Long term offender designation

The Long-Term Offender (LTO) designation was created in 1997. The legislation was developed in response to concerns that many violent offenders required specific attention. The LTO designation is given to individuals convicted of a “serious personal injury offence” who, on the evidence, are likely to re-offend. Offenders who can be managed through a regular sentence, along with a specific period of federal supervision in the community, can be designated a LTO that can result in a term of supervision of up to 10 years after an offender’s release.

Criminal Code Provisions

The following are the highlights of LTO provisions, as amended in 2008:

•Threshold Offence: Offenders convicted of and awaiting sentencing for a “serious personal injury offence” can be made the subject of a LTO application, as can those convicted of any offence referred to in s. 753.1(2)(a).
•Long-term offender criteria: To conclude that an offender is a LTO under s. 753.1(1), the court has to be satisfied that: 1.a prison sentence of two or more years would be appropriate for the current offence;
2.there is a substantial risk that the offender will reoffend causing death, injury or other serious harm in the future; and
3.there is a reasonable possibility the risk the offender presents can eventually be controlled is in the community.