Parole and Prisoner Reentry in the United States

TLDR

Parole release has been curtailed nationwide, with many states abolishing discretionary parole and limiting its use, leaving supervision focused on surveillance while treatment programs remain scarce. The study argues that reducing parole recidivism should be a priority and calls for new parole models that incorporate technology, risk prediction, effective rehabilitation, and active supervision. Approximately half of parolees fail to complete parole, with their returns accounting for about a third of new prisoners, and reforms that enhance rehabilitation and supervision are more promising than abolition.

Abstract

Discretionary parole release and parole field services have undergone major changes as the nation has embraced more punitive policies. Fourteen states have abolished discretionary parole release for all offenders, and twenty-one others severely limit its use. Parole supervision remains, but needed treatment programs are scarce, and parole officers focus on surveillance more than rehabilitation. About half of parolees fail to complete parole successfully, and their returns to prison represent about a third of incoming prisoners. Given an average (median) prison term served of fifteen months, more than half of all inmates now in prison will be in the community in less than two years. Developing programs to reduce parole recidivism should be a top priority, and a few agencies are operating successful job-training and substance abuse programs. Experts argue that a new parole model is sorely needed, one that incorporates advances in technology, risk prediction, effective rehabilitation, and more "active" forms of supervision that incorporate citizens and others who know the offender. Such reforms are more promising than parole abolition, in that they reduce the public safety risks posed by parolees and increase the chances that offenders will succeed.