Release from Prison

Abstract Discretionary parole has been under attack since its beginnings. Starting in the late 1970s, states began abolishing discretionary parole boards. By 2010, 16 states had done so, and fewer than 20% of inmates released from prison were released by a parole board. Opponents of discretionary parole hoped that abolishing parole would reduce disparities in prison time served – and it did. Research shows, however, that inmates actually servelongerprison terms in states retaining discretionary parole, and their parolees have higher success rates. Retaining discretionary parole may serve to refocus prison and corrections staff on planning for release rather than merely opening the prison door at the end of the prescribed term. Significantly, discretionary parole systems also provide a means by which inmates representing continuing public safety risks can be kept in prison. In the last few years, as states have grappled with their increasingly large prison populations, more and more prisoners have been released discretionarily.