ACTIVE SUPERVISION: The status of an inmate on control release, conditional release or parole requiring the releasee to report on a regular basis to an assigned supervision officer.

ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROL RELEASE: A modified term of control release supervision whereby the releasee's only stipulation is not to violate any law or ordinance. The releasee is not required to report to a supervising officer.

Aftercare Services: Offenders reentering the community need a broad base of support services that could include Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or food stamps programs, clothing, legal support, transportation assistance, support groups, and prevention programs.

Alternative Sentences: There are many different types of "alternative sentences," which can include fairly innovative punishments. Offenders have been required to:

• install breathalyzer devices in their cars so that their cars will not start unless the offender has "clean" breath
• give lectures or teach classes about the dangers of criminal behavior
• attend lectures given by crime victims
• complete a drug or alcohol treatment program
• do weekend jail time, or
• stay at home under "house arrest."

AMENDED CERTIFICATE: An order of reinstatement to supervision following the revocation process, which modifies the term or conditions of supervision.

Barriers: Conditions that prevent an ex-offender from successfully re-entering society after incarceration.

BATTERED WOMAN INVESTIGATION: A clemency investigation on female offenders serving sentences for murder or aggravated battery to determine if the offender was a victim of recurring domestic violence, presenting a mitigating factor for committing the present offense of conviction.

BOND HEARINGS: A hearing by a parole examiner at a county jail facility with an alleged release violator to determine if the releasee poses a good risk to be bonded or released on his/her own recognizance prior to the Commission making a final decision on the pending revocation matter.

CAPITAL CASE FIELD INVESTIGATION: A clemency investigation by a parole examiner on a capital felony case for the Governor and Cabinet sitting as the Executive Clemency Board. The applicant is seeking relief from a death sentence or a reduction in the 25 year mandatory minimum life sentence imposed by the court.

Case Management: Appropriate management of an offender throughout the reentry process engages and encourages him or her to successfully complete individual treatment plans as well as to identify personal goals that lead to a reduction in unlawful behavior and result in becoming a positive member of their community. The steps of a case management process should include identifying and prioritizing concerns of the offender (i.e., employment, substance abuse treatment, family reunification), setting a goal for each priority concern, outlining the steps to accomplish each goal and its implementation, and following through with the identified steps. Case management responsibilities may include employment service, housing coordination, advocacy, and assistance in dealing with health, social services, and treatment agencies throughout the reentry process.

CLEMENCY INVESTIGATION: A background investigation by a parole examiner to determine those applicants who should be considered for a pardon or other clemency action by the Governor and Cabinet sitting as the Executive Clemency Board.

CONDITIONAL MEDICAL RELEASE: The release of an inmate from custody by the Commission under conditions of release and supervision, as a result of being referred by the Department of Corrections as permanently incapacitated or terminally ill.

Community Service: Judges can sentence defendants to perform unpaid community work called "community service" to repay a debt to society for having committed the offense. The defendant may be required to perform community service in addition to receiving some other form of punishment, such as probation, a fine, or restitution.

CONDITIONAL RELEASE: The release of any inmate to community supervision at the expiration of their prison term, less any gain time allotments. The releasee serves the balance of time remaining on their maximum sentence under community supervision. An inmate must have been convicted of certain crimes , and must have had a prior State or Federal Prison term; or have been sentenced as a Habitual Offender or Violent Habitual Offender to be eligible for Conditional Release.

CONTROL RELEASE: The release of an inmate prior to the expiration of the inmate's sentence, which is required to maintain the prison population within its lawful capacity.

CONTROL RELEASE DATE (CRD): The release date established by the Commission, which may be modified by advancements to maintain lawful prison capacity.

COST OF SUPERVISION: A condition of control release, conditional release and parole requiring the releasee to pay a fee each month to offset the costs of his/her supervision.

Criminal Street Gang: A formal or informal ongoing organization, association, or group that has as one of its primary activities the commission of criminal or delinquent acts, and that consists of three or more persons who have a common name or common identifying signs, colors, or symbols and have two or more members who, individually or collectively, engage in or have engaged in a pattern of criminal street gang activity.

