Racial and political bias in parole decision-making

Abstract

It has been well-established that Indigenous peoples in Canada are overrepresented in every level of corrections, including provincial/ territorial and federal, in youth, male, and female populations. Despite the national attempts to address the overrepresentation, success has been limited. One factor contributing to the overrepresentation is that Indigenous offenders are less likely to be granted parole than non-Indigenous offenders (Office of Correctional Investigator, 2020). The current study examined racial and political biases that may contribute to racial disparity in parole decisions. Results indicate that while there was not a main effect of offender race on parole decision, there were significant associations between conservative attitudes, Indigenous resentment, and parole decisions. Findings suggest racial bias may be introduced through conservativism, and influence parole decisions indirectly.