Parole is considered for persons sentenced for a
term of six months or more to the jurisdiction of the
Division of Correction, or to any other place of
confinement or detention for violators of State
criminal laws, when the prisoner has served one-
fourth of the term or consecutive terms in confine-
ment. Commission jurisdiction extends to persons
sentenced under State law to any penal or correc-
tional institution, including local jails and detention
centers.
The Commission uses hearing examiners to hear
certain cases for parole release. The Commission
itself has exclusive power to hear certain serious
cases for parole release and to conduct hearings for
revocation of parole. The Commission can issue
warrants for the return to custody of alleged viola-
tors of parole and to suspend or revoke parole upon
a showing of its violation.
Decisions of Commission hearing examiners, if
concurred with by the Commission on summary
review, become final. A final decision of the hearing
examiner may be appealed to a panel of Commis-
sion members for review upon the record. The
decision of the appeal panel is final.
On its own initiative, the Commission must ask
the Division of Parole and Probation, the Division
of Correction, or the Division of Pretrial Detention
and Services to make investigations that aid the
Commission in determining the advisability of
granting parole. The Commission evaluates infor-
mation from the Division of Parole and Probation
on the behavior of parolees. In addition, the Com-
mission directs the Division of Parole and Probation
to conduct investigations from which recommenda-
tions are made to the Governor on pardons, com-
mutations of sentences, and parole of persons
sentenced to life imprisonment.
The Commission also is authorized to negoti-
ate and execute tri-party contracts for the release
on parole of an inmate at a predetermined future
date, conditioned upon the fulfillment of the
conditions specified in the contract. Signatories
to such mutual agreements are the Maryland
Parole Commission, the Commissioner of Cor-
rection, and the inmate.
The Commission is composed of seven mem-
bers. All are appointed for six-year terms by the
Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services
with the Governor's approval and Senate advice
and consent. Each member must be a State resident
with training and experience in law, sociology, psy-
chology, psychiatry, education, social work, or
criminology. With the approval of the Governor, the
Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services
designates the chairperson (Code 1957, Art. 41,
secs. 4-501 through 4-512).

DIVISION OF PAROLE &
PROBATION

W. Roland Knapp, Director of Parole & Probation

6776 Reisterstown Road, Suite 305
Baltimore, MD 21215—2341 (410) 764-4276

The Division of Parole and Probation was consti-
tuted in 1939 to administer State parole and proba-
tion laws (Chapter 406, Acts of 1939). In 1953, the
Division was renamed the Department of Parole and
Probation (Chapter 653, Acts of 1953). The Depart-
ment was reorganized in 1968 separate from the
Board of Parole (Chapter 457, Acts of 1968). In 1970,
the Department was renamed the Division of Parole
and Probation (Chapter 401, Acts of 1970).
The Division supervises the conduct of parolees
and adult probationers. It regularly informs the
Maryland Parole Commission of parolees' activities
and notifies the District or Circuit Courts of proba-
tioners' activities. At its discretion, the Division
recommends that the Commission issue warrants to
retake parolees charged with violation of parole.
Warrants also are requested from the courts to
apprehend probationers charged with violating
conditions of their probation.
The Division uses a case management system to
classify offenders based upon the risk of their contin-
ued criminal activity and need for services. For parolees
and probationers, the Division offers counseling, case-
work, and diagnosis of substance abuse and other
problems. The Division also refers clients to commu-
nity treatment programs. Citizen volunteers help
counsel and supervise parolees and probationers.
The Division undertakes various types of inves-
tigations, when requested, for the courts of Mary-
land, the Maryland Parole Commission, and the
Governor. Unless otherwise ordered, a presentence
investigation is completed for the court when the
sentencing of a defendant convicted of felony in a
Circuit Court may result in the defendant being
remanded to the jurisdiction of the Division of
Correction or referred to Patuxent Institution.
At the direction of the Court of Special Ap-
peals, the Division investigates, reports, and
makes recommendations regarding applications
for review of criminal sentences. Where a felony
offense caused physical, psychological or eco-
nomic injury, the Division prepares a victim im-
pact statement as part of the presentence
investigation. A victim impact statement also is
prepared when a misdemeanor offense has caused
serious physical injury or death.
Division investigations help the Maryland Rirole
Commission determine whether to grant parole. The
Division also investigates the home and employment
proposals of parolees and probationers from other
states wanting to live in Maryland under the Uniform
Out-of-State Parolee Supervision Act.