Choosing Prison over Parole: Factors Associated with Prisoners’ Decision to Waive Their Conditional Release Hearing

Abstract

Parole review waivers have serious implications on correctional systems, prisoners’ rehabilitation, and public safety. However, studies on this topic are scarce, have limited scopes and methodologies, and lack in-depth analysis about women and Indigenous people. The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of prisoners who forgo parole review. Quebec’s correctional services provided us with the correctional records of all parole-eligible prisoners in the province in 2014–15 (N = 3,675). A sample of men, women, Indigenous people, and non-Indigenous people assessed with the LS/CMI (n = 2,595) was selected. Hierarchical logistic regressions showed that recidivism risk and parole officers’ recommendations for release have a strong statistical relationship with waivers. In addition, Indigenous people are more likely to waive a parole hearing. Moderation analyses also showed that sex and Indigenous ethnicity each moderate the effect of one factor. Results suggest that the combination of statistically significant factors, as represented by recidivism risk, explains waivers better than the specific effects of these factors viewed separately.