Observations on Parole: A Collection of Readings From Western Europe, Canada and the United States

• NCJ Number: 107459
• Editor(s): E E Rhine, R W Jackson
• Date Published: 1987
• Length: 121 pages
• Corporate Author: National Institute of Corrections; Assoc of Paroling Authorities
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Conference Material
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Proceedings of the first International Symposium on Parole, held in Austin, Tex., April 6-9, 1986.

Annotation

Conference papers examine international approaches to probation and parole and U.S. issues and trends.

Abstract

Part 1 provides descriptions of criminal justice systems, particularly parole procedures and conditions, in the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, and Sweden. Emphasis is placed on guiding philosophies and proposals for reform, particularly in discretionary aspects of parole decisionmaking. In Part 2, debate surrounding the viability of parole is reviewed with a focus on the impact of determinate sentences and sentencing guidelines in the United States. Factors contributing to the abolishment and restriction of parole in many States are discussed, including crime rates, public attitudes toward crime and corrections, disenchantment with the notion of rehabilitation, and the need to restrain discretion. Part 3 reviews the history and philosophy of parole, while Part 4 looks at future prospects of parole as a tool for prison population management and rehabilitation.