The Canadian Press has issued a shocking report last night that Graham James, the former junior coach who sexually abused his players (most notably Sheldon Kennedy and Theoren Fleury), has been pardoned by the National Parole Board.  Perhaps even more shocking is the fact that this pardon was granted three years ago - the only reason it just came to light now is that a new accuser has filed charges with the Winnipeg Police.  Even the Prime Minister’s office has weighed in on the matter, calling the pardon “deeply troubling and gravely disturbing”, and saying that an explanation by the parole board is needed.

Just so we’re clear, this was a pardon, not a parole.  James got out of jail nearly 10 years ago (he was only sentenced to three and a half years).  This pardon means that unless someone checks his background on CPIC (the Canadian law enforcement database), and finds that he has been flagged, they’ll have no idea about his past.  If he does any work with children, a CPIC check should be conducted anyway, but here you have “an incredibly high-profile pedophile” (as his latest accuser called him) walking around as a forgiven man, for all intents and purposes.

The pardon can be revoked if the person in question commits another crime, or is no longer conducting themselves in such a way that it seems they deserved that pardon.  Here’s something to consider, though: in 2006-07 (the time period in which James was pardoned), the National Parole Board granted a total of 14,748 pardons, and denied only 103 applications.  If you’re keeping track, that’s over 99% of applications that were approved.

The larger issue here may very well be that Canada’s pardoning system needs a lot of work.  But if you’re Theo Fleury, Sheldon Kennedy or any other player who’s ever been assaulted by Graham James, you’ve got to be hoping for a new conviction for the ex-coach.  He’s already been coaching hockey since his parole (with the national team in Spain); as Kennedy said, this pardon “just opens up the gates for him to live the life that he probably wants to live.”  And it looks like he’s been living that life already.

Thanks to the National Parole Board, it seems he might now have an even easier time doing it.