The Council, which is part of our larger National Strategy on Community Safety and Crime Prevention, has announced that the focus of its efforts over the next three years will be on children and youth. Crime prevention is also an important part of the work of the National Parole Board and the Correctional Service of Canada. It is fact that the majority of federal offenders do serve their sentences and do not break the law after being released into the community. Statistics indicate that less than one per cent of those released on parole commit a violent crime. Fifteen per cent commit another crime and another 10 per cent breach their conditions of parole.
Public safety is the primary factor in all correctional decision-making.
And it is recognized that public safety is best served when offenders are given the treatment and training they need to successfully reintegrate into the community. That is why the Correctional Service offers programs such as literacy, anger management and life skills to help offenders acquire the skills they need to make a clean start in life. I said earlier that our approach to fighting crime is a balanced one. The Task Force report is a constructive effort by governments of all jurisdictions to look at the overall problem of high-risk offenders. The report, which includes 16 recommendations, makes a significant contribution to advancing our work.