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Punitive Justice Model for Parole and Probation
SESSION INFO
Monday, March 2, 2026
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
Session Type: Workshop
Whether criminal punishment advances just desserts or utilitarian aims, underlying the processes of criminal punishment are the following principles: the process must be fair (i.e., without bias and with due process); offenders must be treated as equals (i.e., similar offender, similar crime, similar punishment) and punishments must be parsimonious (i.e., no longer than necessary) and proportionate (i.e., proportional to seriousness of crime) to the seriousness of crimes. A handful of states have taken measures assuring these four underlying principles guide their decisions around release and supervision in an effort to advance justice. These reforms have focused on the sentencing stage, but few have focused on back-end decisions. Parole and probation officials are in a unique position to assure that fairness, equality, parsimony, and proportionality are part of the decision-making process and thus significantly influence justice outcomes. Participants will be asked to apply these principles to various case scenarios.
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SESSION PRESENTERS
Prof. Mary Finn
Professor, Michigan State University
Mary A. Finn, Ph.D. is Professor of Criminal Justice and Dean Emeriti at Michigan State University. She has collaborated extensively with local justice agencies, advocacy organizations, and divisions of the state government in efforts to bridge the world of academia and the world of policy and practice. Dr. Finn’s research on parole effectiveness, funded by the National Institute of Justice, the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, and Department of Corrections, has focused on home visits, electronic monitoring, and day reporting centers. Her current interests center on the relationship of prison release mechanisms and mass incarceration.
John Prevost, PhD
Retired,
John P. Prevost retired in 2011 after 32 years with the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles. His career included working in and managing field offices; developing and delivering training; managing programs; implementing a data-driven computerized case management system and on-line portal to generate supervision reports; developing risk assessment instruments; and strategic planning. His recent work involves evaluating accountability courts and studying the effects of peer mentoring on desistance from crime. He earned his Ph.D. from Georgia State University.
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