Parole is an offender’s chance to get freedom on certain conditions prior to completing his or her sentence. It allows a criminal to walk out of prison, however, he or she must meet certain responsibilities in order to avoid going to prison again for the rest of his/her sentence term.
In Canada, around 93% of criminals are granted full parole. It is a part of criminal record removal for non-convictions, and can help people live freely to an extent after they serve a part of their sentence.
It must be mentioned here that a parole doesn’t mean that the sentence is waived. The offender still has to be under the supervision of a parole officer who will monitor the behavior and actions of the offender for the rest of his or her sentence period.
A parole is granted only if the offender agrees upon abiding all the laws of the country and improve his actions. If he or she fails to do so, he or she would be thrown into the jail again.
Parole Eligibility
Parole isn’t for all sort of crimes. There are certain criteria that needs to be met in order to be eligible for a parole. An offender is eligible for a parole only after serving a specific amount of sentence time. In most states, an offender is eligible for a parole if one-third of the sentence time is served.
Besides considering the amount of sentence time served, there are some other factors involves as well which determine if an offender is eligible for a parole or not. These factors are:
- Type of offense committed.
- Was it a one time felony or has the offender been doing it repeatedly.
- Time period between two committed felonies.
- Behavior of the offender in prison.
- Risk of committing an offense again.
Parole is given keeping these factors in mind. Once a parole is granted, the offender might be ordered to do community hours, enroll in a mental health counseling program and do frequent visits to the parole officer assigned to him/her.
Conditions To Meet After Being Granted Parole
Things don’t end after an offender is released on parole, instead this is when the true test of an offender starts. There are certain conditions that must be met by the offender in order to enjoy the freedom given to him/her. These conditions are:
- Get employed.
- Maintain a residence.
- End contacts with criminals.
- Avoid committing any more crimes.
- Stay from illegal activities, drug abuse etc.
- Participate in counseling programs or rehabs (as instructed by the jurisdiction).
- Do not leave the area, state or country without letting your parole officer know about it and getting the required permissions.
A parole officer is assigned to every parolee and the officer has the authority to make unannounced visits to the parolee’s home to check if he or she is following the right path and becoming a good person. Not doing so can cause one to get into trouble.