NCJ Number
132292
Date Published
1991
Length
219 pages
Annotation
The American Correctional Association's Task Force on Parole compiled this comprehensive assessment of the status of parole practices using data from all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Canada.
Abstract
The task force's goal was to appraise the parole process including release, supervision, and revocation. A 46-page survey of parole authorities in the United States and Canada was conducted in 1988. The task force looked at the development and philosophical context of parole, the organization and administration of parole authorities, parole release and the management of discretion, prison crowding and parole, postrelease supervision, parole revocation, and Canada's parole system. Certain issues were identified as being relevant to parole practices in the 1990's: correctional resource management, managing the transition of offenders to the community (shared accountability), public opinion, community safety, and sentencing reform. The task force considered the trend toward greater rationalization in parole decisionmaking and various initiatives to open the parole hearing process through victim input and other means. The report concludes with a series of recommendations for parole reform. The authors argue for a much closer relationship between parole boards and corrections departments and between parole boards and parole field services. They also suggest that parole authorities should assist corrections departments in managing limited prison resources and that a national parole system should be guided by sentencing reform. An appendix contains forms used in Missouri, Minnesota, and Maine to evaluate parole clients. 220 references, 95 notes, 20 tables, and 8 figures