Parole Board Project, law homework help

Parole Board Project

Instructions:

Your assignment is to read the case scenario regarding the parole request of the inmate, Matthew J. Carpenter, including the assumptions already listed below. Complete each exercise, following the instructions in each of the exercises keeping in mind the material from your textbook. Use the statements in the case scenario to assist you, as an agent for the state parole board in making a decision to grant or deny a discretionary release or parole to the principle of the scenario. He is presently serving an eight (8) year sentence for residential burglary in a medium security facility, and has completed 4 years, and 6 months. You may only consider those activities Matthew has been involved in while a prisoner and the opportunities made available to him during that time. You are not to consider the crimes committed, sentences previously received or anything prior to his imprisonment as facts to determine his parole but you may use them for analysis.

You are a member of the state parole board authorized to grant discretionary release of prison inmates. You have been on the board for two (2) years along with three other parole members. You are about to hear Matthew J. Carpenter’s request for parole. Matthew is up for parole, for the second (2nd) time.

The total semester writing assignment is broken up into to four (4) distinct exercises, each labeled accordingly and scheduled in chronological date order sequentially. Each exercise has specific instructions to follow for successful completion. When asked to list your answer, they can be numbered or bulleted but MUST be in complete sentences. At any point in time during the assignment you can edit your response for whatever purpose you wish, including resubmission for a higher grade, until the assigned due date.

Case Scenario:

Matthew J. Carpenter, a male, white, age 35, has begun serving his sentence in a maximum-security facility for the first three years of his 8 year sentence. His transition into prison life was rather uneventful and quick with only a few prison rule violations. In the last 4-½ years, Matthew was placed disciplined several times. The first two times for fighting; he was involved with another inmate, who allegedly made sexual advances toward him. He received one week of administrative segregation and forfeited thirteen (13) days of good time. The second time, he had something to do with a prison gang member, but the reason was never discovered. He was placed in administrative segregation for two weeks, and seventeen (17) days of good time was removed from his record. The third time he was placed in administrative segregation after a disciplinary hearing. Immediately after a face-to-face visitation with his girlfriend, Matthew was searched and was found in possession of a small bag of cannabis and a small folding knife. He was given administrative segregation for three weeks, and lost visitation rights for three (3) months.

Matthew, who dropped out of high school after he had turned 16 years of age, blames his youthful ignorance and hanging with the wrong crowd for most of his involvement in criminal behavior and drugs. He has admitted to smoking marijuana, doing cocaine, crack and heroin through counseling efforts of peer mentoring and group therapy. He has completed several prison programs dealing with anger management and drug intervention.

Matthew has participated in many prison vocational programs, and now works in the industrial arts area of the prison four (4) days a week. He has earned enough money credits to purchase the small incidentals that he wants from the prison canteen (commissary). He was participates in the religious programs at the prison on Sunday morning in nondenominational church services. Matthew was recently moved into a medium security facility which would allow him to finish his high school diploma, and possibly begin to pursue his Associate of Arts Degree through the local community college’s Internet-based distant learning program. He has asked the superintendent of the prison school for permission, which was granted, to begin tutoring other inmates toward their general equivalence diploma.

Matthew has had several run-ins with the law while a juvenile, but was never been held in a juvenile facility. As an adult he had been arrested several times, (see below criminal history), and has served a variety of sentences.

Offense:	Age:	Disposition:
Shoplifting	17	Court Supervision
Grand Theft	17	Found Not Guilty
Driving Under the Influence (DUI)	18	One (1) supervision with six months revocation of driving privileges.
Burglary to Vehicle	19	Restitution and Supervision
Grand Theft Auto	21	Probation

Additional Facts of the Case:

1. Matthew J. Carpenter has a significant criminal record that has shown his personal acceptance of his criminal behavior, which has progressively escalated in nature.
2. Matthew J. Carpenter’s social service counselor reports considerable progress. There has been a significant change in his attitude evident during group and individual therapy sessions.
3. At the present time he has accumulated forty-three (43) days of good time.
4. The inmate has made steps to finish his high school diploma or general equivalence diploma (GED) through a prison educational program.
5. During individual therapy sessions with the prison counselor, Matthew has admitted to using a variety of controlled substances prior to incarceration.
6. This is the second time, Matthew is up for parole.

