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Habitual Offender Provision Implemented
This was the first ever draft of the legislation which would later be defined as the Dangerous Offender Legislation, and is still in place today. It was based on similar British provisions introduced in 1904 targeting "persistent dangerous criminals engaged in the more serious forms of crime". The prerequisite for such a designation was that the offender had to have been convicted of three or more indictable offences and could be shown to be "persistently leading a criminal life". -
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First Draft of Dangerous Offender legislation
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Sexual Psycopath Act Created
The main goal of its passage was to ensure that dangerous sexual offenders would be identified and treated by mental health professionals, as well as the fact that it allowed indeterminate sentences to be imposed on ‘criminal sexual psychopaths’. The indeterminate sentence would be reviewed by the justice minister every three years for parole eligibility. -
Criminal Sexual Psychopath Act name changed to Dangerous Sexual Offender Act
Along with the change of the name came some changes in the circumstances of the Act as well. This legislation was imposed on individuals who were convicted of attemped or actual assault, rape, carnal knowledge, buggery, beastiality, or gross indecency. It set out specific criteria for determining dangerousness including the offender’s criminal record and the circumstances of the current offence, and an individual could be deemed a dangerous sexual offender after only one conviction. -
Ouimet Report Issued on Habitual Offenders Act
A report by the Canadian Committee on Corrections, known as the Ouimet Report, found that the habitual offenders legislation was not effetive, which lead to a major re-drafting of the legislation in 1977 which was known as Bill C-55. -
Beginning of New Legislation Proposal
This was the beginning of the proposal which later was proclaimed under force with the passage of Bill C-51. -
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New Legislation Introduced and Under Discussion
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Bill C-51 Passed
The new legislation was enacted to repeal both the Habitual Offender and Dangerous Sexual Offender Acts. The new Act was designed to be applicable to both sexual offenders and those who had committed violent acts of a non-sexual nature and provided for determinate or indeterminate sentences and parole eligibility after three years. -
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Second Draft of Dangerous Offender Designation
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Robert Noyes Convicted
Convicted of 31 counts of sexual abuse against 19 school children aged 6-15. He was diagnosed a homosexual pedophile and given an indefinite term of incarceration in 1986. At his hearing, experts testified that he could never be cured of his compulsion to molest children. Since being designated a dangerous offender, Noyes has been granted full parole. -
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Total of 384 Criminals Were Designated Dangerous Offenders
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National Flagging System Established
Put in place to track high-risk violent offenders; individuals who may be candidates for dangerous offender or long term offender applications. Since its establishment in 1995 to 2006, the NFS had flagged more than 3000 high-risk violent offenders. -
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National Flagging System flagged more than 3000 high-risk offenders
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Bill C-55 is passed
Bill C-55 is the most recent draft of dangerous offender legislation, which embodies the current provisions for addressing serious violent and sexual offenders. It made significant changes to strengthen measures for dealing with the most serious offenders by requiring the testimony of only one psychiatrist, and making the waiting period for parole eliglibility seven years rather than three. -
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311 Criminals Designated Long Term Offenders
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Current Draft of Dangerous Offender Designation
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351 Dangerous Offenders in Canada
333 dangerous offenders in the Prison Population and 18 on Supervised Parole. -
Bill C-27 Proposed
Bill C-27 is the most recent proposal in the Dangerous Offender Legislation, but has not yet been enacted. It proposes to broaden the application of the dangerous offender legislation, most notably by reducing the requirements for a finding of dangerousness by allowing an application in cases of offences which would be subject to a sentence of only two years or more (rather than ten years). -
331 Dangerous Offenders In Canada
At this time, all of the dangerous offenders are men, and aproximately 40% of them are of Aboriginal origins. The vast majority of dangerous offenders are in prison for sexual offences and most of them served prison sentences before reoffending and being deemed dangerous offenders. -
Thomas Svekla Arrested
Arrested at the age of 40 for the murder of his girlfriend, but is suspected of killing as many as twelve prostitutes. Svekla had been sexually assaulting women since the age of 14, his victims include girlfriends, friends, and two young girls aged 5 and 9.
