Express Pardons goes over some of the things to do once you receive your pardon. Things that you can do once you receive your pardon includes applying for a new job, traveling to the US and other countries, do volunteer work and pass all kinds of security clearance.
Adding to the Express Pardons article on the role of the National Parole Board, The National Parole Board is a Canadian Government agency that is responsible for Canadian Pardons. The National Parole Board can grant pardons, deny pardon applications, cancel pardon applications, terminate pardon applications and revoke pardons, day parole and full parole. All Canadian pardons are processed through the National Parole Board. The National Parole Boards acts under the authority of the Criminal Records Act which gives them the guidelines and parameters to grant, deny or overturn pardons. The National Parole Board will grant pardons based on pardon laws and legislation that are determined by the Canadian government.
Express Pardons, Canada’s premier pardon processing provider, recently described the enormous effect a pardon can have on the value and meaning of an individual’s life, specifically, their ability to travel.
Here’s a brief summary of the article:
Having a criminal record in Canada will get people denied from entering the US.
Obtaining a pardon means that a criminal record is sealed and is the only way to ensure that a criminal record is removed off all searchable systems and databases, included the CPIC system that the US uses to check for Canadian criminal records.
What does it mean to get a pardon?
The meaning a pardon gives to an individual’s life: is the peace of mind that a criminal record will no longer effect their freedom to travel!
First SCRAM ankle bracelets for individuals and ignition interlock devices for cars to monitor alcohol consumption, now GPS systems used specifically to track the whereabouts of criminals?
It could happen if provincial justice departments get their way. The idea was proposed to track offenders that are released on the conditions of a peace bond, a common sentence for individuals involved in domestic disputes and spousal abuse. The sentence is handed based on the condition that the offender keeps the peace, and stays away from their victim, for an allotted period of time in order to meet the conditions of their sentence and ultimately stay out of jail.
With the proposed GPS tracking systems, offenders released on the conditions of peace bonds could have their whereabouts monitored at all times. For an offender convicted of spousal abuse, monitoring bracelets could be enforced to keep an eye on the offender and provide additional protection to the offender’s victim, with the hopes of ultimately preventing further abuse. It is unclear as to whether or not this will pass into legislation but lawmakers hope to have this program introduced into the legal system.
Express Pardons can help individuals with criminal records obtain Canadian Pardons and US Entry waivers.
A criminal record check is required for both pardon and waiver applications. In order to obtain a certified criminal record from the RCPM CPIC database a person has to have their fingerprints done for the purpose of a pardon or waiver, depending on the application. Fingerprints can be done at any local police station or there a number of private locations across Canada that can take fingerprints for either application. Once the fingerprints are completed they are sent to the RCMP who will in turn generate the criminal record. The criminal record will show all charges for an individual that are found on the Canadian criminal record database. According to the RCMP:
- The Canadian Criminal Real Time Identification Services destroys fingerprint submissions relative to civil screening (including Vulnerable Sector Verifications) when the search process is completed. The fingerprints are not added to the RCMP National Repository of Criminal Records and are not searched for future purposes.
This means that any person can get a criminal record search done without worrying about whether or not doing so will flag them in a system or create a new record. Getting fingerprints done is the only way to get a certified criminal record check done in Canada. The certified criminal record is a requirement of both the Canadian and US governments. Contact Express Pardons for all your pardon and waiver questions or to start an application today.
The National Parole Board is a branch of the Canadian Government within the Ministry of Public Safety Canada. Every pardon application is submitted to the National Parole Board and the board is responsible for approving or denying each application. The Board is also an independent administrative tribunal that has exclusive authority under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act to grant, deny, cancel, terminate or revoke day parole and full parole.
- The National Parole Board (NPB), as part of the criminal justice system, makes independent, quality conditional release and pardon decisions and clemency recommendations. The Board contributes to the protection of society by facilitating as appropriate, the timely reintegration of offenders as law-abiding citizens.
- The Criminal Records Act (CRA) authorizes the National Parole Board to grant or refuse to grant pardons to persons convicted of offences under federal acts and regulations and to revoke a pardon or, under specific circumstances, declare that a pardon ceases to have effect.
According to the National Parole Board:
- A pardon is evidence that the conviction should no longer reflect negatively on a person’s character. In support of this statement, the Criminal Records Act restricts access to records under federal jurisdiction and removes any disqualifications that would result from a conviction. With regards to employment, the Criminal Records Act specifies that information about pardoned offences shall not be sought in the employment applications of organizations under federal jurisdiction. In addition, the Canadian Human Rights Act forbids federal agencies and departments to discriminate against an individual based on a pardoned record.
On June 29, 2010, the Canadian government passed tough new legislation that now makes the pardon process much more complicated. This new law requires individuals with more serious offences to build a case for their pardon application. It is now up to the individual to convince the National Parole Board that they deserve a pardon, making the application considerably more difficult than before. Since the new legislation has passed, Express Pardons phone lines have been flooded with calls with questions regarding the changes.
Some of the most Frequently Asked Questions are:
- When do these changes take place?
Answer: Immediately as of June 29, 2010
- What are the changes?
Answer: Eligibility times lines have changed for all applicants and those individuals with more serious offences must prove to the National Parole Board that they both need and deserve a pardon.
- How do I know if these changes affect me?
Answer: Contact Express Pardons at 1-866-416-6772 to find out how these changes will affect you while learning how to get your pardon application underway.
- Am I still eligible?
Answer: Check out the Express Pardons website for information on your eligibility and getting an application started.