How Prison Policies Reflect Political Power

<p>When states abolish discretionary parole, does early release actually disappear? In this episode of <em>AQS Inmate Call</em>, Joel breaks down a powerful, eye-opening brief by the Prison Policy Initiative that exposes the hidden reality of truth-in-sentencing laws.</p><p>Seventeen states and Washington D.C. have shifted to &quot;determinate sentencing,&quot; but their taxpayer-funded parole boards never packed up and went home. Instead, they’ve become &quot;hollowed-out&quot; authorities—holding massive political power, managing dwindling pre-abolition populations, and maintaining abysmal grant rates as low as 1% in states like Virginia.</p><p>We dive deep into the failure of statutory &quot;release valves&quot; like mandatory supervision and medical parole (including a look at Arizona, the ultimate outlier with zero compassionate release options), and shine a light on the growing grassroots coalitions fighting to reinstate true retroactive parole.</p><p>True parole should be a reflection of who a person is today, not who they were decades ago. Hit play to find out how these prison policies truly reflect political power, and how we can safely build a path toward meaningful reform.</p><p><strong>Resources mentioned in this episode:</strong></p><ul><li><p>Read the full state-by-state brief and data appendix at <a href="https://www.prisonpolicy.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Prison Policy Initiative</a>.</p></li></ul><p><em>Stay grounded, keep building coalitions, and thank you for listening to AQS Inmate Call.</em></p>