Parole board cries for help in wake of changes to criminal pardon system
Posted January 12, 2011 4:15 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA – The Parole Board says it needs more staff, more funding, better training and access to intelligence sources in the wake of changes to the pardon system.
The changes require the board to assess the behaviour of pardon applicants from the time they were convicted to ensure granting a pardon will not “bring the administration of justice into disrepute.”
The challenges are detailed in documents obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act.
The changes mean the board will need new information-sharing arrangements with Interpol, the Canada Border Services Agency and Citizenship and Immigration.
Pardon officers were also given courses and access to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
The documents say they need to explore social networks to understand pardon applicants’ behaviour and attitudes and to make sure they are law-abiding citizens.
The changes came after former hockey coach Graham James was quietly pardoned for sex convictions involving three young hockey players.
