NCJ Number
216613
Journal
Criminology Volume: 44 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2006 Pages: 961-992
Date Published
November 2006
Length
32 pages
Annotation
This study examined the factors explaining parole release decisions among a sample of incarcerated male sex offenders.
Abstract
The findings indicated that the most important factors influencing parole decisions were considerations of community protection, the parole readiness score, offender age, victim age, and institutional misconduct record. Offenders who assaulted very young children, older offenders, and those with misconduct records were less likely to be paroled than younger offenders, offenders who assaulted older victims, and offenders with no record of misconduct in prison. Although race and ethnicity were taken into account in the decisionmaking process, parole board members’ perceptions of the offenders’ dangerousness to the community appeared to weigh more heavily in their parole decisions than race/ethnicity. Data were drawn from a larger study focusing on parole outcomes and recidivism among a sample of sex offenders in a Midwestern State. Participants included 511 male sex offenders sentenced to a new term of incarceration for sex crimes committed during 1998 and who became eligible for parole prior to August 2004. Data were drawn from pre-sentence investigation reports and official records from the department of corrections. Variables under analysis included the offender’s description of the offense, victim impact statement, juvenile and adult criminal histories, family background information, education, employment history, and mental and physical health profiles. Data analysis involved a series of Cox proportional hazard models which were used to assess the effect of the various variables on parole decisions. Future research should examine the extent to which prison capacity, sentencing structure, and political climate influence parole decisions. Tables, footnotes, references