Final Research Paper

1 in 59 adults in the U.S was under community supervision at the end of 2019, that's about 1.6% of the population which is roughly 5,272,000 people. Although community supervision is considered a better alternative to incarceration, nevertheless, is one of the leading causes of ex-convicts returning to prison because probation and parole not only cause a never-ending cycle of incarceration but are also a system that is very difficult to overcome, especially for people of color.

Above all probation and parole, also known as community supervision, were created for prisoners to become rehabilitated and integrated back into society. It all started in 1841 when a man volunteered to lead a prisoner on the right path. When he was successful, the concept of parole spread throughout the country and became a criminal law. Throughout the centuries community supervision became more and more prominent. Today we are faced with the problem that community supervision has become a “revolving door”. The whole purpose of community supervision is to keep convicts from returning to prison, but it doesn’t seem to be working. Community supervision has caused more wrong than right, “Although typically framed as an alternative to incarceration, probation, in particular, is a key driver of mass incarceration. The perception of probation as a “lenient” punishment is at odds with high failure and revocation rates that land large numbers of people in jail and prison instead. (Jones)” Within 3 years of release 2 out of 3 ex-convicts will be incarcerated again. Community supervision fails to achieve its purpose. Not only does it cause mass incarceration, but it also causes ex-convicts to go back to their old habits. Not being able to fully integrate themselves back into society, they find themselves breaking the law in order to survive. These high failure rates contradict the whole purpose of community supervision yet all 50 states still embrace it.

Furthermore, community supervision is very restrictive. Ex-convicts must comply with several rules, rules that make integration harder than it already is. In all job applications, their criminal records have to be shown, diminishing their chances of being hired. They aren’t eligible to apply for section 8 housing and many landlords deny their application. They must pay fines and fees for their incarceration. Not being able to find a job and not having anywhere to live they face poverty, possible homelessness, and returning to their old ways. The article asserts that “Both probation and parole set people up to fail with long supervision terms, strict conditions, and intense surveillance. Only about half of people who exit parole or probation do so after successfully completing their supervision terms; many supervision “failures” result in revocation which in turn can lead to incarceration. And this happens a lot: Annually, nearly 350,000 people are shifted from community supervision to prison or jail. (Jones)” These harsh conditions set people to fail. Those who are poor may have no choice but to return because they can’t afford to be out. This doesn’t only affect them, it also affects their family and community. Faced with poverty, they aren't able to provide for their family. Not being able to leave their community, if the ex-convict chooses to continue committing crimes for money, that crime will continue to thrive in those communities.

In addition, those who are generally more affected are people of color, especially black and brown people. The article affirms that “Probation and parole were designed in the late nineteenth century to keep people out of jail and prison and help them to get needed services. But the “tough on crime” movement that began in the 1970s turned probation and parole into a means of racial control. Conditions toughened, sentences lengthened, monitoring increased, and sanctions for violations were heightened. Now, these systems are fueling mass incarceration.” During the war on drugs, black and brown communities were deeply impacted. The majority of prison population is black and brown people, so community supervision is almost impossible to overcome because it's used against them. A system that was primarily made to be used against people of color, they are already set to fail. Black and brown people have always faced discrimination and oppression. Community supervision is a form of oppression.

Community supervision deeply inflicts ex-convicts trying to return to their normal lives. Someone who is trying to get their lives together will face obstacles that may be too difficult, landing them back in prison. This creates a revolving door, especially for people of color. We should reform the criminal justice system, we shouldn’t allow people to continue facing the consequences of a sentence they already served.