ABSTRACT
The way pris on ers are released has changed dramat ic ally over the years (Pew, 2014). Some are released by a parole board (discre tion ary release, about 55 percent in 1980 and only 33 percent in 2011), others finish their entire sentences and are released with no super vi sion (mandat ory release, 22 percent in 2012), and still others are given mandat ory release with super vi sion. For example, in 2012, about 33 percent of all pris on ers were released with no super vi sion (Carson & Golinelli, 2013). We also know that parole is imple men ted differ ently from state to state. So what is parole, and how did we get to this point?
