Paroling Prisoners Sentenced to County Jail: An Analysis of 75 Years of Misdemeanor Parole Legislation

• NCJ Number: 126006
• Journal: Journal of Crime and Justice Volume: 11 Issue: 2 Dated: (1988) Pages: 61-86
• Author(s): R G Zevitz; S R Takata
• Date Published: 1988
• Length: 26 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: An earlier version of this paper was prepared for presentation at the October 1986 meetings of the Midwestern Criminal Justice Association.

Annotation

The development of misdemeanor parole in the United States has long been viewed by penal historians as one of the reforms of the enlightened Progressive Era of American history.

Abstract

This article dispels the notion that the advent of this correctional measure effected more humane treatment of petty offenders, rescuing deserving misdemeanants from the horrible conditions which existed in the jails of those times. The reality is that, in more than one instance, a bureaucratic apparatus emerged which resulted in misdemeanants being used as pawns in interagency power struggles. Historical analysis suggests that misdemeanor parole laws were motivated by political/bureaucratic expedience as well as the desire for reform. 1 table, 3 notes, and 46 references. (Author abstract)