Parole and probation are the two most common forms of supervised release in the American criminal justice system but they work differently and carry different rules and consequences. Parole is granted to someone who has served part of a prison sentence. Probation is typically imposed instead of or alongside a prison sentence. Both involve supervision by an officer, compliance with conditions, and the risk of revocation if those conditions are violated. This section covers the difference between parole and probation, how parole hearings work and what makes a strong case, what supervision conditions typically look like, what happens when a violation is alleged, how to transfer supervision to another state through the Interstate Compact; and what successful completion of supervision looks like. The guidance here is practical and written for people who want to understand the rules clearly enough to follow them without surprises. See also our sections on Release Questions, Halfway House, and Re-entry and Rehabilitation.
Related InmateAid Services
Subject: Parole, probation & supervised release
Why did he not take his drug test? When he got out early he knew what the rules were. "Just a VOP (violation of probation) for not taking a drug test" makes it sound like YOU think it's no big deal. Yes, he is probably going back to finish the original sentence length.
Subject: Parole, probation & supervised release
This situation has several challenges stacked on top of each other, and it helps to address them separately.
Home confinement with a co-defendant. Being released to home confinement at the same address as someone you caught a charge with is almost certainly not going to be approved. Parole boards and supervision officers treat co-defendants as a supervision risk regardless of the personal relationship, and placing two people with the same criminal case under the same roof is something they actively avoid....
Read moreSubject: Parole, probation & supervised release
A second probation violation, particularly one that has escalated from a misdemeanor to a felony level, puts your fiancé in a genuinely difficult position before the original sentencing judge in Virginia.
Here is what typically happens. When someone violates probation, they go back before the judge who originally gave them probation instead of a longer sentence. That judge made a decision to show leniency the first time. A second violation signals to the court that the leniency was not taken seriously,...
Read moreSubject: Parole, probation & supervised release
A parole hearing date disappearing from an online system does not necessarily mean the hearing did not happen or that parole was denied. There are several explanations for why a date would no longer show.
The most common reason is that the hearing already occurred and the system has been updated to reflect the completed status. Once a hearing takes place, the scheduled date is removed from the upcoming hearings display and the outcome, whether granted, denied, or deferred, gets processed...
Read moreSubject: Parole, probation & supervised release
There is always a chance but this time around it will have a lot to do with the wording on the judges Commitment Order. Only the judge can create the opportunity for parole, or not. Being that this is a violation of the original order, it is 50/50 at best
Subject: Parole, probation & supervised release
Once parole is granted, the release date is typically set at the time of the board's decision and is not usually far off. In most cases inmates are released within a few weeks to a couple of months of the parole grant date, depending on what administrative steps need to be completed before they can walk out.
Those steps include finalizing the release plan, confirming the approved address where the inmate will be living, completing any required paperwork with the supervising...
Read moreSubject: Parole, probation & supervised release
There is no universal answer, but understanding what the board looks at helps explain why some people make parole the first time and others do not.
The nature of the offense matters significantly. Violent offenses, sex offenses, and crimes involving weapons or serious harm to victims face more scrutiny at a parole hearing than non-violent or property offenses. The board is evaluating risk, and the underlying crime is the starting point for that assessment.
Institutional behavior is equally important. An inmate who...
Read moreSubject: Parole, probation & supervised release
Waiting for parole board results is one of the most nerve-wracking experiences in the incarceration process, and the Arkansas system does not make it any easier with fast updates.
The Arkansas Department of Corrections inmate search at adc.arkansas.gov is the right place to check, but database updates after a parole board hearing can take several days to a week or more before any change in status appears. If the page looks the same as it did before the hearing, it most...
Read moreSubject: Parole, probation & supervised release
This is a simple violation issue. The offender was given the opportunity to cut his time short by completing a drug class. Following instructions to the people who hold sway over their freedom need to understand and consider what is more important, winning an argument of freedom.
Subject: Parole, probation & supervised release
A parole eligibility hearing is not a guarantee of release. It is an opportunity for the parole board to evaluate whether your boyfriend is ready to return to society, and the outcome depends on a combination of factors that the board weighs against each other.
Here is what the board will be looking at and what you can do to support the best possible outcome.
Institutional record. The board will review his disciplinary history since October 2012. Write-ups, shots, or incidents in...
Read more