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“The disparities in judicial sentencing practices are compounded by the uncertainties and inequities caused by the capriciousness of arbitrary parole release decisions. By and large parole board decisions are drawn from fragmentary information relating to an inmate’s pre-incarceration history, institutional behavior, and participation in and responsiveness to treatment, education and vocational programs, together with a brief interview averaging six minutes in Illinois. Seldom do parole boards apply these criteria with any uniformity. The parole board’s failure to predict future criminality, which has been estimated by opponents to be one in every two cases, is therefore not surprising.
“Instead of rehabilitating offenders and reducing crime this process results in an inequitable and erratic system affording little justice to the incarcerated or reasonable protection of the public.”
