Appendix Table 2: Discretionary parole grant rates, 2019 – 2024

This table accompanies our two-part series on discretionary parole systems.

We calculated parole grant rates using the number of parole hearings conducted (where parole release was a possible outcome) and the number of grants (approvals) given in a calendar or fiscal year, depending on how the state collects data. Parole hearings include initial and reappearance hearings, and whenever possible, we excluded revocation, recission, probable cause, commutation, or other hearings that would not result in a grant of parole release. We consider “nondecisions” such as “Continued” to be equivalent to a denial, because they prolong incarceration, so the grant rates reported here may be lower than those published by individual states, who only use grants and denials in their calculations.

Some states will grant a parole on the condition that the parole applicant complete a particular program. Given that it takes extra time behind bars to enroll in and complete programs — nevermind, to sit on a waitlist — it is misleading to group these "parole upon successful completion" decisions into grant data. Nonetheless, because many states do not disaggregate their parole decision data, we counted "parole upon successful completion" decisions as grants when listed separately from other grant types.

The name of each state is a link to its latest parole hearing and grant data, if publicly available.