Criminal Street Gang Member

A person who is a member of a criminal street gang as defined in subsection (1) of Florida State Statute 874.03 and meets two or more of the following criteria under Florida Law:

(a) Admits to criminal street gang membership.
(b) Is identified as a criminal street gang member by a parent or guardian.
(c) Is identified as a criminal street gang member by a documented reliable informant.
(d) Resides in or frequents a particular criminal street gang’s area and adopts their style of dress, their use of hand signs, or their tattoos, and associates with known criminal street gang members. (Emphasis added)
(e) Is identified as a criminal street gang member by an informant of previously untested reliability and such identification is corroborated by independent information.
(f) Has been arrested more than once in the company of identified criminal street gang members for offenses which are consistent with usual criminal street gang activity.
(g) Is identified as a criminal street gang member by physical evidence such as photographs or other documentation.
(h) Has been stopped in the company of known criminal street gang members four or more times.

Criminal Street Gang Associate

A person who admits to criminal street gang association; or meets any single defining criterion for criminal street gang membership described in subsection (2) of Florida State Statute 874.03 (listed above).

Pattern of Criminal Street Gang Activity

means the commission or attempted commission of, solicitation or conspiracy to commit, 2 or more felonies or 3 or more misdemeanors, or 1 felony and 2 misdemeanor offenses, or the comparable number of delinquent acts or violations of law which would be felonies or misdemeanors if committed by an adult, on separate occasions within a 3 year period.

CRITICAL DEPLETION: A point of decline in the total number of control release eligible inmates to less than 4,000.

DISCHARGE FROM SUPERVISION: A decision by the Commissioners to permanently release a offender from supervision by the Commission.

DISCIPLINARY REPORTS (D.R.'s): Reports received by inmates for violations of Department rules in prison that can extend an inmate's TRD or CRD.

Diversion: Some cases can be "diverted" out of the criminal justice system. Criminal charges are normally dropped when a defendant successfully completes a diversion program. Diversion gives defendants a chance to escape the stigma of a criminal conviction. Defendants whose cases are diverted typically have to participate in a treatment or rehabilitation program. Diversion programs are most often available to defendants charged with misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies involving drugs or alcohol. In some jurisdictions, diversion may be available to defendants charged with domestic violence, child abuse or neglect, traffic-related offenses, or even writing bad checks. Prosecutors sometimes voluntarily offer diversion to defendants who are clearly eligible under a community's guidelines. Defense counsel may also suggest diversion to prosecutors, sometimes even before formal charges are filed

Domestic Violence Prevention and Intervention Services: While ex-offenders must find gainful employment, comply with parole stipulations, or complete treatment programs, they quickly confront another set of difficulties in reuniting with their families. There may be changes in family roles, shifts in power dynamics, and difficulty in asserting their newly regained independence and place in the family. In the first days and weeks of release, offenders and their families dealing with these challenges may stumble on unrealistic or unfulfilled expectations of reunification. If left unaddressed, these challenges may lead to violence that threatens the family and the ex-offender's successful reunification and reentry. For the professionals who intervene in the lives of ex-offenders and their families, the challenge is to find the resources and services to prevent and address violence that both ensure accountability for the returning offender and provide safety for families during reunification.

Educational Services: Educational services should be coordinated and offered in each phase of the reentry process to provide offenders with the skills and knowledge that will support their efforts to successfully reenter their community. Comprehensive educational services should include, but are not limited to, special education, vocational rehabilitation, remedial education, basic education skills, and testing. In addition, correctional education and alternative schools should be considered.

EFFECTIVE PAROLE RELEASE DATE: Actual parole release date as determined by the PPRD, dependent on satisfactory institutional conduct and an acceptable release plan.

ELIGIBILITY REVIEWS: File reviews conducted on all prospective releasees to determine eligibility for a release program and suitability to supervision.

Employment: Being legally employed and/or legally earning a living.

