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Prison: Parole and Mandatory Release

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Prison: Parole and Mandatory Release
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April 8, 2013
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Checkpoint: What is parole? How does parole differ from mandatory release? Describe current parole and mandatory release policies. Is there a better solution to the process?

Parole is a system of release for prisoners within the prison system and was “created as a reaction against the penitentiary and the determinate sentence” (Foster, 2006). There are three specific methods of release under the parole system – discretionary, mandatory, and medical. These parole methods provide early for inmates through parole board review (discretionary), good time credits (mandatory), or due to a severe medical condition (medical). Originally, the most common form of parole was discretionary parole which was conducted under individual inmate review conducted by a parole board. The decision for release was contingent upon board approval and was a conditional release in which a parolee must follow certain guidelines upon release or be returned to prison to serve his/her full term through parole revocation. This method was replaced by a system of mandatory release due to perceptions of bias by parole board members, ineffectual reformation through parole, and social outcry for early release based on discretion and not court mandate. Mandatory release requires that an inmate serves eighty-five percent of his/her sentence prior to release eligibility. The inmate earns ‘good time’ credits through good behavior, participation in rehabilitation programs, and other self-building activities. These credits are calculated against an inmate’s sentence and a release date is then determined which is not to exceed fifteen percent of actual time served in prison. Mandatory release may also have a conditional release that was imposed at the time of sentencing by the court. If the parolee

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