VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Prisoners who were sentenced with a chance at early parole will still be able to get that opportunity. An Appeals Court judge has ruled against Canada’s attorney general.

The Tories were trying to protect their Abolition of Early Parole Act, which was brought in last year; its aim was to be retroactive so that anyone sentenced with the chance of early parole would have that taken away.

But an Appeals Court judge says that’s unconstitutional, as it can re-punish the offender. Megan Vis-Dunbar, a lawyer for the BC Civil Liberties Association, is pleased with the ruling.

“It means that they can now have their parole eligibility reviewed and perhaps become eligible for early release. This decision only applies to people who have already been sentenced,” she tells us.

The ruling affects federal prison inmates in BC, but Vis-Dunbar notes it will set a precedent in courts across the country.