Employment Services: In order for offenders to successfully reenter the community, their employment needs should be addressed. Programs should involve workforce investment systems to help offenders with employment and training assistance and to help businesses find ways to employ these offenders. An individual service strategy should be completed for each offender. This assessment should lead to appropriate job training, job placement, and other employment services. Workforce investment boards in the local community and the business community should be directly involved in this service delivery, which should include assessment of the offender's skills, abilities, interests, job readiness, and individualized training.

Evaluation: Reentry programs should establish a system for program monitoring and evaluation to maintain quality of service, assess program impact, and contribute to knowledge in the field. Monitoring efforts should include the collection of both short- and long- term information about the program’s effectiveness. With this information, reentry program staff can learn from the program’s experience and adjust procedures and revise plans to make the program more effective in serving offenders. At the same time, by pooling and evaluating data, the field can learn from the accumulated experience of reentry program throughout the country.

Ex-offender: Anyone with a record of arrest, conviction or imprisonment, and anyone who has ever been on probation or parole. A person who committed a misdemeanor or felony and has completed their sentence and is returning to society (specifically Jacksonville for the purposes of this glossary).

Faith-Based: Many faith-based organizations often share common goals and objectives related to SVORI, which include reducing the rate of violent crime and creating safer communities. Programs and services offered by faith-based organizations should be utilized throughout the reentry process. These programs and services aid SVORI by providing substance abuse treatment, mentoring, and support services to offenders.

Family Reunification: Ex-offenders often return home to difficulties for which they are unprepared. Securing employment and housing, and managing family reintegration pose great challenges to ex-offenders who have been separated from their families, and who are unaccustomed to life outside. The Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative is one of many initiatives aimed at assisting ex-offenders in returning home to their communities with the parenting skills and family roles necessary to be successful in the transition process.

FINAL DOCKET: The final decision of the Commissioners on the cases brought before them for consideration of release, revocations, and setting of release dates.

FINAL HEARING: A fact-finding quasi-judicial hearing by the Commission's authorized representatives for the purpose of determining whether a releasee has violated the conditions of release; and if so, what recommendation should be made to the Commission.

Fines: Fines are a common punishment for a variety of crimes, especially less serious offenses committed by first-time offenders. Offenses that are typically punished by a fine include minor drug possession (of a small amount of marijuana, for example), fish and game violations, shoplifting, traffic violations, and first-time drunk driving cases. In more serious offenses or where the defendant has a criminal record, many judges combine a fine with other punishments, such as incarceration, community service, and probation.

Housing: A permanent or temporary recognized dwelling where an individual may reside. This includes but is not limited to houses, mobile homes, apartments, half-way houses, residential treatment facilities, emergency shelters, etc. As a component of pre-release planning, offenders should be assisted in obtaining housing. This includes completing paperwork for housing subsidies, identifying potential housing and selecting housing, moving personal belongings, arranging for utilities, and finding affordable furnishings and supplies. If appropriate, offenders should be provided with transitional housing (e.g., a boarding house, foster care) or ensured a high-level of monitoring (e.g., electronic monitoring, frequent in-house contacts, and oversight/approval for an offender's daily schedule). Offenders should be assisted in obtaining long-term housing after their release from transitional housing or some other form of supervised living environment.

INITIAL HEARING INTERVIEW: The first interview with a releasee conducted at the county jail after being arrested on a Commission warrant. The Examiner serves the warrant and determines if counsel is wanted or needed; and determines course of action to follow with the revocation process.

INITIAL INTERVIEW: The first interview conducted with a parole eligible inmate after incarceration to establish a presumptive parole release date.

INMATE: An individual sentenced to a term of at least one year and a day or more of incarceration within a Department of Corrections institution.

INTERSTATE COMPACT: An agreement between Florida and other states that allows for the transfer of supervision of releasee's between state jurisdictions.

JUDICIAL NOTICE: A case analysis provided to the court prior to the effective parole release interview date, notifying the sentencing judge of possible release.

Largest Jacksonville Employers: This group consists of those companies that hire more than 100 people to work in the Jacksonville area.

