Book Review: Parole on probation: parole decision-making, public opinion and public confidence
| Published date | 01 December 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/20662203231200412 |
| Author | Albert Pedrosa |
| Date | 01 December 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Book Reviews |
Book Review
European Journal of Probation
2023, Vol. 15(3) 256–258
© The Author(s) 2023
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/20662203231200412
journals.sagepub.com/home/ejp
Book Review
Robin Fitzgerald, Arie Freiberg, Shannon Dodd and Lorana Bartels 2022. Parole on probation: Parole
Decision-Making, Public Opinion and Public Confidence. London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan Cham. ISBN
978-3-031-19,384-2.
Reviewed by: Albert Pedrosa, University of Girona, Spain
Parole on probation: Parole Decision-Making, Public Opinion and Public Confidence,
by Robin Fitzgerald, Arie Freiberg, Shannon Dodd, and Lorana Bartels, provides a
comparative analysis of the complex relationship between the institution of parole and the
public, exploring how members of parole boards perceive the public and to what extent
their decisions are influenced by public opinion. The relevance of this topic is clear in
modern times characterized by public distrust in penal institutions and the appearance of
new forms of penal populism, including parole populism (Moffa et al. 2019). To address
these questions, the authors analyze 80 in-depth interviews with parole board members
and related staff from parole authorities in different jurisdictions (Australia, New Zealand,
Canada, and Scotland). The comparative nature of this study makes it essential for
academics and practitioners interested in new ways to address the public’s misinformation
about parole and in increasing public trust in the institution. The book is divided into five
chapters, is part of a larger study about public attitudes towards parole, and relies on
previous work by the authors (Bartels et al., 2018;Fitzgerald et al., 2016;2020;2022;
Freiberg et al., 2018).
The first chapter introduces the topic, starting with a synthesis of the history of parole
in the mentioned jurisdictions, as well as summarizing recent literature on public opinion
and parole; it also describes the methodology used. The authors point out that the in-
stitution has changed a lot in recent years, partly because parole has ceased to be opaque
and to go unnoticed by the public. The exposure of parole to public scrutiny has led its
purpose to shift from reintegration to the protection of society, and to be affected by new
forms of populism, putting pressure on parole board members. This makes it crucial to ask
to what extent public opinion should matter, or if it should matter at all, to parole
authorities.
The second chapter describes how parole boards operate in the jurisdictions studied,
including the processes through which they reach their decisions and the composition of
the boards themselves. Testimony from the boards is also included about legal and extra-
legal factors that can impact their decisions, such as the applicants’criminal records and
behavior during the enforcement of the sentence, the viability of their release plans, the
influence of the current risk assessment paradigm, or the influence of their own emotions
and workload. Results presented in this chapter show great disparity across jurisdictions
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