Explain how parole works in light of mandatory release and discretionary release.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

There are two types of post-prison supervision: discretionary and mandatory release. Individuals on mandatory release enter the community automatically at the expiration of their maximum term minus credited time off for good behavior. Mandatory release is decided by legislative statute or good-time laws. In contrast to mandatory release, an individual released on discretionary release enters the community because members of a parole board have decided that the prisoner has earned the privilege of being released from prison while still remaining under supervision of an indeterminate sentence.Parole is the conditional release of a convicted offender from a correctional institution, under the continued custody of the state, to serve the remainder of his or her sentence in the community under supervision. Historically, parole referred only to discretionary release. But as laws and release methods changed, "parolees" became a more general concept that has incorporated mandatory supervision. Parole is a broad concept that refers to post-prison supervision of both mandatory- and discretionary-release offenders. Parolees on both mandatory release and discretionary release are supervised by a parole officer and adhere to similar conditions. If these conditions are not followed, either type of parolee (mandatory or discretionary) can be returned to prison for the remainder of the sentence.