A parole board consists of people qualified to make judgements about the suitability of a prisoner for return to free society.
The boards typically make a judgement about whether a prisoner will affect public safety if released, but do not form an opinion about whether the initial sentencing was appropriate.
The United States Parole Commission remains the parole board for those who committed a federal offense before November 1, 1987, as well as those who committed a District of Columbia Code offense before August 5, 2000, a Uniform Code of Military Justice offense and are parole-eligible, and persons who are serving prison terms imposed by foreign countries and have been transferred to the United States to serve their sentence.
Parole boards throughout the states often act on the governor's influence and reportedly feel the need to do so to ensure job security.
[8] Parole boards have often been looked at as a contributor towards mass incarceration and as an area needing great reform.
[9] Additionally, many have looked towards increasing qualifications for parole board members to be comparable with those of judges.
[8] Alongside the heightening of standards, a general call of an increase in comprehensive training, transparency, and accountability of parole boards has been widely called for, as many current parole board members have never set foot in a prison, and an increase of training often results in a rise of fair and just hearings.