Parole

Parole

Introduction

Parole is an enforcement of the sentence of imprisonment which aims to contribute to better protection of society by facilitating the reintegration of the prisoner. Parole may be granted to one or more sentenced to jail with serious guarantees of social rehabilitation when the length of sentence served is at least equal to the time left to serve. If the sentence does not exceed 10 years, or that the remaining to be no more than three years, parole is granted by the judge to sentence enforcement. In other cases, parole is within the jurisdiction of the court's application of penalties.

There are two broad types of life sentences: life with the possibility of parole and life without the possibility of parole. The former means an inmate can be paroled at some point in the future. Typically, after serving a certain number of years or a specific portion of his or her sentence, the life-sentenced inmate will appear before the jurisdiction's parole board. The board will review the facts of the inmate's case and his or her progress in prison to determine evidence of rehabilitation. In particular, the board will examine the inmate's disciplinary record and participation in prison programs, including educational, vocational, and treatment programs. The parole board will then decide whether or not the inmate should be released. While release can occur with a life sentence with the possibility of parole, release is not guaranteed. If the inmate's parole application is denied, then a written explanation of the reason for the denial will be provided. He or she can appear before the parole board again at a later date (Appleton, 2007).

Alternatively, a sentence of life without the possibility of parole means an inmate is ineligible for release on parole or through some other early release policy. However, the inmate can be released through executive clemency, which is the authority of the governor or president to amend a sentence or restore legal rights and privileges. An inmate serving a sentence of life without the possibility of parole can have his or her sentence reduced to life with the possibility of parole. While this option exists, executive clemency rarely occurs.

Parole is conditional release which allows a person to serve the remainder of the sentence outside prison. A parolee must abide by the terms and conditions of probation and must report regularly to a parole officer. Probation may be revoked if the parolee violates the terms and conditions of release. For most of the twentieth century, parole was a unit of the prison system of the United States. However, in the 1980s the concept of supervised release was in disgrace. The federal government has revoked the parole of federal prisoners in 1984 and many states have followed suit. Cost-effectiveness and benefits are factors that have appealed for parole. It is cheaper to monitor a parolee to keep the inmate. In addition, parole was justified as a form of criminal successful reintroduction into society.

Principles of the Parole

Parole is based on two ...