How to Write a Parole Letter
This article was co-authored by Clinton M. Sandvick, JD, PhD. Clinton M. Sandvick worked as a civil litigator in California for over 7 years. He received his JD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1998 and his PhD in American History from the University of Oregon in 2013.
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The purpose of a parole letter is to inform the parole board why an offender should be given parole and let out of prison. Parole letters are most often written by the offender, as well as by people who know the offender and support his or her release. They may also be written by people who oppose the offender’s release. To write the letter, organize your thoughts in outline form and commit to using your own natural language. A letter that reads like someone else wrote it will be dismissed out of hand.
Parole Letter Templates
Method 1 of 3:
Writing a Letter as the Offender
- Take responsibility. You can’t plead your innocence or try to minimize your role in the crime.
- Express remorse. You must express heartfelt sorrow at the pain you have caused the victim and the victim’s family.
- Explain how you have changed. Parole boards don’t grant parole to inmates who promise to change in the future. Instead, you need to explain how you have changed your life while in prison.
- Describe your future. The parole board wants to see that you have realistic, concrete plans for leading a productive life outside of prison.
- Even if you find a sample to use, remember that you must write the letter yourself. You should not have the lawyer draft it for you to sign. Instead you want the letter to feel genuine.
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- Times New Roman 12 point font is fairly standard. You should adjust it if you find you can’t read font that small.
- Two lines beneath the address, include your salutation: “Dear Parole Board”.
- For example: “My name is Jeffrey Smith, and I am writing in support of my application for parole. My hearing date is April 22, 2016 and my identification number is 12345.”
- For example, you should write “I shot the gun” instead of “the gun went off.”
- You should write “I stabbed him three times in the back” not “we got into a fight and I defended myself by stabbing him a couple times.”
- You also shouldn’t complain about the quality of your attorney or that the judge was biased. Also don’t try to blame the crime on drugs or alcohol (although you should certainly state if you were high or drunk during the crime).
- You might write, “I never stop thinking about the people whose lives I ruined. That is guilt that I will have to live with for the rest of my life. At night I pray that the family has managed to rebuild their lives. When I pray, I feel sorrow for the pain I have caused them. If I could go back in time and not commit the crime, I would.”
- A short summary might read, “When I came to jail I had a seventh grade education and no interest in learning about anything or anyone else. The first year I was sent to work in the library. Bored, I sometimes leafed through magazines but realized I could barely read what was written in them. At that point, I decided to try to earn my high school diploma….” Then you can describe how education opened your mind and helped you confront the reality of your crime.
- You could write, “I have a support system in place for when I get out. My job, at the Stop and Top, is waiting for me. I am confident that I will do a good job as I have managed to get several commendations for the work I have done around the prison. I also have a rental available, which is close enough to my job that I will be able to walk to work. It is also close to my parents, who will stop in to visit me once a week just as they have while I have been in prison.”
- “If given parole, I can promise the board that I will make the most of my opportunity and not re-offend. I now have the tools to build a meaningful life for me and my family.”
Include your signature. Write “Thank you for reading this letter” and then move down a couple lines to insert “Sincerely.” Sign using a pen.
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Method 2 of 3:
Writing a Letter in Support of Parole
- Feel free to ask the offender or his attorney why you were selected to write the letter and if there is anything that you should include in the letter.
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Outline what to say. Before writing the letter, you will probably find it helpful to sit down and think about the points that you want to make. Writing them down in bullet point format will help you remember to touch on everything as you draft your letter.
Get the deadline. Ask the offender when the letter needs to be submitted. Some offenders will want all letters submitted to the parole board before a certain date. However, the offender may find it beneficial to have letters submitted throughout the year. This will signal that the offender’s support is continuous and substantial. [2] X Research source
- All others can print off their letter on regular paper. However, if you are a business owner or a professional who has letterhead, then you can certainly use it for your own letter.
- Sample language could be: “My name is Melissa Jones. I am the former employer of Jeffrey Smith, who is an inmate in your prison. His inmate number is 12345. I request that you grant him parole at his hearing, which has been scheduled for April 22, 2016.”
- If you are offering a home to the offender, then you will need to include particular information: the address, phone number, whether the home is rented or owned, and the names of other people in the home.
- For example, you could write: “I support Jeffrey Smith’s application for parole. As his first-cousin, I have offered him an apartment to rent. The apartment is in an apartment building that I own at 1212 Rockwell Road, Abilene, Texas. He will pay $450 a month in rent. The phone number to his unit is XXX-XXXX. My personal number is….”
