The Many Benefits of the Parole System

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Recommended: History of the correctional system

Parole can be defined as the provisional release of an inmate from prison after serving a portion of a prison sentence. Within the United States, parole was originally used near the end of the American Civil War when the United States would talk discuss releasing the people that they currently had in captivity if they had verbally promised along with a written contract not to return to the enemy base to continue to fight in the war efforts. During the 19th century in England, parole was known to have been called “transportation, which entailed sending the offender away to live in exile” (Whitehead, 101). Nowadays in the United States, parole is utilized in many states and nearly 853,900 had a current status of being on parole in the end of 2011(United States). There are many terms and conditions that must be followed while on parole and if these rules are disobeyed, then the parolee will be sent back to prison to finish their prison sentence that they were given at the beginning when first serving their time. Another way parole can be beneficial to the Criminal Justice System is because it allows prisons to budget out there money by keeping a fewer number of non-dangerous offenders in prison and allowing the more violent and dangerous offenders’ space in the prison. Parole should not be abolished because it allows for non-violent offenders a second chance living in the community while providing society with many financial benefits.

There are specific rules and restrictions that a parolee must agree to and abide by in order to be eligible for parole. The decision whether an inmate is eligible for parole is a decision made by a parole board which is part of the Department of Corrections, making the parole system all...

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...help of their parole officer and also the community. Parolees are allowed to live in their community with strict restrictions so they are less likely to commit a crime. Overall, parole has many positive benefits and if it were to be abolished I think that it will cause more harm both financially and physically due to the stresses that it would cause in the jails.

Works Cited

Martinez. Abolishing Parole For Offenders Sentenced To Prison For Violent Offenses: Impact Analysis. n.p.: 1995. Criminal Justice Abstracts. Web. 8 Oct. 2014.

United States. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Office of Justice Programs. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). By Erika. N.p., 29 Nov. 2012. Web. 02 Oct. 2014.

United States. Department of Corrections. Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. Frequently Asked Questions about the DOC. N.p., Aug. 2012. Web. 08 Oct. 2014.

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