Research Spotlight: Using Science to Inform Parole Reform

Research Spotlight: Using Science to Inform Parole Reform

Research Spotlight — One of the most important yet often invisible parts of any successful advocacy campaign is the research behind it.
The Ad Hoc Committee on Lifetime Parole worked with scholars and practitioners to build a body of evidence that reframed the conversation around parole, punishment, and public safety.

Featured Works (2006–2013)

Public Safety / Public Interest (2006)

Citation: Marquez, C., Fine, M., DeVeaux, M., Martinez, M., Pass, M., Waters, W., Wilkins, C., Vargas, F., & Zimmerman, P.
Public safety/public interest: Experiences of people who have served long terms in prison released to the community.
Paper presented at the American Society of Criminology, Los Angeles, CA (November 2006).

To Parole or Not to Parole (2007)

Citation: Marquez, C., Fine, M., DeVeaux, M., Martinez, M., Pass, M., Waters, W., Wilkins, C., Vargas, F., & Zimmerman, P.
To parole or not to parole: Using science to inform parole decisions for people who have been convicted of violent crimes.
Paper presented at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice Conference, “Off the Witness Stand,” New York, NY (March 2007).

How Much Punishment Is Enough? (2013)

Citation: Marquez, C., Fine, M., DeVeaux, M., Martinez, M., Pass, M., Waters, W., Wilkins, C., Vargas, F., & Zimmerman, P.
How much punishment is enough? Designing participatory research on parole policies for persons convicted of violent crimes.
Journal of Social Issues (2013). See John Jay College, Taylor & Francis Online, and ResearchGate.

Extended Scholarship (2017–2022)

Hope, Illusion and Imagination (2017)

Citation: Boudin, C. Hope, Illusion and Imagination (2017, law review). Builds upon the JSI framework to critique parole practices.

Not Just by Rates of Recidivism (2022)

Citation: DeVeaux, M. (2022). Not just by rates of recidivism: how NYC Black men define success after prison (Taylor & Francis Online). Extends the “beyond recidivism” lens into measures of well‑being and contribution.

Why This Research Mattered

  • Countered fear‑based narratives with data on desistance and reintegration.
  • Gave legislators confidence that reform and public safety can align.
  • Legitimized lived experience through rigorous, community‑engaged scholarship.
  • Extended the field into legal theory and post‑release well‑being beyond recidivism.
  • Preserved findings in the scholarly record, informing policy beyond a single campaign.