The status of an offender conditionally released from prison by discretion of a paroling authority prior to the expiration of sentence.

• A. House arrest
• B. Parole
• C. Probation
• D. Pardon

Answer: (B)

Parole is the conditional release of an inmate from prison before the full sentence has been served, with supervision in the community and under specific conditions set by a paroling authority. The release is discretionary—the parole board decides whether to grant release and what terms will apply. While on parole, the individual must follow the conditions, and violations can lead to revocation and return to prison to serve the remainder of the sentence. This differs from house arrest, which keeps a person confined to the home, typically with electronic monitoring, rather than releasing them into the community. It also differs from probation, which is a sentence served in the community instead of prison, not a prior release from incarceration. A pardon is official forgiveness that ends punishment or restores rights, not a structured, supervised release from prison.