Application & Hearing Process

---

Types of Applications

Parole

If an applicant would like to apply for parole, they must speak with the Institutional Liaison Officer or their Native Institutional Liaison Officer in their institution. The liaison officer will help the applicant develop a Parole Release Plan for the OPB to consider when deciding to grant or deny the application.

Temporary Absence

If an applicant would like to apply for a temporary absence, they must speak with the Temporary Absence Coordinator in their institution. The coordinator is responsible for reviewing all applications, obtaining community reports and providing recommendations to the applicant.

Parole Eligibility

An applicant is eligible for parole after completing one-third of their sentence. This is called the Parole Eligibility Date (PED). If an applicant is serving a sentence of six months or more, by law, they will automatically be scheduled for a parole hearing. If the applicant is serving a sentence of less than 6 months, they must apply if they want to be considered for parole.

Applicants who are under the age of 18 years and sentenced to an adult sentence are also eligible to apply for parole, however, those who are under the age of 18 years and sentenced under the Youth Criminal Justice Act are not generally eligible for parole.

For more information on parole eligibility, please contact the institution. A list of provincial institutions can be found here.

Parole Hearings

A parole hearing is a proceeding before the OPB to determine whether an applicant can safely be released from custody back into the community before the natural expiry of their custodial sentence. During the parole hearing, applicants are given an opportunity to tell the OPB why they should be granted parole.

If an applicant has a hearing, it does not mean they will be released on parole. The decision to grant or deny parole is based on the careful review of all relevant information in the applicant's file, a victim submission (if one has been provided) and any other relevant information provided to the OPB, including submissions from the applicant during the hearing.

The purpose of the hearing is to assist the OPB in the assessment of risk by obtaining information directly from the applicant and other participants. If parole is denied, the applicant will be informed of the reasons why parole was denied.

The OPB is one of thirteen tribunals that form Tribunals Ontario (TO). TO is committed to ensuring that French language services are clearly visible, easily accessible, and publicized and of equivalent quality to services offered in English. If you require French Language Services at your hearing, complete the Request for French Language Services form and submit by email to OPBregistrar@ontario.ca.

The Parole Guide

OPB's Your Guide to Parole in Ontario (Parole Guide) provides detailed information on parole eligibility, the parole hearing process and how to create a Parole Release Plan. The Parole Guide is also available to applicants through the Institutional Liaison Officer (ILO).

For more information on applying for parole in Ontario, applicants and their families are encouraged to read the OPB's Guide to Parole in Ontario. It is very important that applicants and their support persons understand the parole process and the factors that are considered by the OPB when determining a parole application.  It is also important that applicants and their support persons are aware of the resources that are available to them.

A copy of the guide is available on our Resources webpage.