Sometimes you read that a criminal gets 20 years in prison, but people say “Oh he will be out in 10”. How does that work? Good behavior can not cut 10 years of a sentence, can it?
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Parole. It’s a system where those convicted can end up serving a portion of their sentence outside of the prison, provided they can convince a board of review that they aren’t a threat to the community and are unlikely to repeat offend. It serves a couple purposes. One, it eases the transition back into the public world. Two, it frees up a spot in a prison bed that can be used to house someone who’s a greater threat to the public.
In Parole, the individual is out of prison, but is still subject to mandatory drug tests, etc. and meets with a parole officer (half police officer, half social worker) who keeps tabs on them and makes sure they don’t go right back to doing what landed them in prison in the first place. They’re also restricted from traveling out of the state, and other things. So, 20 Years in prison can mean 10 in prison before they’re eligible for parole, and if granted, they’d serve the remaining years on parole.
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