C-221 (45-1) - An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (disclosure of information to victims)
Chamber
commons
Stage
2nd Reading
Introduced
Sep 17, 2025
Progress
This bill requires that victims be told not just release dates but also how those dates were calculated.
Key Changes
- Victims must now receive an explanation of how eligibility and review dates for parole and temporary absences were determined
- Victims must also receive an explanation of how any confirmed release date was calculated
- These requirements apply to both general federal offenders and to offenders serving life or indeterminate sentences
- Coordinating amendments ensure consistency with a related bill (An Act to Bring Fairness for the Victims of Violent Offenders) regardless of which legislation comes into force first
Gotchas
- The bill does not define what level of detail or format the 'explanation' must take, which could lead to inconsistent implementation across cases
- The bill includes coordinating amendments to align with another bill (An Act to Bring Fairness for the Victims of Violent Offenders), addressing potential conflicts depending on which law comes into force first
- Only victims who have registered to receive information under the Act are entitled to these disclosures — victims who have not registered are not affected
- The bill does not create any new rights for victims to challenge or appeal release dates; it only adds an informational requirement
Who's Affected
- Registered victims of federal offences who receive information disclosures under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act
- The Correctional Service of Canada, which must provide the additional explanations
- The Parole Board of Canada, whose decisions and date calculations must be explained to victims
Vibes
0 responses
Gotchas
- The bill does not define what level of detail or format the 'explanation' must take, which could lead to inconsistent implementation across cases
- The bill includes coordinating amendments to align with another bill (An Act to Bring Fairness for the Victims of Violent Offenders), addressing potential conflicts depending on which law comes into force first
- Only victims who have registered to receive information under the Act are entitled to these disclosures — victims who have not registered are not affected
- The bill does not create any new rights for victims to challenge or appeal release dates; it only adds an informational requirement
Summary
Bill C-221 amends the Corrections and Conditional Release Act to give crime victims more detailed information about an offender's release timeline. Currently, victims who register to receive information are told key dates — such as when an offender becomes eligible for parole, temporary absence, or statutory release — but are not told how those dates were calculated. This bill would require that an explanation of how each date was determined must also be provided to victims. The change applies to both federal offenders under the main corrections system and to offenders serving life sentences or indeterminate sentences under a separate part of the Act. The bill was introduced as a private member's bill by Mr. Arnold in September 2025. The intent is to make the corrections system more transparent for victims, helping them better understand the parole and release process rather than simply receiving dates without context.
Automatically generated from bill text using Claude
Vibes
0 responses