tried it, they'd be surprised."
According to lawyer Edward Greenspan, there would be a "serious danger" because judges, lawyers and witnesses would be tempted to "ham it up" for the cameras.
Judge Grange disagreed. "We're all a pack of hams but we're a little scared to ham it if we think we're going to be seen across the nation. You stop scratching behind your ears, falling asleep in the afternoon. You stop pontificating if you're a judge and wagging your finger too hard if you're a lawyer." 13
(Editor: Television influences us mightily, whether we know it - or like it - or not. The new world of electronic communications is bursting around us. We have to come to terms with it, sooner or later. New media, like new tools, can be intimidating, probably because of the unfamiliar...and in the case of television, there is also the ancient tribal fear of image rep]ication. As Judge Grange said, "we're a little scared" - somebody out there is watching. We'll be reporting on the these trends, as they affect the criminal justice system, from time to time. In fact, we already have a story that has more relevance to the Board in the works for the next issue of NPB ACTION. Maybe you have opinions on the subject. Please let us know. We'd be happy to hear them.)
From the GLOBE & MAIL NOVEMBER 7, 1984
Stelco must rehire employee PRISON WORK PLAN IS RULED MANDATORY
The Divisional Court has upheld a labor arbitrator's ruling that employers under collective agreements must participate in temporary absence programs that allow prison inmates to continue working.
Stelco Inc. had challenged a decision by arbitrator George Adams saying contracts giving the employer a right to fire only for just cause impose an "affirmative obligation on the employer to participate in a temporary absence program unless it cari establish a compelling business justification for refusing to participate." 14
The "just cause" clause is common to nearly all collective agreements giving employers the right to fire.
The case involved a Stelco worker in Hamilton who was jailed for two years less a day for conspiracy to traffic in narcotics while he was laid off. When he was recalled, he was still in jail but Stelco refused to participate in the temporary absence program, in effect firing him.
He is still working for Stelco after being reinstated with back pay by last year's arbitration.
TA programs are designed to give some inmates the chance to keep a job. Prison authorities let the inmate go to work, providing he or she returns to jail at night. The program depends on cooperation from employers, who report work schedules and any absences from work.
Paul Cavalluzzo (who represented the United Steelworkers of America in the case) said it is the first time a court has ruled there is an obligation for employers to participate in this type of program.
Mr. Adams' ruling said the obligation would not apply if, for example, the jailing was on a conviction that was work-related and itself grounds for dismissal, such as theft from the employer. 15
TIGHTER "MS" RULES CALLED FOR
We all know that many of the serious incidents that occur during conditional release involve those on mandatory supervision. Think of the times members or NPB staff have patiently explained to friends, loved ones or the public in general that the front page news was caused by someone on ms, not on parole.
Well, some end to the confusion may be at hand.
Solicitor General Elmer MacKay has ordered a tightening up of the rules governing mandatory supervision. The Correctional Service has been instructed to introduce measures to make the consequences of violent behaviour within penitentiaries more severe. From now on, any inmate showing any assaultive behaviour during incarceration will lose more remission time than in the past and thus will not be eligible for release under ms until nearer the end of the sentence.
In his October 26th press release making the announcement, Mr. MacKay explained the rationale for the stricter ms rules.
"More must be done to assure the people of Canada that when we suspect the potential for violence among inmates, we will not release them until their sentences have fully expired or until we are satisfied that the control over these people is adequate," he said. 16
Nonetheless, the Solicitor General said he expects the Chairman of the Parole Board and the Commissioner of Corrections to remain committed to the release of non-violent offenders in a manner consistent with established eligibility periods. He also gave the NPB full marks for taking due regard for public safety and risk when it exercises its legislative responsibility for parole.
REPORTS FROM THE REGIONS
. . . ATLANTIC
Early in October, Gerry Greene, Regional Manager/Case Supervision (Atlantic) participated in a police/parole workshop involving the RCMP in Marystown, Nfld. Discussions centered around supervision, earned remission, and other general parole items. The police were particularly interested in the running of an institution and Gerry (who had inside experience) was able to answer their many questions. (Ed. note: Seriously, at one time Gerry worked at Dorchester Penitentiary as assistant warden. He knows whereof he speaks!) 17
Also in October, our reporter (and Correspondence and Information Officer) Anne-Marie Kowalchuk attended a Privacy Operational Coordinators workshop hosted by CSC. Subjects discussed included: CSC and NPB exemptions policies re inmates' files; current status of negotiations with the provinces re the Privacy Act; NPB's summary sheet; sharing of information with offenders; disclosure, consent and collection of information. The consensus was that a lot of confusion still exists in the area of privacy.
