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The Function of Parole in the United States

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The Function of Parole in the United States When the subject of parole comes up many things come to mind, such as who make the decisions to release inmates from prison, who is on parole, who supervises them and how, who sends them back to prison, does it work, is it effective, is the community safe, and so on. To begin, lets define what parole is. Parole is a method of releasing offenders from prison prior to the expiration of their sentence (McCarthy and Leone, 121). Inmates are screened for the suitability for release based upon the risk they pose to the public (McCarthy and Leone, 121). If for some reason the parolee’s performance on parole is unsatisfactory, then they may have their parole revoked and be returned to prison. Some people think that parole is a waste of time and that offenders should just be left in prison to do their time and that is that. However, other people think that these offenders have a chance at being rehabilitated with parole and can help them become better people. I think if some of these offenders have been doing well in prison and can be released early under supervision of a parole agency, then they deserve a chance to try and make their lives better for themselves and even their loved ones. This kind of a program could really help some of these offenders get their lives back on track and get them stepping on the right path again.
Parole, however, is not for every offender. Some offenders may get released on parole, but do not end up meeting the condition they are given or they commit another crime or the same crime. This can lead to the revocation of their parole and they will get sent back to prison. Today, about one-third of all offenders admitted to prison are admitted for parole violation (Travis and Lawrence, 1). At the end of 2005 a total of 784,408 adult men and women were on parole and 38% of them were returned to incarceration (Bureau of Justice Statistics-2005, 7). Nevertheless, parole can be effective in helping some of the other offenders who do follow the conditions they are given and who stay away from trouble and try to get their life back together. The success rate for parolees in 2005 was 45% (Bureau of Justice Statistics-2005, 9). Parole is there to help people who want to help themselves. If the parolee is not trying to make a good life for him/herself and trying to live the right way without crime, then they are bound to fail. Someone cannot be helped if they do not try to help them self first. About 352,983 of the 784,408 parolees completed their parole successfully in the year 2005. Another thing to consider is that from 1995 to 2005, the percent of parolees returning to prison had dropped by 4%. This may not seem a whole lot percentage wise, nut this means that 31,376 adults did not go back to prison. So parole is helping more and more offenders little by little. This is a great accomplishment because most of the people who successfully complete parole would not have done it without the support of the parole system.
There are two main ways an inmate can be released and placed on parole. The first way is through discretionary parole, which is when an inmate is released form prison to supervision that is decided by a parole board or other authority (Travis and Lawrence, 3). The parole board reviews individuals’ cases to determine whether they believe the prisoner is ready to be returned to the community. The guidelines of discretionary release vary from state to state. In 2005, about 31% of adults entering parole was through the discretionary process (Bureau of Justice Statistics-2005, 9). However, discretionary parole is being used less and less as time goes by. For instance, in 1995 half of adults entering parole were released by discretionary parole and in 2000 only 37% were released through this process, and just recently in 2005 only 31% were released through the discretionary process (Bureau of Justice Statistics-2005, 9). The second method that is commonly used is mandatory parole. This is when an inmate is released from prison that is determined by state of sentencing guidelines and is not decided by a parole board or other authority (Travis and Lawrence, 3). Mandatory release is determined by operation of law, which basically means that people convicted of certain crimes must be punished with at least a minimum number of years in prison. After they serve their time they are released and sometimes they are not placed on parole. The mandatory release process is starting to be used more and more as the years progress. For example, 45% of inmates were released due to mandatory sentencing in 1995 and 54% were released in 2000 (Bureau of Justice Statistice-2005, 9). There were only 51% of inmates released using the mandatory release process in 2005 (Bureau of Justice Statistics-2005, 9). There is a slight drop from 2000 to 2005, but this process is continuing to be used more. Some states have even abandoned the parole board model and virtually release all their prisoners through some form of mandatory release. States such as California, Illinois, and New Hampshire mainly just use mandatory release (Travis and Lawrence, 9). These states released less than one percent of prisoners entering parole through the parole board (Travis and Lawrence, 9). However other states continue to rely heavily on parole boards to make release decisions. Some examples of those states are Florida, Pennsylvania, and Washington (Travis and Lawrence, 3). More than 95% of the inmates who returned to the community and began supervision in 1998 were released as a result of a parole board decision (Travis and Lawrence, 3). The release of inmates from prison to supervision differs heavily from state to state and they each have their own guidelines as to when to release an inmate.
Parole is said to be a privilege, and not a right. The question of whether to grant a prisoner parole or withhold it is up to the discretion of the parole board. Typically the parole eligibility dates are determined by statute, although in some stated they can be modified at the discretion of the sentencing judge (FreeAdvice). Although the laws vary from state to state, their basic approach of parole is pretty much the same. Once a person is convicted of a crime, they are sentenced to a prison term and there are two types of prison terms (FreeAdvice). The first one is indeterminate sentencing and the second one is determinate sentencing. Indeterminate sentencing is a form of sentencing when the amount of time served is not set at sentencing, but rather is determined by some other body such as a parole board (Pollock, 50). Determinate sentencing is a form of sentencing that eliminated judicial discretion and sentences are set by statue for each crime, which means terms are fixed terms of imprisonment (Pollock, 51). An example of this would be five years for armed robbery. If an offender receives a minimum and maximum sentence, once the offender serves the minimum sentence (or serves a specified percentage under some state’s statutes), they may become eligible for a parole consideration hearing (FreeAdvice). If an offender serves the fixed period of imprisonment imposed by the court, they may be released without further supervision or be automatically placed on parole, again depending on the nature and severity of their offense and their potential for re-imprisonment (FreeAdvice).
