How does the California Parole Board work?

The Board of Parole Hearings conducts life prisoner suitability hearings to determine whether these inmates are suitable for parole. Inmates serving life sentences become eligible for parole hearings by statute one year prior to their minimum eligible parole date (MEPD).

How Does parole Work in California?

For the most part, California has a mandatory parole system. This means that unless public safety presents an overriding concern, inmates who are eligible for parole must be paroled once they serve their sentence. Eligible parolees are supposed to be paroled unless they present an overriding public safety risk.

How long does it take the parole board to make a decision in California?

All decisions by a hearing panel are proposed decisions. Proposed decisions will become final within 120 days from the date of the parole hearing.

What is the process to get parole in California?

For those serving life sentences, you must serve the determinate portion of your sentence before becoming eligible though you must persuade the parole board to grant you parole. If your sentence was 15 years to life, then the 15 years must first be served.

What are the four most important factors parole boards consider before granting release on parole?

Second, institutional behavior, incarceration length, crime severity, criminal history, mental illness, and victim input are among the most influential factors affecting parole release for parole-eligible inmates.

About the Parole Board

What does the parole board want to hear?

What guarantees do we get that you will not reoffend? What support systems do you have in the community? What makes you think you can cope in the community? Where do you plan to live? What will you do if you are not allowed to go back to your hometown?

What are the three types of parole?

Today, there are three basic types of parole in the United States, discretionary, mandatory, and expiatory.

How much of your sentence do you serve in California?

Usually, it's no more than half the time, but most of the time I'm seeing as little as 10% and 25% of a Los Angeles county jail sentence being served, especially if it's a half time crime. When I say half time crime, there's a list of crimes that you can expect to do half time on.

How long is a parole hold in California?

The final revocation hearing must occur within 35 days of a parole hold. A parole hold occurs when a parolee is arrested for an alleged parole violation and taken into custody. The parole hold will continue until the parolee is released after a preliminary hearing.

Which of the following does the parole board look at when determining possible parole?

When determining possible parole, the parole board looks at: The inmate's crime, the institutional record, the inmate's sincerity and readiness for release.

How is parole granted?

WHEN MAY A PRISONER BE GRANTED PAROLE? Whenever the Board of Pardons and Parole finds that there is a reasonable probability that, if released, the prisoner will be law-abiding and that the release will not be incompatible with the interest and welfare of society.

How can I get off parole early in California?

California Law (§1203.3 of the Penal Code) allows a Motion to be filed to request a person released be from Probation early, and apply for expungement (§1203.4 PC) at the same time. Usually about half of the Probation Term should have been completed.

When can a prisoner be released on parole?

Eligibility for the grant of parole

A convict must have served at least one year in jail, excluding any time spent in remission. The prisoner's behaviour had to be uniformly good. The criminal should not have committed any crimes during the period of parole if it was granted previously.

Who are disqualified for parole?

How long does parole last?

How long does parole last? In most cases, the length of parole depends upon the crime that was committed and the behavior of the criminal. Typically, parole will not last longer than five years. However, parole can last for the rest of a prisoner's life.

What happens if you violate parole in California?

If your parole is revoked, you could be sent back to prison for up to one year. If you broke a law while violating your parole, you will have to face the parole board for a hearing and face additional criminal charges. Even if you are found not guilty of the crime, you still risk having your parole revoked.

What is a 10 day flash?

Flash incarceration, as described by California Penal Code § 3454, is a term between one to 10 days spent in jail for an infraction of one of your terms of probation.

How long can they hold you in jail for a parole violation in California?

What happens if it is found that a parolee is in violation of parole? If a deputy commissioner finds that a parolee violated a term or condition of parole without good cause, and decides to revoke parole, the parolee can be reincarcerated for a maximum prison time of one year.

What happens when you get off parole?

Revocation: Your parole may be revoked, and you may be returned to prison for the remainder of the original sentence. Increased Term of Parole: You may be ordered to spend additional time on parole. However, the length of parole cannot be extended beyond the term of your original sentence.

How much time do you serve on a 3 year sentence in California?

As indicated above, three years = 1,095 days. Subtracting 413 from 1,095 = 682. Assuming the inmate is getting half-time, he will do 341 more days. However, I am a little concerned because you...

What does Prop 57 mean for inmates?

By approving Proposition 57, voters agreed to allow early parole opportunities for certain inmates convicted of nonviolent crimes. The parole board isn't required to let them out — it can just consider their cases sooner.

How early can you get out of jail for good behavior?

Contrary to popular myth and belief there is no such thing as 'time off for good behaviour'. A prisoner will never be released earlier than their conditional release date (with the exception of those released on HDC or under the ERS).

What factors should a parole board consider to fair evaluation of an inmate when considering release from custody?

When making a release decision, parole board members (PBMs) who have discretion may consider factors such as institutional behaviour, severity of the crime, criminal history, mental illness, time served, victim input, and risk of re-offending (Caplan, 2007) .

How long do inmates stay in reception in California?

What takes place when an inmate first arrives to the prison? Upon arrival to a prison Reception Center, the inmate must go through the reception and classification process. This could take up to 120 days. Once all the inmate's case factors are reviewed he/she will be assigned a classification score.

What does parole discharge mean?

The term discharge means that the former offender is no longer on parole. The parolee can obtain a discharge certificate by sending a written request to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, P.O. Box 942883, Sacramento, California 94283.