. . . QUEBEC
We see him here, we see him there...
Senior Board Member Jean Paul Gilbert has had a busy few months spreading the word about the work of the Board.
On October 2 he was the guest of honour at the Richelieu Club at Boucherville where he gave a speech entitled "The NPB and the problems of crime". The evening was such a success, he was invited to repeat the experience at the Richelieu Club in nearby St. Bruno on November 14. On both occasions, there were numerous questions from the floor on the role of the NPB in assisting inmates to re-enter society. 18
On October 26, M. Gilbert was interviewed by Claude Poirier of radio station CKVL, Montreal about the recent declarations of Solicitor General MacKay on the changes the latter would like to make to the law relative to mandatory supervision. He also spoke about the Board's role as it relates to the inmate and society.
November 6 Was an especially busy day. M. Gilbert participated in a program on public radio station CIBL-FM on the subject of community work assigned to certain inmates. He also stressed the work done in the community by the CSC and the NPB in collaboration with numerous non-profit organizations. The same day, M. Gilbert and others from the Board participated in the taping of the television program FORUM on Channel 10, CFTM-TV, Montreal. The format consists of special guests presenting their views, and others responding. In this case, there was Jean-Claude Berheim, President of the Prisoners' Rights Organization, with M. Gilbert, REO Serge Lavallée and Regional Administrator/Case Supervision Guy Petit-Clair representing the Board. The panelists discussed the value of correctional programs and the success rate of parole. The program was telecast November 28 and a tape is available in our Montreal office.
M. Gilbert also represented the Board at a ceremony during Crime Prevention Week (November 4 - 10) when the MP for Vaudreuil, Pierre Cadieux presented the Solicitor General's Crime Prevention Award to Mrs. Dorothy Linkletter. The prize is awarded annually to an individual or group who has worked toward crime 19
prevention in the community and who is not part of a formal protection agency. For many years Mrs. Linkletter has been working with citizens' committees to prevent juvenile delinquency, to help juvenile delinquents in court, and to improve correctional and support services for the youth in the West Island communities of Montreal.
In his address, M. Gilbert said that statistics show that 70 percent of offenders over 18 years of age started their criminal activities as juveniles.
He also said that the number of juveniles involved in crime is increasing.
— Louise Bessette
. . . ONTARIO
They're either very busy - or nothing's happening. No news this time around. 20
. . PRAIRIES
Things must be quiet.out on the range which is good news, we hope. Nonetheless, we did manage to get a little news, like two meetings involving the CACP/FCA. By the way, that little acronymn stands for Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police/Federal Corrections Association - a district subcommittee of the NJC (National Joint Committee) of which we wrote in the January ('84) issue of NPB ACTION.
Back to the meetings...the first, on November 15, was actually a workshop, attended by Board Member Noel Sharp, Regional Manager/Case Supervision Len Meier (who is also our reporter), and Regional Manager, Case Preparation John Bissett. Held in Kindersley, Saskatchewan, the workshop dealt with "Sexual Abuse in the Home". The police provided an offender profile of such sexual abusers.
On November 20, Board people attended a meeting with Jim O'Sullivan, warden of Saskatchewan Penitentiary to discuss the new Special Handling Unit, opened in August of this year. Mr. O'Sullivan also described the maximum security arrangements of the institution and the inmates incarcerated there. The building houses up to 80 inmates; there are 49 being held there at the present time. Lorraine Kroeker, Correspondence and Information Privacy Officer, Al Risling, Verifications Officer, and Len Meier attended the meeting. 21
. . . PACIFIC
(Editor: As you see from Al Strickland's story, "Educating the Young" on page 8 , there is a definite job to be done in getting the conditional release story across to our young people who will be the movers and shakers of Canadian society in the not too distant future.
There are over 300 secondary schools in the province of British Columbia alone. This story from the Pacific Region indicates a step in the right direction.)
On November 15, Fraser Simmons, Acting . REO (Pacific) spoke to 90 students in a North Vancouver high school during a class on criminal law. He explained the voting structure of the Board, mandatory supervision, criteria for release, categories of offenders such as dangerous offenders, habituais, life minimum and life maximum, and parole in general.
Class participation was excellent and many questions were asked during the one-hour session. When he explained that the average time served by a dangerous sekual offender before parole release was 16 years, a (female) student enquired: "Do you really think that these perverts are cured after only sixteen years? Are they EVER really cured?"
