Top Pardoned Offences in Canada

Express Pardons discusses the National Parole Boards Top Pardoned Offences.

These figures were just released by the National Parole Board and show what the most common pardoned offences have been for the last 10 years.

Rank	Pardoned Offence	Total Granted
1	Driving with more than 80 mgs of alcohol in 100 ml of blood	67024
2	Assault	30634
3	Theft	28779
4	Driving while ability impaired	28510
5	Breach of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act	24378
6	Breach of the Narcotic Control Act	21665
7	Break, enter and theft	14057
8	Theft under $1000	13570
9	Mischief	9486
10	Fail to appear	9326

Source: Parole Board of Canada 2011

Canadians to Protest the Pardon Fee Increase

Express Pardons encourages all Canadians to act now to prevent the Canadian government from increasing the pardon fee from $150 to $631. From now until February 27th Canadians can protest the fee change and voice their concerns via mail or email.

Government of Canada Pardon Facts

Express Pardons reports the Government of Canada’s Pardon statistics in their current blog. According the Parole Board of Canada:

 

• From 2008 to 2009 39,628 pardons were granted in Canada
• In the last 5 years 111, 769 pardons were granted in Canada
• Since 1970 more than 400,000 pardons were granted in Canada
• Of those 400,000 pardons granted in the past 40 years, 96% are still in effect
• Only 4% of pardons granted in the past 40 years have been revoked

What is the National Parole Board?

Adding to the Express Pardons article on the role of the National Parole Board, The National Parole Board is a Canadian Government agency that is responsible for Canadian Pardons.  The National Parole Board can grant pardons, deny pardon applications, cancel pardon applications, terminate pardon applications and revoke pardons, day parole and full parole.  All Canadian pardons are processed through the National Parole Board.   The National Parole Boards acts under the authority of the Criminal Records Act which gives them the guidelines and parameters to grant, deny or overturn pardons.  The National Parole Board will grant pardons based on pardon laws and legislation that are determined by the Canadian government.

Pardon Filing Fees With The National Parole Board Increase

The National Parole Board submitted a request to be considered in Parliament to have the filing fees increased. This request was evaluated and passed.

In addition to the referenced Parliamentary session, the National Parole Board has confirmed by phone to the author, that the fees have been passed, yet not enacted as the NPB is awaiting completion of the bureaucratic parliamentary process (in other words, being published in the Parliamentary Gazette and signed into law).

Taking this into account, it is STRONGLY suggested, that you apply for your pardon as soon as possible.

GPS Tracking for Criminals?

First SCRAM ankle bracelets for individuals and ignition interlock devices for cars to monitor alcohol consumption, now GPS systems used specifically to track the whereabouts of criminals?

It could happen if provincial justice departments get their way. The idea was proposed to track offenders that are released on the conditions of a peace bond, a common sentence for individuals involved in domestic disputes and spousal abuse. The sentence is handed based on the condition that the offender keeps the peace, and stays away from their victim, for an allotted period of time in order to meet the conditions of their sentence and ultimately stay out of jail.

With the proposed GPS tracking systems, offenders released on the conditions of peace bonds could have their whereabouts monitored at all times. For an offender convicted of spousal abuse, monitoring bracelets could be enforced to keep an eye on the offender and provide additional protection to the offender’s victim, with the hopes of ultimately preventing further abuse. It is unclear as to whether or not this will pass into legislation but lawmakers hope to have this program introduced into the legal system.

Express Pardons can help individuals with criminal records obtain Canadian Pardons and US Entry waivers.

The National Parole Board and Canadian Pardons

The National Parole Board is a branch of the Canadian Government within the Ministry of Public Safety Canada.  Every pardon application is submitted to the National Parole Board and the board is responsible for approving or denying each application.  The Board is also an independent administrative tribunal that has exclusive authority under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act to grant, deny, cancel, terminate or revoke day parole and full parole.

• The National Parole Board (NPB), as part of the criminal justice system, makes independent, quality conditional release and pardon decisions and clemency recommendations. The Board contributes to the protection of society by facilitating as appropriate, the timely reintegration of offenders as law-abiding citizens.

• The Criminal Records Act (CRA) authorizes the National Parole Board to grant or refuse to grant pardons to persons convicted of offences under federal acts and regulations and to revoke a pardon or, under specific circumstances, declare that a pardon ceases to have effect.

According to the National Parole Board:

• A pardon is evidence that the conviction should no longer reflect negatively on a person’s character. In support of this statement, the Criminal Records Act restricts access to records under federal jurisdiction and removes any disqualifications that would result from a conviction. With regards to employment, the Criminal Records Act specifies that information about pardoned offences shall not be sought in the employment applications of organizations under federal jurisdiction. In addition, the Canadian Human Rights Act forbids federal agencies and departments to discriminate against an individual based on a pardoned record.

Express Pardons works closely with the National Parole Board guidelines to ensure that all pardon applications submitted on behalf of our clients are approved.  Please contact Express Pardons for more information regarding pardon applications.