Parole Process and Success
The ‘Division of Parole and probation' in Nevada prevent the offenders from committing both violent and nonviolent crimes in the community. The parole and probation officers use the traditional law enforcement and community correctional services to supervise the released individuals and other offenders who move from their state to Nevada. Officers play a great role in ensuring that the offenders comply with the community supervision. The officers deal with a caseload of offenders such as intensive offenders, residential confinement, sex offenders, general and low-risk offenders (NEVADA BOARD OF PAROLE COMMISSIONERS, 2012). The legislature declares that no one has a right to proclaim parole and probation as a right, but Nevada shows an ‘act of grace' to help the offenders reintegrate in the community and continue with their normal lives. Before the judges provide the offenders with the privilege, a fair and just decision has to be made, and concern is put on how the victims and the community will be affected.
On parole grant, prisoners are required to attain their parole eligibility. The Board can have a freedom of choice to grant the parole during the subsequent hearing or after the minimum eligibility dates. The Nevada Division of Parole and Probation conducts an investigation and waits for NRS 213.140 approval. To achieve effectiveness, the P&P ensures the assignation of release documents and parole agreements by the prisoner. Furthermore, the Board is responsible for setting parole conditions by complying with the NRS 213 (NEVADA BOARD OF PAROLE COMMISSIONERS, 2012). The board is also responsible for controlling or supervising the parolee from the time of release until the end of the term of imprisonment. In Nevada, the Board plays a significant role in improving the criminal justice system with a goal of maximizing public safety and rehabilitation of offenders. The Board strives for excellence and adheres to ethics to ensure professional performance and fairness. It is also important to understand that it is not the role of the Board to measure the eligibility and the sentence expiration dates, but it is the role of the Nevada Department of Correction (NEVADA BOARD OF PAROLE COMMISSIONERS, 2012). The latter also measures the credits earned by the prisoners and maintains timekeeping records.
In Nevada, the Department of Parole and Probation supervises 4,097 parolees annually, 9, 224 probationers and 3,463 gross misdemeanants annular and, 1,894 Nevada offenders move to other states, and 990 offenders come to Nevada from another state annually (Troshynski, 2013). The incarceration rate is 712 per 100, 000 and there is a higher rate of racial disparities since for one white incarcerated offender, 4.7 Black and 1 Hispanic are incarcerated. Two-third of 20,000 men and women are released into Clark County each year (Troshynski, 2013). The rate of re-incarceration in Nevada is low since offenders who commit new crimes are 26% (young offenders aged 18-25). The low number comprises of offenders who come from California and other illegal immigrants who commit new crimes. The primary reason as to why there is low recidivism in Nevada is that the ex-offenders get jobs and engage themselves in constructive things.
Parole and probation benefit the ex-offenders in that once they are released into the community, they join the community correctional programs where they learn new desirable behaviors. Nevada has achieved its mission, goals, and mission of deterring crime, providing offenders with rehabilitation and more importantly protecting the victims and communities (Heuler, 2015). In Nevada, paroled offender face difficulties while in the community. For example, the American Civil Liberties Union reported that Nevada does not offer the required services to the parolees. For this reason, 1 out of five parole prefers to stay in prison rather than entering in the community where they will not receive help. The Department of Parole and Probation does not have a proper guidance and release plan. Despite the fact that the department of P&P has re-entry coordinators and caseworkers, 60% of inmates do not meet re-entry coordinators, and 30% do not meet the caseworkers (Heuler, 2015). This means that lack of resources to support denies the inmates the opportunity for the life transition. Also, parolees face difficulties due to ‘substantial payment' they are forced to pay for housing.
To assist the parolee's transition, the department of corrections and rehabilitation in Nevada provides transitions programs for successful reentry into the society. The inmates gain literacy skills, job readiness skills, and prerequisite skills to prepare them for the job market. The department also ensures there are halfway houses for individualized continuity of care (Troshynski et al. 2016). The law enforcement ensures that the inmates have accessible resources where they receive skills and training. It collaborates with the corrections officers to offer supervision and apprehension support. The law enforcement provides tangible benefits to the ex-offender, to the victim and the community by deterring criminal activities, builds a stronger partnership, maintains stable families and increases access to the resource and public safety. Also, a nonprofit organization can assist the parolee in life transition by creating a community-based voluntary program. The organization can provide the ex-offender with training, mentoring during the reintegration process and education based on job readiness skills and, provide them with intensive case management to meet their mental needs, addiction counseling and support requirement (Troshynski et al. 2016). The state and local government should fund the non-profit organization in building Re-entry center and transitional housing.
Reference
NEVADA BOARD OF PAROLE COMMISSIONERS. (2012). Operation of the Board. Retrieved from: http://parole.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/parolenvgov/content/Information/OpsBoardOctober2012.pdf
Heuler Mike. (2015). Nevada Fails Its Parolees, ACLU Says. Courthouse News Service. Retrieved from: https://www.courthousenews.com/nevada-fails-its-parolees-aclu-says/
Troshynski Emily.,Kennedy M. Alexis., Sousa H. William, Madensen D. Tamara & Willis M.A Carolyn. (2016). Prisoner Reentry in Nevada: Final Report on the Hope for Prisoners Program. UNLV: CENTER FOR CRIME AND JUSTICE POLICY. Retrieved from: http://www.jrsa.org/pubs/sac-digest/vol-24/nv-PrisonerReentry.pdf
