Parole Board
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Parole Board is a panel of people who decide whether a criminal should be allowed to be released from prison following him or her serving the minimum term of their sentence. Parole Boards are used in many jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom and the states of the United States.
A Parole Board consists of people qualified to make judgements about the suitability of a prisoner for return to free society. Members may be judges, psychiatrists or criminologists. In the United Kingdom members are also drawn from a wider circle of professions. The Board typically makes a judgement about whether a prisoner will affect public safety if released, but does not form an opinion about whether the initial sentencing was appropriate.
[edit] Around the world
[edit] United States
Often, consideration of the opinion of the victim(s) or their family is taken at least partly into account in the board's final determination.