After an inmate gets released from prison, they have to immediately report to a parole officer. Upon leaving, they are told what parole agency to report to. When they arrive at the parole agency, which is usually the same day they are released or the next business day if they are released on a weekend of holiday, they sign in and wait to talk to their parole officer. They will then meet their parole officer and talk about the conditions of their parole and what it is they have to do to stay out of trouble and prison and get their life back on track. This is very important because some of these offenders have been in prison for five to ten years and sometimes even longer. Some of them have been locked up for so long that the world has changed so much for them. So parole officers have to explain how things work now days. Each state has its own laws regarding the supervision of someone who is on parole. Some typical conditions of parole can be that a parolee may be restricted to a particular community, job, or home. They may also be restricted in their general lifestyle, such as friendships or associations or where they can travel (FreeAdvice). They may also be placed in a community-based reentry or work furlough facility prior to release (FreeAdvice). The parolee may be required to obtain psychiatric treatment and be required to attend outpatient therapy (FreeAdvice). Those who abuse drugs or alcohol must abstain and may have to periodically go through an in-office drug test (FreeAdvice). The conditions of parole differ for the person and the crime they commit.
When on parole, a parolee is under the supervision of a parole officer and is required to report to them on a predetermined schedule. How often a parolee had to report to the parole officer is usually based on the type of crime they committed, their prior criminal record, their risk to the community, and other factors (FreeAdvice). Offenders who are at the highest level of risk (e.g., likely to break supervision) may be required to report weekly while those at a lower risk may report monthly or quarterly (FreeAdvice). It is also possible that, sometime after the initial supervision period, the parole officer may change the level of contact with the offender to reflect the particular circumstances of the individual case (FreeAdvice). The parole officer will usually look into whether or not the offender is complying with the restrictions, terms, and conditions set by the paroling authority. The offender may have to show proof that they are working and doing assigned community service (FreeAdvice). They may also be required to submit to periodic blood tests and random drug tests to make sure they are staying clean. Parole Agent Jon and Parole agent Ryan explained to me that they also do random house visits at any time of the day to make sure their parolees are doing what they are supposed to do. They will also randomly drug test the parolees at their own home or in the office to make sure they are not doing any drugs. When they are at the parolee’s home, they search for weapons, drugs, pornography, and any other materials that they are not allowed to have and they do not need a search warrant to do this. Agent Jon and Agent Ryan made it sound like these parolees do not have much freedom, but then again they were released early from prison for committing a felony. The parole officers have to do everything they can to protect the society by making sure the offender does not commit another crime or hurt a victim. If a parolee violated any of his or her condition of parole, the parole officer can arrest the parolee and send him or her back to prison.
The amount of time that a parolee is on parole depends on the crime they committed and their behavior. Most parolees serve from one to five years on parole, three being the average (FreeAdvice). But parole can last for the rest of their life if, for example, they are paroled for murder or were given a life sentence (FreeAdvice). This again also differs in the state there are in because every state has its own guidelines for parole.
Parole is not meant for every offender that comes out of prison. However, many of these offenders benefit from this program and come out better people form it. Many of them end up finding a stable job, have adequate housing, and have healthy family and personal relationships. Parole can help some of these people turn their lives around and become law-abiding citizens. On the other hand, parole does not do anything for some other offenders and they will continue to disobey the law and commit more crimes. If it benefits a few people, then it is effective and successful. Every program is not going to help everyone; there are those who are going to succeed in the program and there are those who will not. It also goes back to whether or not the person is willing to help him or herself. If an offender comes out of prison with a clear mind and is ready to put their life back on track and get help for their problems, then parole will help them do that. However, if they come out of prison with a bad attitude and do not want to change their ways, then they are setting themselves up for failure from the start. Those are the parolees who violate their parole conditions and end up right back in prison. Parole agencies and parole officers are there to help parolees not hurt them. Agent Ryan was saying how he had 73 parolees to look after. That is a lot of cases for one person to maintain and make sure they are doing what they are supposed to do. Parole Officers are there the help the offender, but they are really busy and have a lot of parolees to look after and they cannot just focus on one individual. This is why the offender needs to be self-motivated so that he or she can rely on him or herself to meet their parole conditions so they can go on to be a normal citizen and live their life crime free.
Bibliography
Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin. “Probation and Parole In The United States, 2005.” November 2006. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/ppus05.pdf. retrieved April 20, 2012
Free Advice. “Criminal Law-Parole Probation Center.” http://criminal-law.freeadvice.com/paroleprobation/, retrieved April 21, 2012
Lawrence S., Travis Jeremy. “The State of Parole In America.” November 5, 2002 http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/310583 Beyondprisongates.pdf, retrieved April 20, 2012
Leone, M., Belinda McCarthy, Bernard McCarthy, Jr. Community-Based Corrections. United States: Copywrite 2001 by Wadsworth Group. Pg. 121.
Pollock, J. Prisons: Today and Tomorrow. United States: Copywrite 2006 by Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc. Pgs 51-52.

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