members. The prisoner will be informed of the material in their parole file, which relates primarily to their 
offense, their prior criminal record, and their performance in prison. The prisoner also will be given the 
opportunity to state their own case for parole and to ask any questions about the parole process. In almost 
half of the states, they may be assisted by an attorney, and several states will appoint an attorney upon request 
of an indigent prisoner. The remaining states prohibit representation by an attorney on the ground that it 
interferes with the board’s evaluation of the prisoner’s statements and demeanor at the hearing. Shortly after 
the hearing, most boards will provide the prisoner with a written explanation of its decision. If the prisoner 
is not released on parole, they must be released after they have served their full sentence. 
Parolees are subject to a variety of conditions that are similar to probation conditions. They must contact, 
or “report to”, their parole officers on a regular basis and attend regular meetings. They may be released to 
halfway houses, residential treatment programs, or daytime work-release programs at the beginning of their 
parole in order to prepare for return into the community. 
Even when states sentencing schemes utilize parole, not all inmates are eligible for parole. In some states, 
prisoners forfeit their eligibility for parole if they attempt to escape or if they engage in certain violent acts. 
Also, many states have true life sentences or sentences where the offender is not eligible for parole, and 
persons convicted of first-degree murder are frequently sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. 
Post-prison supervision stems from determinate sentencing schemes that states adopted beginning in 
the 1980s. Post-prison supervision boards are now often combined with parole boards, and they perform a 
similar function. Offenders do not apply for post-prison supervision since release is automatically given when 
the determinate sentence has been served. Generally, how long a person will be on post-prison supervision 
is set out in state sentencing guidelines. A post-prison supervision board will monitor whether the offender 
is abiding by the conditions of release while living in the community. If an offender violates conditions of 
release during post-prison supervision, he or she is entitled to a revocation hearing with the same due process 
protections given to parolees, i.e: notice, opportunity to challenge government’s evidence, and the right to 
assistance of counsel. 
Introduction to the American Criminal Justice System
133