Noun
Parole is an opportunity for a criminal to be released from prison early, or to avoid prison, in exchange for certain restrictions on his behavior. For example, if an inmate receives parole, he will be released from prison early, but will probably have to agree to not own a weapon, talk to other criminals, and report on his behavior to an officer on a regular basis.
Usually in the United States prisoners should become eligible for parole after completing a certain percentage of their sentence. A sentence may carry a mandatory term before the prisoner become eligible for parole. Some criminal statutes may mandate a term, even up to life in prison, without the possibility of parole.
Pronunciation
Sample Sentences
He was sentenced to prison for ten years with eligibility for parole after four years.
After spending most of his life in prison, he was finally paroled.
One condition of her early release from prison was that she report every two weeks to her parole officer.
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