The Board of Parole's long-term goal is to set the standard for parole boards in evidence-informed decisions, innovative tools, and effective operations.
The Board of Parole's major functions include setting release dates for individuals who are eligible for parole, establishing community supervision conditions for individuals, and assessing the notification level of individuals who have offended sexually.
Parole Hearings
The Board of Parole’s primary task for most hearings is to determine an individual’s efforts towards rehabilitation and the person’s current level of risk to reoffend. In the limited circumstances where the Board is tasked to determine an individual’s prison term, the Board is bound by strict sentencing rules that were in effect at the time when the crime was committed.
The Board of Parole makes release decisions only for certain individuals with aggravated murder or murder convictions, those who committed their crimes before November of 1989, and those who were designated “dangerous offenders" by the court. Prior to making a release decision, the Board of Parole will order that an individual participate in a psychological evaluation that includes an assessment for risk of reoffending. The Board of Parole evaluates the psychological evaluation and other available information along with experience and professional judgment in making final paroling decisions. Our contracted psychologists utilize multiple validated risk assessments in their evaluations to assess risk of future criminal behavior.
Post-Prison Supervision
The Board of Parole is responsible for setting supervision requirements and conditions for individuals releasing from Oregon prisons. The Board is also responsible for issuing warrants and approving sanctions for violation behavior up to and including a return to prison. The Board is not responsible for the day-to-day supervision of individuals on post-prison supervision or parole. Instead, the Oregon Department of Corrections and local county community correction agencies do that work. However, the Board maintains meaningful partnerships with the Oregon Department of Corrections and local community corrections offices to ensure the best possible chance for success as well as a seamless transition from prison into the community by using sound, evidence-based practices.
Sex Offender Leveling Program
Beginning in 2015, the Board of Parole is responsible for classifying all adults who have convictions that require them to report as a sex offender into a 3-tier notification level upon their release from the Oregon Department of Correction's custody. For all historical registrants who were on the sex offender registry prior to the creation of this program, their classifications are being conducted on a rolling basis. The Board of Parole uses the Static-99R risk assessment tool as an empirically validated measuring or risk of sexual re-offense. Since January of 2019, the Board of Parole holds hearings to determine if a registrant is eligible to be relieved of their requirement to report as a sex offender if they are assessed and placed in the lowest notification level – Level 1. For historical registrants who do not have a level assigned to them yet, they can petition the Board of Parole to initiate the process of assigning them a notification level. If an individual has been assigned a level 2 or 3, in many cases they may petition the Parole Board for a reclassification to a lower level 10 years after being released from supervision for the sex offense.