(These should not be included in your listed facts or assumptions for exercise #1.)

As noted, these additional facts are for the purpose of understanding the offenders general background and personal history and should be used are for analysis purposes only.

I need you to do This!!!: Exercise #1: Fact finding

Part A: Using your textbooks and classroom notes as references, identify facts from the case scenario provided relating to the parties involved in the case. List as many meaningful facts as you can uncover that may have an influence on your decision-making process at the state parole board member. The facts must relate to his time in prison, will be written in complete sentences, and numbered in a format so they are distinguishable from each other. There are more facts inside the scenario that need to be uncovered.It is extremely helpful and most advisable to use the provided scoring rubric to determine how many facts you need to identify.The six (6) given facts/assumptions listed in the case scenario should not be used in your list of facts or assumptions.

Part B: List your own additional facts/assumptions that are not specified in the scenario that you imagine will affect his overall behavior and your decision-making process.You are adding your own facts to the scenario! You can be as creative as you wish as long as it can fit into the scenario and can be included in your dispositional statement. You will have an opportunity to edit or add facts or assumptions later, if necessary.

exercise#2 establishing ideology

Identify, list and explain generically in your own words, the correctional practices used in prisons pertaining to the overall treatment, custody or well being of inmates which will later help identify the inmate, Matthew as a good or bad parole risk. The general explanation of the prison practice should be sufficient to explain the benefit to the institution along with the objective and goal of each, and what an inmate would expect to benefit from the practice also. Each practice explained should be in a separate paragraph. One or two sentences will not be sufficient in explaining the practice. At this time, only those practices Matthew has been involved in during his time in prison should be explained. Your explanation should include how the practice is beneficial to the prison institution or to prisoner in general. Do not include Matthew’s name in your explanation. Once the prison practice is identified and explained, it should be explained as to which one of the three (3) main categories of correctional ideologies of punishment, rehabilitation/treatment or prevention it is linked to. Some practices could be linked to multiple correctional ideologies. In other words, what prison programs or prison activities he/she involved in or not that will help determine a prisoner’s potential parole risk?

Example: Administrative Segregation:

Administrative segregation was formerly referred at solitary confinement. Segregation is the separation of an inmate from the general population of other inmates. Segregation of this type is used as a punishment against prison rule violator. Usually the violation is adjudicated by a disciplinary board authorized by the prison administration to hear, judge and administer punishment to prison inmates. An inmate is brought to their attention by other prison staff or other inmates. Typically the inmate is written up by a custody or staff member by the issuance of a “disciplinary ticket” alleging a specific rule violation or illegal activity. This prison practice is a form of punishment for a violation of prison rules, regulation or prison protocol. It is used to as a negative reinforcement or displeasure relying on the hedonistic calculus of Jeremy Bentham.

This practice of isolation can also be used for the well being of the inmate by separating them for their own protection, such as in suicide watches where they might do harm to themselves or others. In some cases this practice is used on prisoners who are currently on death row, and are also separated from the general population of inmates for specific reasons. (This example should be used as an example of the format each practice is recorded but this particular practice can not be used in your assignment verbatim)

Adding Prison Practices to the Story: If there is a practice that is used in prison that is not included in the scenario of Matthew, use exercise #1b to establish it by listing it as another additional fact or assumption. Once listed in #1b, it can be explained in exercise #2 in general terms and then can be used in exercise #3 relating it to Matthew.#1b: List your own additional facts/assumptions that are not specified in the scenario that you imagine will affect his overall behavior and your decision-making process.You are adding your own facts to the scenario! You can be as creative as you wish as long as it can fit into the scenario and can be included in your dispositional statement. You will have an opportunity to edit or add facts or assumptions later, if necessary.