Parole boards across the nation routinely refuse parole to prisoners, but prisoners rarely refuse parole when it’s offered. There are cases on record, however: In Colorado in 1996 and 1997, more than 2,500 prisoners refused to attend parole hearings to protest what they considered harsh parole guidelines. Often prisoners choose to serve their maximum sentence rather than be subject to parole supervision. (With a five-to-ten-year sentence, for example, they would prefer to serve the full ten years rather than accept parole and be out on the streets after five.) These examples amount primarily to silent protests behind the scenes, and on many occasions involve individuals who maintain their innocence.

Go back to Freedom, Deferred.

In The Fray Contributor