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Priority Issues: Parole and Re-Entry

I. The Issue

"Reentry” is the term used to describe the process of reintegrating criminal offenders back into their communities. A proper parole system must include effective reentry programs. If not, a state will have spent money to incarcerate and release an offender without making any effort to limit his or her potential to re-offend. This would not serve public safety interests, and it would be a waste of taxpayer dollars.

II. The Impact

If used wisely, parole – the supervised release of prison inmates before the end of their sentence – can help transition offenders into lives as free men and women. A 2005 Urban Institute study of data collected by the Bureau of Justice Statistics determined that women, individuals with few prior arrests, property offenders, public order offenders, and technical violators (those who violate conditions of community supervision, but do not otherwise commit new crimes), are less likely to be arrested again if they undergo parole supervision at the end of a prison term. For these offenders, parole and reentry programs are a wise use of taxpayer dollars. The Urban Institute study also concluded, however, that violent criminals and drug offenders do not benefit from parole supervision. For these offenders, treatment and/or incarceration may be more sensible approaches.

One key to an effective system of parole is proper monitoring. Inmates who are released on parole should receive regular supervision – in the form of in-person or phone check-ins – to make sure they are employed and maintain a permanent residence. In addition, some offenders may be required to attend regular substance abuse or psychiatric counseling. These services should aid the offender’s reentry into his or her community, with an objective of having someone become a productive citizen rather than a re-offender. Parolees who fail to meet the conditions of their release or who commit another offense while released should be returned to prison.

Smart parole policies not only advance public safety, they are considerably cheaper than incarceration. In the state of Texas, for example, parole costs $4 dollars per day per offender, whereas incarceration costs $50.

III. The Conservative Solution

• Use evidence-based methods, such as risk assessments, to determine who would benefit from parole and who would not benefit.

• Allow parole only for certain non-violent offenders, and encourage the use of intermediate sanctions facilities, rather than prisons, for these parolees when they commit technical violations rather than new crimes.

• Utilize GPS technology to monitor those on parole, which is more efficient and effective than phone check-in.

• Expand the use of ignition interlock devices for DWI offenders who are on parole.

• Implement cost-effective technologies (such as bracelets) which monitor blood-alcohol levels through an offender’s sweat and continuously send the results back to parole officers.  Also, consider requirements that offenders regularly be tested for sobriety in-person (e.g., South Dakota's 24-7 Sobriety Program).  

• Reduce the potential tort liabilities to employers for negligent hiring suits. Reduced tort liability will make employers more likely to hire parolees. Statistics show that parolees with good, steady jobs are less likely to reoffend.

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    Posted in Adult Probation, Audio, California, Law Enforcement, Oregon, Overcriminalization, Parole and Re-Entry, Prisons, ROC Blog, Substance Abuse, Texas: May 9, 2013 by Brendan Steinhauser

    Here is a partial transcript from a recent Michael Medved radio show, where he interviewed signatory Grover Norquist about our work on criminal justice reform. They discussed the conservative way forward for prison reform, and ensuring that taxpayers get the best deal from the system, all while reducing crime and recidivism. Medved: So are we [...]

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  • Senator Rand Paul talks criminal justice at Howard University

    Posted in Adult Probation, Juvenile Justice, Kentucky, Law Enforcement, Overcriminalization, Parole and Re-Entry, Prisons, ROC Blog, Substance Abuse: April 10, 2013 by Brendan Steinhauser

    Read the full text of Senator Rand Paul’s speech at Howard University today. He focused on how conservative values, including those that deal with criminal justice reform, can better people’s lives and limit government power. Here is an excerpt from the speech today. Our federal mandatory minimum sentences are simply heavy handed and arbitrary. They [...]

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  • West Virginia Senate Passes Criminal Justice Reform Bill

    Posted in Adult Probation, Law Enforcement, Parole and Re-Entry, ROC Blog, Substance Abuse, Victims: March 28, 2013 by Brendan Steinhauser

    A few days ago, the West Virginia State Senate passed criminal justice reform bill SB371 by an overwhelming vote of 33-0. It’s unusual for any legislative body to pass a bill with zero “No” votes, but that’s exactly what happened on Thursday. The legislation, which would help West Virginia achieve the goals of ensuring public [...]

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  • Arizona Experiments with Swift and Sure Sanctions

    Posted in Arizona, Parole and Re-Entry, Priority Issues, ROC Blog, State Initiatives: December 11, 2012 by Jeanette Moll

    In the same vein as Hawaii, Michigan, Texas, New Jersey, and other jurisdictions across the United States, Arizona has decided to use swift and sure sanctions, otherwise known as graduated sanctions, in order to reduce technical revocations.

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  • End of an Era: Georgia Begins to Close Parole Offices

    Posted in Audio and Video, Georgia, Parole and Re-Entry, Priority Issues, ROC Blog, State Initiatives: December 2, 2012 by Mike Klein

    Georgia is moving quickly toward the end of an era as parole offices are being closed at a pace that will see most of them completely shuttered within the next calendar year. A handful already are closed, about another dozen will close within weeks and the remainder will close as the state…

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  • Oklahoma Designs Reentry for Mentally Ill Inmates

    Posted in Oklahoma, Parole and Re-Entry, Priority Issues, ROC Blog, State Initiatives: November 7, 2012 by Jeanette Moll

    Mentally ill offenders have a tendency to cycle in and out of the criminal justice system. Some members of law enforcement see the same offenders so often they’ve begun calling them “frequent flyers.”

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  • Early Sentencing Reforms in Arkansas Show Positive Results

    Posted in Arkansas, Parole and Re-Entry, Priority Issues, ROC Blog, State Initiatives: October 3, 2012 by Jeanette Moll

    In 2011, the Arkansas Legislature passed significant sentencing reform legislation, which increased probation and parole supervision alternatives for nonviolent and drug offenders, implemented graduated sanctions for technical violations while on parole, and increased the availability of electronic monitoring.

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  • Supervision, Reentry Emphasized in West Virginia

    Posted in Parole and Re-Entry, Priority Issues, ROC Blog, State Initiatives: October 2, 2012 by Jeanette Moll

    The state that has had the greatest increase in prison population growth in recent years—West Virginia—may be exacerbating the problem by failing to properly supervise prison inmates upon release. Legislators in the state recently heard testimony regarding inefficiencies in the parole and reentry processes.

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  • Former Prisoners turned Entrepreneurs through Private Programs

    Posted in New York, Parole and Re-Entry, Priority Issues, ROC Blog, State Initiatives, Texas: September 28, 2012 by Erin M. Blauvelt

    Defy Ventures describes its program as “MBA-like training, real business plan competitions, and real money.” While such a program would likely grab the attention of many would-be-entrepreneurs, the unique thing about Defy is that their students are all former prisoners.

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  • Encouraging New CSG Report on Declining Recidivism in 7 States

    Posted in Kansas, Michigan, Ohio, Parole and Re-Entry, Priority Issues, ROC Blog, State Initiatives, Texas, Vermont: September 25, 2012 by Vikrant P. Reddy

    This morning, the Council of State Governments Justice Center released an encouraging new report on declining recidivism rates. The report examined the 2005 and 2007 recidivism rates in seven states: Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and Vermont.

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