Key Terms in the Parole & Probation Chapter

Before you continue reading, it is helpful to get a sense of some of the key terms we use. Although they are each explained in the chapter, we list them here for your convenience:

    Conditions — Written rules that you are required to follow while on parole or probation.
    General conditions — Basic rules that apply to all people under supervision.
    Special conditions — Extra rules that apply to you specifically, in addition to the basic rules that apply to all people under supervision.
    Commitment offense — The offense for which you were sentenced to prison or jail.
    Discharge date — The date you are released from supervision .
    Parole period or parole term length— The period of time you have to spend on parole.
    Residence — The address where you live.
    Board of Parole Hearings (BPH) — A group of 12 commissioners, chosen by the California governor, who conduct hearings where they decide if a person is suitable to get released from prison onto parole.
    CDCR — The abbreviation for the “California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation,” which is a state government agency that runs the criminal justice system in California.
    California Penal Code — The collection of state laws that define all criminal offenses, procedures, and sentences in California.

A Brief Introduction to THE FIRST HALF of this Chapter:
State Community Supervision

Every state in the U.S. runs its own criminal justice system. In the next two sections of the PAROLE & PROBATION CHAPTER, you will learn about the types of correctional supervision in the community that are run by the state of California:

    Section II covers STATE PAROLE, which is overseen by the California Department of Corrections (CDCR) and the Division for Adult Parole Operations (DAPO).Section III covers COUNTY PROBATION & NEW FORMS OF COUNTY-LEVEL SUPERVISION, which are overseen locally by county probation offices and officers that report back to the state of California.