The consensus seemed to be: (a) Murderers should never been released; (b) sex offenders do not serve enough time - they should never get out; (c) supervision is not adequate - "they don't follow them around 24 hours a day, do they?". 22
Fraser did an excellent job responding to "contentious issues" and now, at least one high school has a more accurate picture of the National Parole Board.
NOTE: The next speakers scheduled for this class are a forensic psychiatrist and a làwyer. — Debra Kihara
Family Visitors
Guy Petit-Clair and Michel Frappier of the Board's Montréal office played host recently to about 20 new CSC employees. The visitors toured our new facilities in Place Guy Favreau, and met with Senior Board Member Jean Paul Gilbert and REO Serge Lavallée. In response to questions, Serge gave his point of view on the future of the correctional system and inmates rights.
The visit was much appreciated and apparently Guy and Michel stand ready to repeat the experience as needed. 23
THE BOOK CORNER
A little blue book has made the rounds of the Communications Division that may be of interest to NPB staff, particularly those involved in developing policy.
Entitled "Crime Prevention Through Social Development" and prepared by the Canadian Council on Social Development and the Canadian Criminal Justice Association, it puts forward the view that persistent and serious criminals tend to be brought up as children in socially disadvantaged situations.
The booklet proposes continuation and expansion of social development activities to reduce crime in Canada, and contains several suggestions as to how this might be done.
These include:
- Developing programs which are accessible and acceptable to disadvantaged young persons with personal and social difficulties; 24
- Increasing the integration of public and non-public housing, thereby diminishing the high concentration of disadvantaged young persons in one area;
- Creating more challenging and relevant recreational programs for disadvantaged young persons, particularly those considered a high risk potential for committing crime.
Sound interesting? If you want a copy, you can obtain one at no charge from either the Canadian Council on Social Development, 55 Parkdale Avenue, Ottawa, (K1Y 4G1), or from the Canadian Criminal Justice Association, 55 Parkdale Avenue, Ottawa, K1Y 1E5.
Two other documents that crossed our desk recently also make for an interesting read, if the subject matter is close to your heart. Issued as Working Papers by the Law Reform Commission of Canada, the topics are Defamatory Libel (WP 35) and Arson (WP 36).
With regard to the former, in a brief history of the laws pertaining to defamatory libel, it seems that provisions for such matters in Canada's Criminal Code have not been changed substantially since 1892 - high time for a new look, one would think.
Chapter headings include Present law, Defects in the present criminal law, and The question of abolition or retention of criminal defamatory libel. 25
The paper quotes Iago in Shakespeare's "Othello":
...he that filches from me my good name robs me of that which not enriches him, and makes me poor indeed."
Another Paper deals with arson as it applies to property. According to the authors, "(it) is to give special consideration to those factors which set it apart from ordinary vandalism, and to determine whether these factors justify different treatment for the arsonist and the vandal." "Spreading fire creates an obvious risk to adjacent properties and people in and about these properties, and, of course, to firemen called in to fight the blaze." There is also the element of using arson to defraud insurers. Lots of questions to ask and be answered.
At the beginning of each Paper it is stated that "This Working Paper presents the views of the Commission at this time. The Commission's final views will be presented later in its Report to the Minister of Justice and Parliament, when the Commission has taken into account comments received in the meantime from the public."
If you have something to say on either of these matters, you can obtain copies of the Papers and send yo'ir comments to, the Seeretary, Law Reform Commission of Canada, 130 Albert Street, Ottawa, K1A 0L6. 26
The Ministry Programs Branch has just released its 1984 edition Selected Trends in Canadian Criminal Justice (the first appeared in 1981). The objective of the publication is to provide "the most recent statistical data on criminal justice - statistics which highlight major trends in crime and its impact, in criminal justice programs, and in criminal justice expenditures."
Herewith a sampling of the material:
HOW MUCH CRIME IN CANADA?
- Total offence rates have almost tripled between 1962 and 1981, from 4,287.1 to 11,782.2 offences per 100,000 Canadians.
- During this period, both violent and property crime rates increased steadily. Violent crimes remained a small proportion of the total, while property crimes were much more frequent (around 50% of the total).
