Parole Case

When it comes to the criminal justice system how do you feel about it? I feel as though we have a good system we just may have some people who work for the law who are not such good people. When a person commits a crime I think they should go to jail. Depending on how serious the crime is I think they should spend the rest of their life behind bars. I think some people deserve the chance to get parole if they didn't kill or rape anyone. The concepts on which parole is based, typical conditions that affect parole, goals of truth-in-sentencing laws are what I'm going to explain.

Parole is the status of a convicted offender who has been conditionally released from prison by a paroling authority before the expiration of his or her sentence, is placed under the supervision of a parole agency, and is required to observe the conditions of parole (University of Phoenix ,2011). In order for a person to understand the concept on which parole is based they have to understand the definition first. Most state have what is called a parole board. The parole board decides who when an incarcerated offender is ready for conditional release.

With parole there are some things that the person must agree to. For example they can't leave the state and they must maintain work after thirty days. Under the conditions of parole, a parolee must periodically check in, or report, to parole officers, and parole officers may visit the parolee's home or place of employment unannounced. When deciding whether to grant parole the Board duly considers all of the following factors: nature of the offense, prior criminal history, program participation, length of time served, institutional record, and community support or opposition.

Truth in sentencing laws demands that convicted criminals serve a substantial proportion of their prison sentence. Before the laws were enacted, convicted criminals rarely served their entire prison sentence, but instead were released early for good behavior or due to overcrowding. The laws are a way to get tough on crime. Generally, the primary goals of sentencing are punishment, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation. In some states, juries may be entitled to pronounce sentence, but in most states, and in federal court, sentencing is performed by a judge. For serious crimes, sentencing is usually pronounced at a sentencing hearing, where the prosecutor and the defendant present their arguments regarding the penalty. For violations and other minor charges, sentencing is either predetermined or pronounced immediately after conviction.

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