How Does Parole & Probation Work in Oregon?
- Oregon probation and parole function similarly, but they start at different points in the state justice process. The Oregon Department of Community Corrections describes probation as a sentence imposed by a judge. Instead of going to prison, offenders submit to supervision and sanctions within the community, under the watchful eye of probation officers. Parole, on the other hand, releases offenders from prison early, with conditions and supervision imposed by the Oregon Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision, according to the Oregon Department of Corrections. Parole serves as a transition between prison and community life.
- In 1977, Oregon passed the Community Corrections Act, which partnered state and county authorities to create alternatives to prison sentences, according to the Oregon Department of Community Corrections. Further legislation in 1995 mandated county participation, but the Oregon Department of Community Corrections notes that the state respected individual counties' needs by allowing them to design their own probation sanctions and services.
- Oregon has drastically reduced the role of parole in its community corrections system. On November 1, 1989, new sentencing guidelines eliminated parole except for offenders sentenced before that date. Some murderers and aggravated murderers also receive sentences with the possibility of parole, according to the Oregon Department of Corrections. As a result, the Oregon Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision only "holds release authority over approximately 10 percent" of Oregon's inmate population.
- Probationers and parolees in Oregon benefit from rehabilitation services, including sex offender and substance abuse treatment, transitional housing and employment services, according to the Oregon Department of Corrections. Oregon also intervenes to help offenders overcome "criminal thinking patterns," says the Oregon Community Corrections website.
- High-risk offenders receive the greatest attention and closest supervision, including "unannounced home visits, searches," urine testing and polygraphs, according to the Oregon Department of Corrections. In addition, the Department provides work centers to ensure that probationers earn wages to pay victim restitution. Other offenders might wear an electronic monitoring device, work in community service or on a work crew, or live under house arrest.
- Oregon law gives probation and parole officers authority to inflict swift sanctions "without going to court or the Board of Parole" when probationers or parolees violate the terms of their sentences or conditional release, according to the Oregon Department of Corrections. Officers use a grid to guide their decisions, and they must choose the "the least restrictive sanction/intervention required to gain compliance," according to the Oregon Department of Corrections. Community Corrections officers detect violations though a variety of tools, including drug tests, polygraphs and electronic monitoring. In some cases, violations lead to probationers serving prison time or parolees returning to incarceration.