Parole Release and Revocation

The Parole Release and Revocation project studied two distinct decision-making processes within the context of parole: release from prison and violations and revocation of parole. An important goal of this project was to improve decision-making at every stage. Researchers developed comprehensive profiles describing the legal framework of parole release and revocation in state and federal jurisdictions and completed a national survey of paroling authorities, which provided a rich understanding of their policies, practices, and viewpoints. From this work, researchers also identified potential “levers of change,” or reforms in the area of discretionary parole release and revocation that can potentially impact prison populations by altering parole grant rates and durations of time served. Later work moved to an applied focus as Robina collaborated with jurisdictions to further study and develop policy and practice solutions for issues such as reducing the imprisonment time for people who are revoked from parole.