Parole Board

#Parole is the system that determines if a convicted person can get out early from prison. Now there is a call to get rid of Parole all together. There are two sides to this argument. On one side people want to keep it in place so that released convicts have a reintegration back in to society. On the other side there are many Victims rights activists who are worried of the potential risk and further victimization from someone released on Parole.

The first article I found on this topic goes into the history of parole and landmark cases for both sides. The article discussed both ends of the argument. On one side the victim’s rights groups and many conservatives are leaning to abolish Parole due to the fact that any person at any time can be harmed by a person who got out early on parole. This relates an unnecessary risk to the general community that is inexcusable. Why take the risk of letting them out of prison. Then there are the medical model people who believe that rehabilitation is for everyone, and long term prison sentences will actually greatly hinder their ability to become model citizens. Everyone has the ability to better themselves, so why deny anyone the opportunity to become a better person. As well, prison is not a friendly place. Even a person who is not totally criminal will give up hope after the constant paranoia and vile things that happen behind bars. Finally when an inmate does get out of prison after a long sentence without parole there is no one to watch them, or help the transition for prison to community. With Parole there is “Big Brother” watching them and helping them.

This article touched on both