NCJ Number
73594
Date Published
1978
Length
45 pages
Annotation
Guidelines used by the Massachusetts Parole board concerning parole eligibility, procedures, decisionmaking, parole revocation, parole violators, pardons, and commutations are presented.
Abstract
The seven-member board is the primary decisional authority in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for matters of parole granting and parole revocation. Its primary duties are to determine whether and under what conditions an individual should be released to the community and to supervise the released individual. The board is provided very limited statutory guidance with respect to parole decisions. These guidelines represent a consensus of views on the part of the current membership of the board. As a matter of fairness, the board thinks that a prospective parole client should be informed as to the basis upon which decisions are made. In addition, the board believes that, as a public agency, it must be accountable to the public. The board has established a network of parole eligibilities consistent with the sentencing structures mandated by the legislature. Individuals sentenced to State prison for nonviolent offenses are eligible for parole after service of one-third of the minimum term, with 1 year set as an absolute minimum. Service of two-thirds of the minimum sentence is required for certain specified violent crimes. Parole hearings are informal interviews between a prospective parole client and a panel of the board. They are normally structured to focus on the individual's past history, manner of utilization of the incarceration period, degree of security imposed, and conditions of a proposed parole plan. If parole is denied following regular hearing, release consideration is eliminated for a period of 1 year. Factors examined during the parole decisionmaking process include: attitude toward offense, disciplinary record, predictive rating tables, individual's desire to help himself/herself, and nature and extent of family and other community support.