LAW VIOLATION: A violation of release involving a new criminal offense committed during the term of supervision.

Medical Services: Many offenders have infectious diseases and chronic medical problems that require medication and ongoing care by a physician, both while they are incarcerated and after they are released. Medical examinations and follow-up care should be a standard component of community services. Reentry planning should ensure that these offenders are enrolled or reinstated on disability benefits as they are released from prison. This will mean ensuring that as part of discharge planning, all applications and entitlements are completed prior to the discharge date. Medical benefits can include the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) programs, Medicaid and/or Medicare, and Veterans Medical Benefits for those who are eligible. When benefits are not approved or needed services go beyond the scope of the treatment agencies, other community health care agencies should be sought.

Mental Health: Services must be provided to offenders experiencing serious mental illness in each phase of the reentry process. These services should be integrated into community-based services that include a continuity of service and treatment providers that offer culturally sensitive and high-quality empowering services. Models of effective treatment include the following components: regular screening and assessment with appropriate referrals and follow-up, psychosocial rehabilitation services, crisis intervention, anger management counseling, batterer intervention programming, appropriate medication and medication management, consumer-operated and peer-support groups, integrated treatment with substance abuse for those with co-occurring disorders, supported employment, and housing. Furthermore, the standard mental health treatment for youth with serious emotional disturbances should include regular screening and assessment, "wraparound" services, and family support.

MUTUAL PARTICIPATION PROGRAM: A program instituted by the Commission and the Department of Corrections, which sets forth for each eligible offender the terms of his confinement, parole date, and terms of parole supervision and release, provided such offender meets the contract set by the Department and the Commission.

Offender Supervision: When coordinated properly through case management, supervision will become synergistic, increasing the chances of positive outcomes for offenders. Effective coordination means that supervision is continuous, when needed, and in the quantities and types necessary. For example, at least one year of follow-up is needed to ensure success and should be planned well in advance. Graduated levels of supervision should be employed that begin with intensive supervision and highly structured and monitored activities and step down through less intensive supervision levels as the offender maintains compliance with conditions of release. Coordinated case management would make this possible. The following are examples of supervision practices and services the applicant may use:

    Surveillance
    Monitoring
    Sanctions
    Incentives

Possible supervision strategies include enhanced community supervision artnerships in which police, probation or parole officers, and other case managers working in a targeted neighborhood have access to information about the offender’s reentry status, including the case management plan and related information on his or her community adjustment. Supervision is intensified or reduced based on the offender’s behavior.

PARDON: An act by the Governor and Cabinet sifting as the Executive Clemency Board that releases a subject from punishment and forgives guilt.

PAROLE: The release of an inmate prior to the expiration of sentence with a period of supervision to be successfully completed by compliance with the numbered conditions and terms of the release agreement as ordered by the Commission.

PAROLE EXAMINER: An officer of the Commission working directly with inmates and release violators to prepare cases for Commission review.

Phase of Reentry: Reentry is broken down into three phases that start while the offender is still in prison and continue through his/her reentry into society. Those are:

Phase I - Protect and Prepare: Institution-based Programs are designed to prepare offenders to reenter society. Service delivery plans include education, mental health and substance abuse treatment, job training, mentoring, and full diagnostic and risk assessment.

Phase II - Control and Restore: Community-based Transition Programs are designed to work with offenders prior to and immediately following their release from correctional institutions. Services provided in this phase will include, as appropriate, education, monitoring, mentoring, life-skills training, job skills development, ongoing assessment, and mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Phase III - Sustain and Support: Community-based, Long-term Support Programs are designed to connect individuals who have left the supervision of the justice system with a network of social service agencies and community-based organizations that provide ongoing support and foster mentoring relationships.

POSTPONEMENT ORDER: An order signed by any member of the Commission requiring the continued incarceration of an inmate for a period of not more than 60 days beyond his/her established release date, pending the Commission's opportunity to review a recommendation of the Department of Corrections or other relevant information.