- Over the last four years of the survey period (1977-81), the total offence rate went up 23.3%; violent offences rates increased 15.1% (homicide, attempted murder, sexual assault, assault, and robbery); property offence rates increased 29.9% (break and enter, theft of motor vehicle, theft, possession of stolen goods, and fraud). 27
PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF CRIME
- Canadians vastly overestimate the proportion of crime which involves violence...whereas, in 1981 for example, violent offences represented only 57% of the total reported to the police.
- Canadians think that murders increased in recent years; in fact, murders declined. Since 1976 when capital punishment was abolished, homicide and murder show a slight decrease both in number and rates.
- Canadians also think that offenders released on parole are more likely to commit crimes of violence soon after release (at least 40% of offenders). The official figure is about 13%.
AGE AND SEX OF VICTIMS
- Persons under 25 are the most frequent victims of personal offences.
- Women are seven times more likely than men to be victims of sexual assault - and also to be victims of theft of personal property. Men are almost twice as likely to be victims of robbery or assault.
Other data, such as the cost of victimization, is provided - by type of incident, sex, family income and age, physical cost, not to mention criminal justice 28
costs for police courts, corrections, level of qovprnment. There is a section on adults and juveniles charged, and ^y age and offence.
People think the courts are too lenient. For example, over half of the respondents to a survey thought that convictions for break and entry resulted in incarceration in less than 30% of the cases, whereas the official figure is 55%.
There is other information. The publication is a valuable research tool for anyone requiring concisely presented substântive material ... or looking for an answer to a question.
The Ministry Programs Branch has been busy.
Last, but certainly not least, we have received from them Bulletin No.3, culled from the Canadian Urban Victimization Survey (see last month's NPB ACTION).. The title is Crime Prevention: Awareness and Practice. The timing tied in nicely with Crime Prevention Week in early November. The Bulletin focusses on "public perception of crime, and on the relationship between perceptions of crime, estimated rates of victimization, and the precautions citizens take to reduce the risk of being victimized". 29
In a seeming dichotomy, it appears that the majority of urban residents perceived their own neighborhood crime rate as low and stable, even when city crime rates were thought to be rising. Residents were most likely to feel fearful walking alone after dark in Montreal. (But take heart, Montrealers. This city had one of the lowest estimated rates of perceived crime.) • Halifax/Dartmouth came next (with the second highest rate of personal crime), followed by Winnipeg where the estimated rate was close to the national average.
Fear for personal safety apparently has less to do with statistical risk of victimization than with perceived vulnerability. (Are we becoming a nation of scaredy-cats?)
In 1981, there were more than 700,000 personal vicitimizations - and 900,000 household victimizations. Not suprisingly, almost 1/3 of personal crimes occurred during the simmer months (32%) and in autumn (30%) when outdoor activities are highest. Also the hours between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. are favourite times for criminal activity. Households usually unoccupied during the day had 'a victimization rate of 113 per 1,000 vs 79 per 1,000 for houses in which someone was usually at home. Most break-and-enter crimes were through unlocked or easy-to-open windows and doors. 30
In essence, there were three important lessons to be learned,from the study:
1) More crime is directed against property than against people. 2) Serious violent crime is relatively rare. 3) Many crimes can be prevented by employing simple things such as better locks, careful storage of small items, and making houses look "lived in" - to name a few.
There's a lot of information in both Ministry publications. For copies, contact the Communications Division, Programs Branch, Solicitor General of Canada, 340 Laurier Avenue, West, Ottawa K1A 0P8.
FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK
It's hard to believe that a whole year has passed since we prepared a Christmas issue of NPB ACTION. During that year, miracle of miracles (or so it seemed at times!), we published nine issues of the newsletter.
We tried to keep you informed of events and happenings
- at HQ and the regions - that had an impact on the work we do and the work within the criminal justice system, particularly as it affected the National Parole Board. 31
In the January issue, for example, we carried a story on a court case in N.B. that resulted in new Board policies to deal with inmate hearings. In February, we reported on a Community Board Members workshop in B.C., our new Automated Parole Information System, and the voting structure studies then underway. Throughout the year, we tried to explain various aspects of the Board's activities-even gave you little tidbits from the Secretariat and the CSC.
The Board was "in the news" a lot this year too - or so it seemed. Remember the Kontiki affair? In June, through NPB ACTION our Director of Communications gave us all some tips on how to respond to Statements like "So you're the ones who let all those guys out!". There's no doubt we've still got a lot of educating to do - particularly with regard to the public.
We expect there will be many more new and interesting stories to tell in the year ahead. In fact - but we'll let you wait and see.
We'd like to add to the Chairman's greetings and wish you all