- Sample language could include, “I have offered Jeffrey a job at my grocery store, Stop and Top, located at 445 Smithson Street, Jonesport, Maine. Our number is XXX-XXXX. The job is a full-time, 40-hour a week position unloading trucks and shelving goods. I will serve as his direct supervisor.”
- You could say, “I assure you that, should Jeffrey be granted parole, he has a healthy support system in place. I, along with his family, will give him all the support he needs to continue to build a productive life.” [6] X Research source
- You should attach a letter of translation. This letter will be signed by the translator, often in front of a notary public.
- A sample certificate of translation is available at http://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/eoir/legacy/2013/09/30/certoftranslation.pdf.
- Some state parole boards have an online system you can use for submitting letters. New York, for example, has one such system. New York’s system, however, severely limits the length of any letter and might be best used by members of the general public.
- If the offender has requested that you write the letter specifically, then you should still print off a hard copy letter and submit it.
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Method 3 of 3:
Writing a Letter in Opposition to Parole
- Live testimony can be much more dramatic—and effective. Letters can be “distancing”; that is, they obscure the human costs of the crime. Your heartfelt testimony in person will bring home how damaging the offender’s crime has been.
- Not everyone can deliver a live statement. However, in certain situations, the victim of the crime can often deliver a victim impact statement in person. You should check with the parole board to see who can testify in person, if this is an option that interests you.
Introduce yourself. If you choose to write a letter, then you should identify who you are and your relationship to the victim. For example, “My name is Kathy Johnson, the mother of April Johnson, who was killed by her ex-boyfriend, Jeffrey Smith, on November 15, 1999. Jeffrey Smith is coming up for parole this April, and I am writing this letter to explain why I oppose his petition for parole.”
- Be as graphic as you need to be. You want the parole board to be outraged by the crime.
- Be detailed. You want to make the victim seem like a living, breathing person. Explain his or her hobbies, hopes for the future, and achievements.
- For example, a rape victim might write, “I wish I could say that the pain I felt ended when he finished raping me. But I have suffered emotionally and physically for a long time since then. I have been in counseling for several years and have difficulty maintaining a healthy body weight, problems directly attributable to the sexual assault.”
- You might write: “Though I am sure that Jeffrey is claiming to be a changed man, I seriously doubt that he has learned anything at all. Only last year, he gave an interview to the local paper where he tried to minimize his role in the crime. He also couldn’t even say my daughter’s name.”
- You also may have received threatening letters or phone calls from the inmate. If so, the parole board needs to know this information as well.
- “For months after my daughter’s death, I was unable to sleep. The fact that Jeffrey was locked up provided little comfort. If he is released out of prison, then I am sure that all of the old nightmares will return. I can only hope that you will deny him parole so that another mother will not have to suffer what I have gone through over the past several years.”
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References
- ↑https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/bpp/faq/SupportLetters.html
- ↑http://thelawdictionary.org/article/how-to-write-a-parole-letter/
- ↑https://www.lettersofrecommendation.net/Parole_Board_Character_Reference.php
- ↑https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/bpp/faq/SupportLetters.html
- ↑https://www.lettersofrecommendation.net/Parole_Board_Character_Reference.php
- ↑https://www.lettersofrecommendation.net/Parole_Board_Character_Reference.php
About This Article
Co-authored by:
This article was co-authored by Clinton M. Sandvick, JD, PhD. Clinton M. Sandvick worked as a civil litigator in California for over 7 years. He received his JD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1998 and his PhD in American History from the University of Oregon in 2013. This article has been viewed 157,149 times.
83 votes - 89%
Co-authors: 7
Updated: October 5, 2023
Views: 157,149
Categories: Probation and Parole
A parole letter is written to inform the parole board why an offender should be let out of prison. To write a parole letter on behalf of someone, start by identifying yourself and your relationship to them. Then, explain why you support the inmate being granted parole. For example, you might need them to be there for your children. Or, you might be providing a job or a place for them to stay when they get out. Write something like, “I support Jeffrey Smith’s application for parole. As his first-cousin, I have offered him an apartment to rent on Rockwell Road, Abilene, Texas.” Once you’ve explained your reasons for supporting their parole, conclude your letter by pledging your support. For instance, write, “I assure you that Jeffrey has a healthy support system in place to help him live an honest and productive life.” For more tips from our Legal co-author, including how to write a parole letter for yourself, read on.
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