What could happen if I violate the conditions of my federal parole (or mandatory release)?

First, a U.S. Probation Officer will likely report the violation to the U.S. Parole Commission. While your Probation Officer is required to report any and all violations to the U.S. Parole Commission (USPC), the officer may recommend that you be continued under supervision without sanctions.Second, a Parole Commissioner determines the appropriate punishment (called “sanctions”), which could include:

    Issuance of an arrest warrant, or
    A summons for you to appear at a hearing.

The Probation Officer's recommendation is one of the factors considered by the Commission in its decision.[1068]

At this stage of the process, there are two reasons why the USPC might wait to issue an arrest warrant or a hearing summons:

    It may wait until, in the opinion of the Commission, the frequency or seriousness of violations requires it to issue a warrant or summons;
    You (the parolee) have been charged with a new criminal offense and are awaiting disposition of the charge, so the Commission may decide to (1) withhold the summons, (2) issue and hold the warrant in abeyance, or (2) issue a warrant and place a detainer on you.[1069]

Third, the warrant will be “executed,” which means that you will be taken into custody or asked to come to a hearing. What happens next will depend on your personal circumstances, but the different possibilities are described in the next two questions.

  1. 1068

    United States Department of Justice, U.S. Parole Comm’n—Frequently Asked Questions, http://www.justice.gov/uspc/faqs.html. ↑

  2. 1069

    28 C.F.R. § 2.44(a). ↑