The Impact of Race on Parole Decision‐Making

Abstract

In an attempt to discover the major predictors of (1) selection for parole consideration and (2) parole release decision‐making in one Southeastern state, this study examined the cases of 762 inmates under the supervision of the Alabama Department of Corrections who were eligible for parole from 1 June 1993 through 31 May 1994. Alabama uses a two‐stage process: the preliminary screening stage to determine if the inmate should be considered for parole and the parole release stage. The two dependent variables in the study were: decision to select an inmate for parole consideration and parole release disposition. Of the 762 eligible inmates, only 299 were selected for a parole release hearing, and only 128 (43 percent) were granted parole. At the preliminary release stage, the most significant predictors were seriousness of the offense, time served, total disciplinaries, and recommendations from the Institutional parole officer, while recommendations given by prison personnel were the only variables impacting release decisions. Results showed that race did not have a significant impact on decisions at the preliminary screening stage or the parole release stage. Although Black inmates comprised over 60 percent of the population of inmates eligible for release and those selected for a hearing and Whites comprised less than 40 percent of both groups, only 42 percent of the Black inmates were released compared to 43 percent of the White inmates. A major concern of the study was the generalizability of the findings. At the conclusion of the study, the question was can these findings which focused on Class A felonies where there was injury to the victim be generalized to states where the laws and parole procedures might be different?