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More prisoners are leaving U.S. prisons after completing their sentences than at any other point in America’s history. State prisons admitted about 591,000 prisoners in 1999 and the same year released almost the same number – about 538,000. If one includes Federal prisoners, and those released from secure juvenile facilities, nearly 600,000 inmates are leaving prisons. And, these numbers seem to be growing each year (Petersilia, 1999).

Changes in sentencing practices, coupled with a decrease in rehabilitation programs for prisoners, have placed new demands on the parole system. At the same time, support and funding for parole services has declined, resulting in dangerously high parolee caseloads (Petersilia, 1999).

Today, indeterminate sentencing and discretionary release have been implemented in fourteen states, with determinate sentencing and automatic release at the end of a fixed term (Tonry, 1999). Offenders receive fixed terms at the end of their initial sentencing and are automatically released at the end of their prison terms, often with credits for good time . . . changes in the offender’s behavior might have occurred or become known after he or she was incarcerated. Imprisonment can cause psychological breakdown, depression, mental illness or reveal personal problems that were unknown at sentencing (Petersilia, 1999).

Changing from indeterminant to a determinant sentencing system, coupled with the public’s tougher stance on criminals, resulted in an incredible surge in U.S. prison populations. State and Federal incarceration rates quadrupled between 1980 and 1996, and the total adult U.S. prison population now exceeds 1.3 million persons. Drug offending is the major reason for increases in prison admissions, accounting for approximately 45 percent of the growth in the total incarceration rate in this time period. The offenses of aggravated assault and sexual assault have also grown appreciably (Blumstein and Beck, 1999).

Parolee supervision and release are complicated matters. By the year 2001, the United States had a record 2 million people in jails and prisons, which put more people on parole than ever before. And, these trends will likely continue (Petersilia, 1999).

Inmates with violence backgrounds, antisocial attitudes, substance (alcohol and illicit drugs) abuse, problems and even mental illness are being released daily. Today, parole officers have caseloads of about 70 parolees each. Eighty percent of all U.S. parolees are supervised on "regular" (rather than intensive) case-loads, and that equates to an average of less than two 15-minute face-to-face contacts with the parole officer each month (Petersilia, 1999). It’s an understatement to say that parole officers need a timely and cost efficient way to screen their parolees.

The Parolee Inventory (PI) is an automated (computer-scored) self-administered test designed for parolee screening. The PI has 135 items and takes 30 minutes to complete. The test is computer-scored with reports printed on-site within 2½ minutes. The PI has eight scales (measures):

The Parolee Inventory (PI) is an objective, yet comprehensive and standardized screening instrument that examines important parolee attitudes and behaviors. When problems are identified, parolee supervision and intervention/treatment programs can be reviewed and, as warranted, adjusted accordingly. The PI makes understanding of parolee strengths, weaknesses and needs possible. If you are looking for a reliable, valid and accurate parolee test, we recommend you consider the Parolee Inventory.

Blumstein, Alfred, and Allen J. Beck. 1999. Prison Growth in U.S. Prisons, In Prisons, edited by M. Tonry and J. Petersilia, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Petersilia, Joan. 1999. Parole and Prisoner Re-entry in the United States. In Prisons, edited by M. Tonry and J. Petersilia. Chicago, IL. University of Chicago Press.

Tonry, Michael. 1999. Reconsidering Indeterminate and Structured Sentencing. Research in Brief, National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.

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