How to Attend a Public Parole Hearing

Parole hearings are held to determine an offender's eligibility for parole. Once a sufficient amount of time for a prison sentence has been served, offenders who are not deemed dangerous can be sent back into the community on parole, where they will be under the close supervision of a parole officer during the remainder of their sentence.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Computer with Internet access

How to Attend a Public Parole Hearing

1. Consult your lawyer or the sentencing judge. They can tell you when a prisoner may become eligible for parole.
2. Look for notification in the mail. If you are a victim or witness of the crime, you are entitled to know when an offender is eligible for parole.
3. Expect to be subpoenaed or asked to testify. As a victim or witness, your testimony is extremely important in the decision-making process.
4. Get used to testifying. When parole is denied, eligibility is not lost. The offender will periodically come up for parole and you will most likely be asked to attend hearings repeatedly.
5. Coordinate with your lawyer. If you're a family member of the offender, you may be entitled to attend the public parole hearing to show your support. If you don't have a lawyer, contact someone who can represent the offender through the ACLU (see Resources below).
6. Appeal the parole commission's decision if you believe it is in error.
7. Prepare for the next parole hearing. Parole will not be granted until the offender can demonstrate that he or she is no longer a threat to public welfare, that parole would not promote disrespect of the law and that he or she has followed the rules of the institution. Each and every parole hearing gives you a chance to be better prepared and gets you one step closer to release.

Tips & Warnings

• Even after parole is granted, you (or the person being paroled) will have many difficult adjustments to make, including finding a job and a place to live.
• A parole hearing is a mandatory step in the parole process, but it can take several hearings before the parole commission decides to grant parole to an offender. You may have to attend several hearings, so be ready to miss work and social obligations.