parole
puh-ROHL
/pəˈroʊl/
The conditional release of a prisoner before the completion of a sentence, on the promise of good behavior.
Granted to prisoners who have already served a portion of their incarceration term.
The story behind the word. Shortened from French 'parole d'honneur' ('word of honor'). Historically, captured officers were released if they gave their spoken word of honor not to fight again.
Word relationships
- conditional liberty: 'Conditional liberty' is an academic legal term; 'parole' is standard.
- incarceration: 'Incarceration' is active imprisonment.
Commonly confused with
- probation: Parole happens AFTER spending time in prison; probation is supervision given INSTEAD of serving prison time.
Word family
- parolee (noun): A person released on parole.
Collocations
- eligible for parole
- parole board
- grant parole
- violate parole
Example sentences
- "After serving twelve years of his sentence, he became eligible to apply for parole." Parole hearing
- "The prisoner was paroled under strict conditions, including mandatory curfew and drug testing." Legal judgment
Memory hook
Give your word (PAROLE) of honor that you will behave once out of jail. PAROLE = Word of honor.
When not to use
Do not use for an offender who never went to prison; that is probation.
Fun facts
- During the American Civil War, captured soldiers were frequently paroled on the honor system to save food and prison space.
Related words
Explore more words
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.