What is a release plan for those inmates who will be returning to society from prison? How are these plans prepared, who actually prepares them, and what specific purpose does it serve?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Some prisoners are fortunate enough to be transferred to a release program within the system in preparation for their release. A release facility is a minimum-security residential program that houses inmates who have earned this privilege through good institutional conduct and are within two years of their release date. Release facilities provide increased opportunities for job readiness, education, housing assistance, and furloughs. Prison institutions prepare for an inmate's release while the offender is still incarcerated through preparing a release plan. A release plan includes a summary of institutional conduct and program participation, as well as plans for housing and employment upon release. Some states have case hearing officers who interview each prisoner, prepare a case summary, and report directly to the parole board with their recommendation. Other states submit case summaries and written reports along with the case file. Having some form of release plan prepared in advance of a scheduled parole hearing has three main advantages: (1) A release plan increases an offender's chances of parole because it solidifies living arrangements and work opportunities. (2) A release plan saves time during the parole board hearing. (3) Ties to the community will likely increase an offender's success on parole and make it less likely that the offender will return to crime.
An institutional case manager meets with the prisoner in an interview to document exactly where the inmate will be living, and the names of those whom he or she will live with. A different (local) field parole officer will check out the address and interview household members to ensure that the address is a valid and acceptable place for the offender to live. Positive family relations increase the likelihood of parole (Silverstein, 1997). Offenders are discouraged from paroling to themselves, which means living and supporting oneself without any assistance. Because most offenders, at the time of release from prison, do not have the money required for rent and utility deposits, the vast majority must parole to an existing household of a friend or relative.
The institutional case manager documents the amount of money the prisoner has in savings and any job leads or specific employment plans the prisoner has. According to Petersilia (2000b), most prisoners leave prison without any savings and with few solid job prospects. The case manager then summarizes any programs the offender has attended or completed (for example, general equivalency diploma courses) while in prison and lists all disciplinary infractions (write-ups) the prisoner received during the entire period of incarceration. Essentially, the case manager brings together official data (for example, current conviction, current age, amount of time served for the current conviction, number of prior prison incarcerations, number and type of prior convictions) and data about the offender's education level, employment history, and substance abuse history. All of the information is scored in a systematic way, and the report is provided to the parole board for the parole hearing. The report is prepared according to predefined state parole guidelines, and the parole board uses it much like a probation officer's presentence investigation report is used by a judge at the time of sentencing.