About Inmate Releases

When an inmate gets released from a jail or prison, special accommodations must be made for the inmate to abide by his probation or parole guidelines. Inmates may be released on any day of the week provided that the judge or magistrate has approved the discharge.

Types

There are typically three types of inmates that can be released from incarceration. In a federal or state prison, the guidelines are more strict than in a jail. Therefore, release must be administered by a parole officer. If an inmate is currently serving a jail sentence in a county jail, a judge must give the final order for the inmate to be released. If the inmate is part of a halfway house or work-release program, he must have a court order signed by a judge to be able to leave the incarceration program.

Significance

The significance of an inmate release is that the prisoner is released from incarceration and is able to begin putting her life back together within mainstream society. Inmate releases allow prisoners a second chance at being able to abide by laws of their state and to meet regulations in accordance to their crime and punishment.

Function

The function of an inmate release is to have the inmate freed from a jail, a prison or a work-release program. Releasing inmates not only allows prisoners to return back to their home life, but it also frees up space within the prison and state incarceration system. Many jails and prisons are over populated and the inmates have to share beds and cells. Food supplies and demands are also scarce in some jails and prisons because of over population.

Considerations

Special consideration is made for prisoners who are at high risk to returning to the state's prison system. For incarcerations that have been lengthy or when the inmate is granted parole but is still considered a slight risk to society, special accommodations must be made. Some examples are required daily call-ins by the parolee as well as a tether or other tracing device that will follow his every move.

Potential

Releasing an inmate from prison not only frees up space and allows the inmate to begin to develop law abiding habits outside of metal bars, but it is also a way for the state and federal prison systems to make added dollars while the inmate is on probation or parole. Fines and testing are almost always a part of the release of an inmate from prison and these added fines go back into paying for programs within the state and the prison system itself. The potential revenue received from a released inmate is one benefit of the parole process for the prison system.