Advancing Evidence in Parole Reform

Overview

With support from Arnold Ventures (AV), the Center for Effective Public Policy will partner with parole boards in five states to strengthen parole release decision-making. The project supports states in strengthening decision-making through evidence-based practices that enhance public safety while promoting fairness, consistency, and transparency. States demonstrating readiness and commitment to reform will receive intensive, tailored support over a 24-month period to help implement and sustain these improvements.

Our Approach

Parole is one of the justice system’s most powerful tools for promoting rehabilitation and public safety when it functions as intended. Discretionary parole systems are designed to tie release decisions to an individual’s readiness for reentry rather than solely to time served. Yet across the country, parole practices vary widely, and many systems face challenges related to consistency, transparency, and declining release rates.

CEPP will work closely with five parole boards and system partners to support practical, evidence-based improvements that strengthen release decision-making while respecting each state’s legal structure, operational realities, and public safety priorities. This initiative will focus on helping participating states assess current parole practices, identify opportunities for improvement, and advance decision-making approaches that are clear, defensible, and grounded in research.

Participating states will be selected based on demonstrated leadership commitment and readiness for reform. Each participating parole board will engage in a collaborative process that allows them to identify and pursue policy and practice improvements aligned with core parole board priorities and tailored to their unique context.

The project will begin with a national convening of participating parole boards to introduce current research, establish shared learning goals, and foster cross-state collaboration. This convening will serve as the foundation for an ongoing peer learning network that supports shared problem-solving and the exchange of promising practices.

Following the convening, each parole board will receive support from a dedicated CEPP technical assistance provider with expertise in parole. CEPP’s team will provide hands-on support through on-site engagement, virtual coaching, and cross-state resource sharing, helping boards move from planning to implementation.

Work will unfold across four phases over 24 months:

1. Initial project planning and convening
2. Baseline assessment, strategic planning, research integration, and evaluation design
3. Pilot preparation and implementation launch
4. Supported implementation with continuous quality improvement

Throughout the project, CEPP serves as a facilitator and strategic partner, helping parole boards translate research into practice, strengthen decision-making processes, and build sustainable improvements without prescribing one-size-fits-all solutions.

The Impact

This project will strengthen parole release decision-making through consistent, transparent, and defensible practices, helping participating states enhance decision-making frameworks while maintaining a strong focus on public safety and risk-informed outcomes.

Parole boards will build lasting institutional capacity to support implementation beyond the project period through structured assessments, strategic planning, continuous quality improvement, and peer learning across participating states.

At the system level, the project will support clearer decision-making standards and more consistent implementation of parole policies, improving communication with stakeholders and helping strengthen public confidence in parole decision-making as a credible and accountable component of the justice system.

By advancing evidence-informed parole decision-making, this initiative will also help reduce unnecessary incarceration while protecting public safety and support release decisions that are more closely aligned with readiness for successful reentry.

CEPP will share implementation strategies and lessons learned nationally, helping reaffirm parole’s core promise: public safety is strengthened when release decisions are grounded in demonstrated progress and readiness for reentry.