Institutional Parole Services assign officers throughout the state to service various Alabama Department of Corrections institutions as well as county and city jails that may house state inmates.
The main function of an Institutional Parole Officer is to conduct investigations of inmates who are docketed for parole hearings by completing thorough research of the Alabama Department of Corrections records, interviewing the inmate and completing a risk assessment. IPOs prepare a report with their findings for the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles to assist them in rendering a decision.
Other areas of responsibility include being a representative and liaison between the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles and the Alabama Department of Corrections institutions and county jails. They advise inmates of the parole process and what to expect upon release. IPOs must obtain home and work plans not only for the IPO report but also for mandatory release, split release and DUNK release inmates. IPOs serve notice of hearing and notice of service for parole court hearings and other various duties.
IPOs are certified by the Ohio Risk Assessment System and the Prison Rape Elimination Act.
About Mandatory Release
Mandatory release is an automated release process (Code §15-22-26.2) that applies to inmates who committed offenses after (or on) January 30, 2016. Child sex offenders and life sentences are excluded from this mechanism. Certain time ranges for release are based on an individual’s end of sentence:
- Sentences that are five or less years have a mandatory release that is no less than three months and no more than five months prior to the end of sentence date.
- Sentences more than five years (but less than 10), mandatory release is no less than six months and no more than nine prior to the end of sentence date.
- Mandatory release for 10 years or more is no less than 12 months and no more than 24 prior to the end of sentence date.
The Department of Corrections determines an inmate’s mandatory release eligibility date based on the above statutory ranges and coordinates with ABPP to prepare for release to supervision. If you have questions regarding mandatory release eligibility, please contact the Department of Corrections at 334.353.3883. To streamline the increasing number of mandatory releases, the Department of Corrections recently automated their mandatory release procedures which will make the Bureau’s duties in this process more efficient both in Board Operations and in the field.