PRELIMINARY HEARINGS: An informal, quasi-judicial hearing held after a parolee has been arrested pursuant to a Commission warrant to determine whether there is probable cause to believe that violations of parole have occurred.

PRESUMPTIVE PAROLE RELEASE DATE: A tentative parole release date as determined by objective parole guidelines.

Probation: An individual may be placed on probation as a condition of release stipulated by a Judge at the time of sentencing or as an alternative to incarceration. Persons on probation are supervised by a designated probation officer.

Recidivism: Recidivism in this context refers to those offenders who will commit new crimes after their release from prison.

REINSTATEMENT: A decision by the Commission to release a violator back onto supervision after the violator has gone through the revocation process; return to custody was not deemed in the best interest of the offender or society.

Rehabilitation Programs: Organizations that will train and prepare individuals to successfully re-enter the workforce and/or society in general after their time is served.

RELEASE CERTIFICATE: an order of the Parole Commission authorizing the release of an inmate from custody to the supervision of a probation and parole officer; serves as an agreement between the state and the offender, whereby the offender agrees to abide by the conditions of the order.

RELEASEE: An inmate on Control, Conditional, Parole or Conditional Medical release as granted by the Parole Commission.

RESTITUTION: A special condition of release, whereby the releasee is subject to make payments to the victim of the original crime. While fines go to the state (or federal or local government prosecuting the crime), restitution is money paid by the defendant to the victim or to a state restitution fund. Offenders may be required to return or replace stolen or damaged property, to compensate victims for physical injuries or for medical and psychological treatment costs, or to pay funeral and other costs where a victim dies. In some cases, the "victim" is society, such as in welfare and Medicare fraud schemes, where defendants may be sentenced to pay the state back the money defrauded. Typically, the defendant will be ordered to pay restitution as just one part of the sentence, in addition to prison, community service, and/or probation.

Restitution and Community Service: All reentry programs must include a component that addresses the need for the offender to do community service or provide restitution to the victim or the community.

RESTORATION OF CIVIL RIGHTS INVESTIGATION: A review to determine the qualifications of a former inmate/releasee of Florida to apply for full restoration of all rights of citizenship in the State of Florida enjoyed before the felony conviction.

Second Chance Act: In 2007 President Bush agreed to provide financial support to programs that help offenders become productive members of society while maintaining public safety.

Security Threat Group: Formal or informal ongoing groups, gangs, organizations or associations consisting of three or more members who have a common name or common identifying signs, colors, or symbols; a group whose members/associates engage in a pattern of gang activity or department rule violation.

Sentences:

Prison Sentences

Some state laws require the judges to impose what are called "determinate" prison sentences. A determinate sentence is a fixed-term sentence pronounced by a judge. For example, a defendant sentenced to "30 days in county jail" or "five years in state prison" has received a determinate sentence.

Other state laws require judges to give "indeterminate sentences." Indeterminate sentences are those in which the legislature sets a minimum and/or maximum time of incarceration but leaves the decision as to when to release an inmate to prison officials. As a general rule, indeterminate sentences are only imposed on people who are sentenced to state prison after being convicted of a felony.

Suspended Sentences and Probation

Sometimes a defendant's prison sentence is "suspended." A suspended sentence is jail or prison time that is put on hold if the defendant complies with certain other obligations, for example, the conditions of probation or the completion of a drug treatment program.

Under a suspended sentence, if the prosecution or probation department can convince a judge that the defendant violated the condition that led to the sentence being suspended in the first place, the judge has authority to order the defendant to serve the original sentence. The probationer is not entitled to a full-blown trial when the question is only whether the defendant violated probation, though the prosecution can choose to also file charges on the incident.

Most states limit when and under what circumstances a court may impose probation on a criminal defendant. For instance, some states do not allow a judge to impose probation on defendants who have a prior conviction for cocaine sales.

Offenders who are put on probation are typically required to adhere to a number of "conditions of probation," including:

• Obey all laws (even petty laws like jaywalking have been known to land a probationer back in jail).
• Abide by any court orders, such as an order to pay a fine or restitution.
• Report regularly to the probation officer.
• Report any change of employment or address to the probation officer.
• Abstain from the excessive use of alcohol or the use of any drugs.
• Submit to regular alcohol or drug testing.
• Refrain from travel outside of the jurisdiction without prior permission of the probation officer.
• Avoid certain people and places.

