Parole Commission, U.S.

History

Parole was initially established in the mid-1800s as a Progressive Era penal reform at the local and state levels. Parole at the federal level was first utilized in 1910. Each of the three existing federal penitentiaries had its own parole board, which consisted of the prison warden, the physician of the institution, and the superintendent of prisons from the Department of Justice.

The U.S. Board of Parole was established in 1930, shortly after the establishment of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), with three full-time members appointed by the U.S. attorney general. Administrative operations of the U.S. Board of Parole fell under the BOP during this period. In 1945, the administrative functions of the board were placed under the U.S. attorney general. Two additional members were added to the board in 1948 because of an increase in the federal prison population after World War II. The board was increased to eight members in 1950. These members were appointed by the president to six-year staggered terms and administrative functions were placed under the Department of Justice.

Administrative Reorganization in the 1970s

As the BOP built new prisons and housed more inmates eligible for parole, operating one central office was deemed inefficient. In 1972, the U.S. Board of Parole initiated a pilot reorganization project. This reorganization created five geographic regions, explicit parole guidelines for parole hearings, the requirement of written reasons for parole decisions, and an administrative appeal process in cases where an inmate was denied release after the parole hearing. The five geographic regions were operational by 1974, with each region having one member and five hearing examiners. In addition, the chair of the Board of Parole and two members remained in Washington, D.C., at the board's headquarters. In 1976, the Board of Parole was renamed the U.S. Parole Commission (USPC) under the Parole Commission and Reorganization Act. This act allowed for nine commissioners to be appointed by the president to six-year terms. They would include the chair, five regional commissioners, and a three-member National Appeals Board. In addition, this act incorporated many features from the pilot reorganization project, including explicit parole guidelines, written reasons for parole decisions, an administrative appeal process, and a regional structure.

The Tough-on-Crime Movement and Federal Parole

During the 1980s, the role of the USPC was changed considerably with the onset of the “tough-on-crime” movement, which resulted in stricter sentencing practices, an increase in prison populations, and a lack of support for rehabilitative programs for prison inmates and for community-based initiatives such as parole. The changing landscape of corrections and criminal justice at large during this period led to the passage of the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984. This act established federal sentencing guidelines, which were influenced by the success of the USPC in creating and using parole guidelines. Rather than operating as a discretionary release decision by the members of the USPC, supervised release became a part of the sentence handed down by the court to the offender. However, it should be noted that the USPC still maintained jurisdiction over federal offenders sentenced prior to November 1, 1987, who were subject to early release consideration.

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