Parole Parole allows an inmate to serve the remainder of his sentence in the community under the supervision of a parole or probation officer. The inmate is generally eligible for parole when he has served one-third of his punishment. For a sentence of life imprisonment, the inmate is eligible for parole after seven years into custody. For a first degree murder, the inmate is eligible for parole after 25 years into custody. For a second degree murder, the inmate is eligible for parole after having been into custody for a period of time extending from 10 to 25 years, depending on the judge's ruling.
Parole entails a number of conditions.
If the offender fails to respect them, he may be taken into custody again. Parole may also be revoked if, before it has been terminated, the offender is sentenced for another criminal offence or if there is serious reason to believe that he may endanger the public. Unless the inmate is serving a sentence of imprisonment for life or an undetermined period, he is eligible for statutory release when he has served two-thirds of his sentence. When the sentence is two years or more, the inmate must be supervised until the entire sentence has been served. In certain exceptional cases, the National Parole Board may keep an inmate in custody until the entire sentence has been served if it deems that he is likely, before the end of his sentence, to commit an offence causing death or serious harm to another person, a sexual offence involving a child, or a serious drug offence.