Pros And Cons Of Parole

Parole is a method to release prisoners early, and was formed in the United States with some influence from Europe and Australia (Latessa & Smith, 2011). Talks to discuss reforms leading to parole began in 1870 and by 1944; all states had instituted parole as an option for their prisoners (Latessa & Smith, 2011). Parole’s rapid growth brought with it some criticism. The main aspect of these criticisms involved how prisoners were selected for release and the states ability to effectively supervise the offender (Latessa & Smith, 2011). Public safety was the driving factor for the criticism. A commission released a report showing three specific issues with parole. One, prisoners were being granted parole without having first received necessary treatment (Latessa & …show more content…
Having the option for parole also provides motivation for the prisoners to behave well and complete necessary classes or treatment programs (Ball, 2011). Another good reason to retain parole is that parole boards have more intimate knowledge of the prisoner and can better assess the offender for granting release (Ball, 2011). Public safety seems to be a major concern for those assigned to parole boards. An example of this would be the number of murders that were eligible for parole in California. Out of many thousands, only six were actually granted parole during the period of time Governor Davis held office (Ball, 2011). Also, for those prisoners on life sentences in California, only 3% were granted parole (Ball, 2011). A great example for cost savings is that parole allows the government to alleviate taxpayers from footing the bill for those prisoners with serious medical conditions (Ball, 2011). To add to this, parole can be utilized as a path to provide humanitarian freedom to those inmates close to death due to a medical condition (Latessa & Smith,