Conditional Release Conclusion

The parole system is not perfect, but it probably works a good deal better than most Canadians give it credit for doing. The next time you hear or read about a parolee committing a violent crime, try to remember all the success stories that the media is not covering.

True, if an innocent person suffers or dies because of a mistake made by the parole board, all the successes in the world are not going to correct the situation; but occasional incidents like this have to be balanced against the violence that unrehabilitated criminals would likely inflict on society upon release from an incarceration system that concentrates entirely on punishment and deterrence.