If a probation violation is discovered and reported, it is likely that the court will conduct a probation revocation hearing.

SPECIAL CONDITION: A condition of release that addresses a specific aspect of a releasees behavior.

Substance Abuse: The delivery of substance abuse services, if needed, should be available in each phase of the reentry process. Substance abuse services must be soundly based on assessments and reassessments, with changing treatment modalities and clinical interventions as needed. Treatment modalities should include outpatient, intensive outpatient, day treatment, and residential treatment. Effective treatment requires a wide range of clinical interventions within treatment modalities that would include participation in some type of support group. Because substance abuse is a relapsing disease, protocols should be developed to address a participant's positive test for drug or alcohol use. Substance abuse treatment should be integrated with mental health treatment to address the needs of those with co-occurring disorders. For offenders who are not identified as substance abusers or dependent on alcohol or drugs, preventive educational services should be offered.

SUBPOENA: A document signed by a member of the Commission or an authorized representative, which compels the attendance of a person at Commission proceedings and may require the person to bring with him/her designated items as specified on the order.

SUBSEQUENT INTERVIEWS: Periodic reviews of the status of an inmate's case, since the setting of the PPRD or last interview.

SUPERVISION REVIEWS: A review of the progress of a person placed on supervision; a minimum of every 24 months or as determined by the Commission.

Target Population: The target population of this website is the adult offender returning from commitment in a state training school, adult correctional facility, or, where appropriate, a residential treatment facility who is considered to be a high risk for recidivism.

Juveniles: The main eligible age range for this category is 14 to 17 years. However, for those states in which juvenile court jurisdiction or supervision of juvenile serious, high risk violent offenders extends beyond the age of 18 (21 to 24 in some states) grantees may include these individuals in their programs. These individuals must fall under the jurisdiction and supervision of the juvenile court, and targeted serious, high-risk offenders must be returning from commitment to the community.

Adults: There are two eligible categories for adult serious, high-risk offenders:

Young Adults - ages 18 to 24
Adults - ages 25 to 35

Special Populations: The specific audience of a resource that can not be classified as juvenile, adult or both. The targeted demographic are groups of various natures such as gender-specific, religious, ethnic, etc. They may also pertain to individuals associated with an offender. For example, a program for the children of an offender.

Tax Credits - (a.k.a. Work Opportunity Tax Credit - WOTC): Businesses that hire workers that face barriers to employment, such as those with criminal records, may be eligible for a federal tax credit of up to $2,400 per qualifying employee.

TECHNICAL VIOLATION: A violation of release not involving a criminal act.

TENTATIVE RELEASE DATE: The date projected for the inmate's release from custody by, virtue of gain-time granted or forfeited pursuant to s. 944.275(3)(a).

TERM DATE: The date set forth by the Commission, whereby the releasee will end all supervision under the Commission's authority.

TYPE A INVESTIGATION: Field investigation conducted by a Parole Examiner most commonly involving either restitution verification for a crime victim in a parole or conditional release case, or eligibility for the restoration of civil rights in a clemency case.

TYPE B INVESTIGATION: Field investigation conducted by a Parole Examiner which involves securing case materials existent from available resources.

VACATE: To set aside a previous action of the Commission.

VIOLATION REPORT: Documentation of a releasee's violation(s) submitted to the Parole Commission by the supervising officer.

WAIVER OF HEARING: An order set forth by the violator when he/she wishes not to proceed with a final hearing but have his/her case referred directly to the Commission for a final decision.

WARRANT: An order issued by the Commission for the arrest of a releasee upon probable cause that a releasee has violated the terms and conditions of his/her release.

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Glossary terms and definitions above were copied from the: FL Parole Commission Glossary and the Dept of Corrections Glossary of Terms.

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Last Updated:  03/02/2012