What is my parole plan?

Your parole plan is an individualized plan to guide your supervision, which DAPO staff will prepare before your release, based on an individual evaluation of your strengths, needs, risk factors, and overall risk of reoffending. Your parole plan will include information identified in your evaluation —your strengths, needs, risk factors, and overall risk of reoffending — as well as goals for your successful reentry; “triggers” that may lead to negative behavior; strategies for avoiding “triggers”; special parole conditions; and your supervision category.[448] Your supervision category is based on DAPO’s initial evaluation of your risk of reoffending, as well as your progress while on parole.[449]

You should receive a copy of your parole plan before you are released. While on parole, you should be meeting regularly with your parole agent to review your parole plan, progress with specific goals and strategies, and other issues. Your parole agent will adjust your parole plan based on your progress and other changes in your situation.[450] S/he should also review your supervision category periodically to see if ti should be changed.[451]

IMPORTANT: Victims and witnesses of your crime can ask for special parole conditions to be added to your parole, including no-contact provisions and/or requirements that you are not paroled to the county where they live (learn more on PG. 185).[452] BPH and CDCR also commonly impose special no-contact provisions for crime partners, which would prevent you from contacting/seeing anyone who was your co-defendant in your criminal case. Lastly, state law requires special conditions for certain categories of people — these are called mandatory special conditions.[453] Specifically, there are mandatory special conditions for “sex offenders” (see PG. 163) and for “mentally disordered offenders” (see PG. 176).

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  1. 448

    The Parole Reform Task Force, CDCR, Parole Reform in California: An Evidence-Based & Best Practices Approach (California Parole Reintegration Supervision Model Manual), 17, 20, 54, Jan. 15, 2010, http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Parole/Road_Map/docs/CA_Parole_Reintegration_Supervision_Model_Manual.pdf

  2. 449

    The various supervision categories are:Transition Phase: All individual immediately after release onto parole; Category A: Reserved primarily for individuals evaluated as High Drug, High Property and High Violence risk levels (California Static Risk Assessment values of 3, 4 and 5); Category B: Reserved primarily for individuals evaluated as Moderate Risk (CSRA values of 2); Category C: Reserved primarily for individuals evaluated as Low Risk (CSRA values of 1); Category D: Reserved primarily for individuals on parole who are in custody, in jail-based Custody Drug Treatment Program (ICDTP), Civil Addicts pending court discharge, gravely ill, or other situations.

    The Parole Reform Task Force, CDCR, Parole Reform in California: An Evidence-Based & Best Practices Approach (California Parole Reintegration Supervision Model Manual), 26-30, 32, 46, Jan. 15, 2010, http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Parole/Road_Map/docs/CA_Parole_Reintegration_Supervision_Model_Manual.pdf.

  3. 450

    The Parole Reform Task Force, CDCR, Parole Reform in California: An Evidence-Based & Best Practices Approach (California Parole Reintegration Supervision Model Manual), 16, 18, 20, Jan. 15, 2010, http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Parole/Road_Map/docs/CA_Parole_Reintegration_Supervision_Model_Manual.pdf.

  4. 451

    15 Cal. Code Regs. § 3504. 29-30, 49

  5. 452

    Cal. Penal Code § 3053 et seq.

  6. 453

    See Cal. Penal Code § 3053 et seq. For example, any parolee convicted of a sex offense while intoxicated or addicted to alcohol is barred from using alcohol. Cal. Penal Code § 3053.5. A parolee convicted of domestic violence must participate in counseling. Cal. Penal Code § 3053.2(e)-(i).