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Parole Is A Controversial Topic Essay

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Nowadays, in the United States, parole is a controversial topic. Some believe those prisoners should complete their sentences and not allowed early release. However, research findings show that parole does work. The U.S. Department of Justice report states that 57 percent of parolees in 2006 completed their sentences successfully, while 18 percent were returned to prison and 4 percent absconded, with the remaining 21 percent still on parole. Nonetheless, parole 's existence is at hazard. The "war on drugs" and "Tough on crime" policies have affected the federal government to eliminate federal parole, and on the state level, many states, such as New York, no longer grant parole for persons charged with violent crimes. Recently, in 2012 US Supreme Court ruling in Miller v. Alabama,1 states and the federal government are required to consider the unique circumstances of each juvenile defendant in determining an individualized sentence. In 2016, Montgomery v. Louisiana ensures that the decision applies retroactively to those people sentenced prior to Miller. For juveniles, the use of life sentences without the possibility of parole, as a mandatory minimum, is unconstitutional. Influenced by the Miller decision, the state of California now offers prisoners a meaningful chance at parole after 15 to 25 years if their crime occurred when they were a juvenile.
Parole is for the conditional release of prisoners or offenders in certain cases before they complete the term sentenced.

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