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Crime in America Essay

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Parole (early release from prison) is often referred to as the back door to the US corrections system. The concept of parole dates back to the establishment of the Elmira Reformatory. The goal of the Elmira Reformatory was to rehabilitate and reform the criminal instead of following the traditional method of silence, obedience, and labor. Parole was originally set up to encourage prisoners to do well, keep their noses clean, and become model prisoners. Once a prisoner had shown rehabilitation and reform they were released prior to the execution of their full sentence.
Before a prisoner can be released on parole he/she must meet before a parole board. Each prison with a parole system is set up with one of two types of parole services. …show more content…

The job of these members is to determine whether or not the inmate up for parole is suitable for release.
Before an inmate comes before the parole board there are procedures that must happen. The first thing that happens is the inmate’s name will appear on a computer-generated list. The victims will be notified of the possible parole. The list of names is sent to the Transitional Planning Department. At the TPD a case manager will be assigned to interview the inmate and find out his/her plan for parole. This plan is filed and is sent to the parole board. The parole board then interviews the inmate and will vote on the case. If parole is granted the prison officials will prepare the inmate for release. However if parole is denied the inmate will be given a conditional release date which is usually within one to three years where the process will start all over.
In order to determine whether or not the inmate is suitable for parole the board will review his/her record. This record has past convictions, education obtained, prior employment, and behavior in prison among other things. The way that the system is set up only those who have been reformed and rehabilitated and serve as no threat to society will be released. In theory this is an excellent system if used right.
However in today’s society we do not have the resources or facilities to use this system properly. We would like to think that we are drawing from the concepts set

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