In the United States, nearly 80 percent of all state and federal prisoners will be put on parole and reenter their communities at some point during their sentence. In 2004 alone, more than 600,000 inmates were released back into their communities—three times more than were released just two decades ago.

When parolees leave prison, they are given a small amount of money—anything between 25 to 100 dollars—and must immediately find housing, food and a job. Some have families or friends to get them started in their new life. Others that do not have a support system find themselves in a homeless shelter, or living on the streets.

Parole is generally granted in one of two ways. Discretionary parole is a release determined by a parole board based on its assessment of an individual’s preparedness and eligibility. Mandatory parole, on the other hand, is determined by standardized sentencing statutes where the law requires a prisoner to be released after a certain amount of time.

			Ninety-five percent of parolees had prison sentences greater than one year Forty percent of parolees are white, 41 percent are black and 18 percent are Hispanic Forty-one percent will return to jail or prison Nine percent will abscond or disappear *Statistics are based on year-end 2003 figures Source U.S. Department of Justice: Bureau of Justice Statistics

Despite a higher reentry success rate with discretionary parole (54 percent, as opposed to 33 percent with mandatory parole), over 16 states have abolished parole boards in favor of mandatory parole, which generally results in shorter prison sentences. In part, this trend is being implemented to reduce costs for a heavily strained prison system with a soaring population. At an average incarnation cost of $23,000 per year per inmate and an average sentence of 25 months, shaving just a few months off of a sentence can save significant taxpayer dollars and create room for the next wave of prisoners.

However, premature release comes with its own set of problems. Beyond a lack of money, many prisoners are released without any real help for their underlying problems, including substance abuse, mental health needs and a lack of education and vocational training. The majority of parolees end up returning to the only life they’ve known: the one that led them to prison in the first place. Before long, they’re picked up for another violation and they find themselves going back through the prison doors.

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