The Parole Trap: How a Broken System Keeps People Behind Bars—And How We Can Fix It March 14, 2025 A Parole Officer Who Saw the System’s Failures and Fought for Change Ex-parole officer Nancy Rhinock spent 23 years in the system—and now she’s fighting for real change. Learn why America’s parole system is broken and what real reform should look like. For 23 years, Nancy Rhinock worked as a parole officer in Ohio. Unlike many in her field, she didn’t believe her job was to send people back to prison at the first slip-up. Instead, she saw her role as helping people succeed. She built relationships with those on parole, often going against the grain of a system that seemed more invested in surveillance than rehabilitation. “I always looked at their positives, not their negatives,” she says. “If someone wasn’t working, I didn’t just threaten them with prison—I helped them figure out what they could do. If a guy earned his barber’s license while in prison and wanted to cut hair after release, I’d think outside the box to help him build that business. I’d tell him, ‘Fine. But you’re going to come into the office every day and cut hair for free for others who were recently released, so you can build your business.’” Her unconventional approach earned her both respect and resentment. Supervisors warned her that she was “too soft,” and her refusal to carry a firearm made her an outcast. “I decided I wasn’t going to carry a weapon anymore,” she recalls. “They trained us to believe that every person on parole was a threat, but that just wasn’t true. I had better rapport without a gun on my hip. My job was to help people succeed—not to intimidate them.” By the metric of keeping her parolees out of prison, she was outperforming her peers. Unlike other officers who routinely revoked parole for minor infractions, Nancy only sent about ten people back to prison in 23 years. However, instead of being embraced as a model for change, her supervisors treated her as a problem. After more than two decades of fighting against a system resistant to reform, she left the profession, convinced that parole, as it exists today, is in need of deep reform. Now, Nancy is speaking out, advocating for a complete overhaul of the system she once worked in. The Reality of Parole in the United States Parole was designed to bridge incarceration and freedom—a way to help people reintegrate into society under structured supervision. However, it has become a revolving door back to prison. “Most people have no idea what parole is really like,” Nancy explains. “When I started, it was a mix of law enforcement and social work. But over time, it turned into just another arm of the prison system. We weren’t helping people get back on their feet—we were waiting for them to fail.” Her experience aligns with the data. More than 800,000 people are currently on parole in the U.S., and 25% of them are incarcerated each year for parole violations—many of which aren’t even crimes . In some states, technical violations like missing a check-in or failing a drug test account for nearly half of all prison admissions. Nancy saw this firsthand. She tells the story of Tyra Patterson, who spent 23 years in prison for a crime she didn’t commit; even after being exonerated, the parole board micromanaged her every move, making her report daily—something Nancy had never been required to do for any other parolee. When Tyra reported that a parole officer was sexually harassing her, she was terrified to speak out. “She called me in tears,” Nancy recalls. “She had video evidence, but she knew if she reported it, they’d find a way to send her back to prison. And you know what? She was right.” Parolees and probationers must navigate strict association restrictions that can bar them from living, working, or communicating with those with criminal histories, with violations often leading to reincarceration at the discretion of officers or judges. (image by Kevin Pyle) The Case for Reform Nancy isn’t alone in believing that parole, as it currently functions, does more harm than good. Studies show that parole and probation violations are a major driver of mass incarceration. In 13 states, more than one in three people are imprisoned due to supervision violations. Rather than supporting successful reentry, parole often undermines it. People on parole are frequently restricted from living with family members who have criminal records, are banned from public housing, and are expected to comply with impossible conditions. Nancy recalls being told to deny housing approvals if a parolee’s home was in government-subsidized housing. “That meant telling someone, ‘No, you can’t live with your mom, your girlfriend, or your kids, even if that’s the only place you have to go,’” she says. “But then, when the housing crisis got worse, they told us to approve those addresses anyway—even though if they got caught, their whole family would be evicted. That made no sense.” The financial burden of parole is another major obstacle. In states like Massachusetts, probation fees cost those under supervision more than $20 million per year. “Most of these guys don’t have two pennies to rub together,” Nancy says. “And we’re charging them for the privilege of being watched?” Criminal Justice Populations by Type, 1980-2016 The number of adults under community supervision in the United States more than tripled in 36 years (Source: Pew) What Parole Reform Should Look Like Nancy believes the entire system needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. Instead of surveillance and punishment, she advocates for a model that focuses on rehabilitation, job placement, and social support. In states that have taken reform seriously, the results are clear – for example, Texas’ Parole revocation rate dropped 25% after reforms and Mississippi saw a 6% crime rate reduction. Parole reform works – and here’s what meaningful Parole reform could look like: 1. Eliminate Incarceration for Technical Violations Instead of sending people back to prison for missing a curfew or failing a drug test, states should implement graduated sanctions, counseling, and community-based alternatives. 2. Expand Housing Assistance for Parolees Stable housing is one of the biggest predictors of successful reentry. States should establish transitional housing programs and provide rental assistance. Halfway houses are often seen as an extension of the prison system, and are not seen as a viable solution in the Criminal Justice Reform movement. 3. Increase Employment and Vocational Training States should invest in job placement programs, apprenticeships, and workforce development specifically for parolees. Employers need education on the benefits of hiring justice-impacted individuals, including tax breaks and strong retention rates. Holding hiring fairs inside prisons before release can also connect parolees with job opportunities early. 4. Provide Comprehensive Substance Abuse and Mental Health Treatment Instead of punishing addiction, parole should provide access to quality rehabilitation programs and mental health treatment without long wait times. Delays of several months can be detrimental, increasing the risk of relapse and reincarceration. Timely, effective support is essential for successful reentry and long-term stability. 5. Reduce Parole Supervision Lengths for Low-Risk Individuals People who demonstrate compliance should be allowed to shorten their parole terms through good behavior, as states like New York have done with the Less Is More Act. 6. Strengthen Due Process Protections Parolees should have access to legal representation and fair hearings before being reincarcerated. 7. Promote Family Reunification Initiatives Parole should support family visits, parenting programs, and reunification efforts to foster stability. 8. Implement Community-Based Parole Models Instead of punitive supervision, states should shift to a supportive, community-driven model emphasizing reintegration. 9. Establish Citizen Circles for Community Support Reentry success requires more than just family support—it needs structured, community-driven networks. Citizen Circles bring together community members, mentors, and justice-impacted individuals to provide social support, accountability, and guidance. 10. Implement Life Skills Training from Day One Many justice-impacted individuals lack basic life skills like cooking, money management, and healthcare navigation, making reintegration even more challenging. Prisons should provide life skills training from the first day of incarceration to ensure individuals are fully prepared for independent living A System in Desperate Need of Change Nancy Rhinock spent decades inside the system. She knows what works—and what doesn’t. “What we have right now isn’t parole,” she says. “It’s just an extension of incarceration. If we’re serious about reducing recidivism, about actually helping people succeed, we need to tear this system down and rebuild it the right way.” By Robert Roche, Content Marketing Director with The Last Mile. Want articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to The Last Mile Marker, a newsletter offering in-depth insights, critical updates, and inspiring stories on criminal justice reform and second chances.