Ontario’s ombudsman is conducting a preliminary assessment of issues relating to the province’s probation system, following a Global News investigation this week.
On Wednesday, Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown had requested the ombudsman look into a number of issues raised by Global News, including warnings from both offenders and probation officers who say there is not enough oversight in the system.
Ombudsman Paul Dubé said in a letter Thursday that he had instructed the Special Ombudsman Response Team (SORT) to begin an assessment of the issues raised by Brown.
“The purpose of the assessment will be to determine if a full systemic investigation is warranted and feasible,” reads the letter.
Linda Williamson, director of communications for the ombudsman’s office, confirmed that SORT is conducting an assessment to determine whether to do a systemic investigation.
“I should note that this is the normal process we follow when we receive a request from an MPP for a systemic investigation,” wrote Williamson in an email.
The length of time SORT’s evaluation will take depends on the complexity of the issue and the volume of information they have to review, said Williamson. As such, she cannot provide an estimate on when a decision to investigate further might be made.
“It is up to the ombudsman to decide whether or not to launch an investigation, based on SORT’s assessment. If he decides to do so, the ministry or government body under investigation will be notified, and it will be announced publicly,” she wrote.
The Ombudsman’s office is encouraging anyone who might have relevant information on the issue to contact them and they say complaints will be kept confidential.
The Global News investigation revealed that probation officers and even criminals themselves think that people on probation aren’t being watched closely enough.
“I could have done anything I want,” said one convicted sex offender.
READ MORE: Ontario’s probation system ‘a joke,’ say offenders
Whistleblowers also told Global News that when an offender allegedly breaks the terms of their probation and a warrant is issued for their arrest, it’s rare for that warrant to be executed. There were over 4,500 outstanding warrants for alleged violations of probation and the requirements of conditional sentences in 2015/16, according to data obtained exclusively by Global News through Freedom of Information.
And although there is a specialized police squad – the Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement Squad – that hunts down individuals with warrants for breaching federal parole, there is no such unit focusing on people wanted at the provincial level.
READ MORE: 4,500 outstanding warrants for alleged probation and conditional sentence violations in Ontario
In a statement Friday, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), which represents probation and parole officers, called on the province to provide immediate funding to reduce the number of outstanding warrants for alleged probation and conditional sentence violations.
“The crisis in community corrections needs dollars, not words,” said OPSEU president Warren (Smokey) Thomas.
“Correctional staff are begging for the resources they need to do their jobs on behalf of Ontarians, but this government is dragging its feet. Meanwhile, the crisis in corrections just gets worse.”
The Progressive Conservatives have spent much of the week hammering the government over how it handles probation. Brown, calling the probation system “badly broken,” has directed questions at the minister of community safety and correctional services, the attorney general and the premier.
“The government has let Ontario families down by allowing violent sex offenders in our communities to go unchecked,” Brown said in a statement Wednesday. “By brushing aside these explosive revelations, they have shown an arrogance and indifference that is an insult to the victims of violent crimes.”
Premier Kathleen Wynne said in Question Period that she takes the situation seriously. “Of course there is more we can do,” she said. “We are hiring more officers and putting more resources in place.”
The Ontario NDP also supports the call for an ombudsman investigation. “Having the ombudsman investigate this kind of problem makes sense,” said NDP MPP Peter Tabuns on Wednesday. “They have done really good work in the past.”
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