In support of their position, many parole abolitionists cite public opinion polls that appear to show much dissatisfaction with Canada's parole system. To assess public attitudes toward parole, two independent sources of data were reviewed, a nationwide survey of public knowledge of and attitudes toward parole, and jury decisions regarding parole eligibility dates for prisoners serving life terms for murder. Results converged on the same conclusion; while the public was critical of the way the parole system functioned, there was still widespread support for the continued existence of conditional release from prison. Given a direct choice, the public preferred a conditional release system to flat-time sentencing (no parole) by a considerable margin. Results of knowledge questions indicated most Canadians subscribed to several misperceptions about the parole grant rate and the recidivism rate of prisoners released on parole. Most respondents over-estimated both the percentage of prisoners released on parole and the number of prisoners on parole who re-offended while under supervision in the community. Juries asked to review parole eligibility applications made by prisoners serving life terms for murder made decisions in favor of the applicant in 80 percent of applications. Implications of the findings for correctional policy-makers are discussed. 26 references and 2 tables