Etymology : French, speech, parole, from Middle French, from Late Latin parabola speech; more at PARABLE
Pronunciation : p&-'rOl
Function : noun
Date : circa 1616
1. conditionally released from jail; pledge or promise made by a prisoner that he will obey the terms of his release. be conditionally released from jail. parole\pa*role"\ , n. [f. parole. see:
parley, and cf. parol.].
2. a word; an oral utterance. [obs.].
3. word of promise; word of honor; plighted faith; especially (mil.), promise, upon one's faith and honor, to fulfill stated conditions, as not to bear arms against one's captors, to return to custody, or the like. this man had forfeited his military parole.
4. (mil.) a watchword given only to officers of guards; -- distinguished from countersign, which is given to all guards.
5. (law) oral declaration. see:
lst parol, 2.parole \pa*role"\, a. see:
2d parol.parole \pa*role"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. paroled ; p. pr. & vb. n. paroling.] (mil.) to set at liberty on parole; as, to parole prisoners.parole n.
6. a promise; "he gave his word" [syn: word, word of honor].
7. a secret word or phrase known only to a restricted group; "he forgot the password" [syn: password, watchword, word, countersign] release a criminal from detention and place him on parole; "the prisoner was paroled after serving 10 years in prison".
8. A word; an oral utterance.
9. Word of promise; word of honor; plighted faith; especially , promise, upon one's faith and honor, to fulfill stated conditions, as not to bear arms against one's captors, to return to custody, or the like.
10. A watchword given only to officers of guards; distinguished from countersign, which is given to all guards.
11. Oral declaration.
12. See lst Parol, 2.
13. See 2d Parol.
14. To set at liberty on parole; as, to parole prisoners. a conditional release from imprisonment that entitiles the person to serve the remainder of the sentence outside the prison as long as the terms of release are complied with a promise; "he gave his word" release a criminal from detention and place him on parole; "The prisoner was paroled after serving 10 years in prison".
15. 1. If a prisoner is given parole, he or she is released before the official end of their prison sentence and has to promise to behave well. Although sentenced to life, he will become eligible for parole after serving 10 years. If a prisoner is on parole, he or she is released before the official end of their prison sentence and will not be sent back to prison if their behaviour is good. If released, he will continue to be on parole for eight more years.
16. If a prisoner is paroled, he or she is given parole. He faces at most 12 years in prison and could be paroled after eight years. permission for someone to leave prison, on the condition that they promise to behave well on parole (from parabola; PARABLE). to allow someone to leave prison on the condition that they promise to behave well. Supervised conditional liberty from prison granted prior to the expiration of a prisoner's sentence. Modern use of parole stems from a change in penal philosophy to emphasize rehabilitation rather than retribution. In some jurisdictions, those convicted of certain crimes (e.g., rape or murder) are not eligible for parole. Conditions of parole vary, but in all cases their violation may constitute grounds for reincarceration. Parole supervision ranges from little more than a periodic police check to intensive supervision by trained personnel. See also probation.