NCJ Number
77201
Journal
Crime and Delinquency Volume: 27 Issue: 2 Dated: (April 1981) Pages: 213-224
Date Published
1981
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This paper brings into focus major research questions that should be addressed as the implementation of parole guidelines continues.
Abstract
Three factors have supported the development of parole guidelines: criticism of the rehabilitation model as a basis for parole decisionmaking and the accompanying movement toward a just deserts model of punishment, the development of sophisticated statistical procedures for risk assessment, and increasing questions about disparity in criminal justice decisionmaking. This paper raises questions related to each of these three factors that should be addressed by the research community as guidelines are implemented. With respect to offense severity and sentence served, key considerations are the rationale for sentence lengths, the degree to which discretion is being structured, inmates' perceptions of the guidelines, and the effect of guidelines on time served. Under risk assessment and parole prediction, the accuracy of the salient factors as predictors, the problem of false positives, and the possibility of unanticipated bias must be addressed. In terms of effects on the overall system, questions are raised about the extent to which discretion can be structured, the effect on correctional staffs of changing the purpose of correction, and the impact of such a shift on the already dwindling resources for the parolee. The paper closes with a call for a coherent program of research to accompany the implementation of guidelines. One table and 27 footnotes are provided. (Author abstract modified)