By Claudia Whitman

Parole by definition is "a conditional release from imprisonment that entitles the inmate to serve the remainder of his/her sentence outside the prison as long as the terms of release are complied with." Parole was designed to encourage inmates to use their time in prison to improve their social character and develop skills they could use once they leave prison. If they could demonstrate to the parole board that they had rehabilitated themselves then they could serve the final phase of their incarceration living in the free world. The possibility of parole provided an incentive for prisoners to pursue self-help and educational programs instead of just vegetating until their sentences were completed.

Parole boards were not designed to assess guilt or innocence. Parole Board members examine how the offender has progressed while in prison. They assess whether the inmate will become a productive member of society. That was the theory of parole.

But, how are parole boards operating in 2007? In practice, prisoners who have no disciplinary record and are stellar examples of rehabilitation are not getting paroled. Over and over, the reason stated for denial is that no matter how well they have served their time, the amount of time they have served is NOT sufficient to balance the severity of the crime.

So inmates keep coming before the parole board with great expectations.

 They compile an impressive dossier to support the alleged focus of the Parole Board.

 Their families come with the expectation of taking their loved ones home with them.

 Victim’s family members testify that the offender’s good prison record and rehabilitative efforts are sufficient to win parole for the offender.

Despite all of this positive evidence, the prisoner is still denied parole. The inmate is denied an opportunity to prove that s/he has changed and is ready to live safely and work conscientiously in the free society.

Their hard work is negated. Their families are devastated. The message they get is that remorse plus character and skill improvement mean nothing. There is no way to pay back the victim or society. There is no forgiveness, no second chance, even when the victims may want to show compassion.

By the end of 2000, 16 States had abolished parole board authority for releasing all offenders, and another 4 states had abolished parole board authority for releasing certain violent offenders. This trend has grown in popularity and has been followed by more states in the last 7 years.

Isn’t it time we re-think parole with the goal of returning to those days when a prisoner’s dedication to rehabilitation meant something?

Claudia Whitman leads the GrassRoots Investigation Project EJUSA/Quixote Center and is the Director, NDRAN of CURE