Parole hearings are considered by many to be a crapshoot. The inmate goes before the Board, speaks his piece, answers some questions and then waits days, weeks, or even months for the Board's decision. The most effective thing you can do is to help him be prepared with the best possible answers when his time comes. Encourage employment: If he doesn't have a job lined up, ask around, get online and figure out who hires felons. Give him a list of places he can apply to as soon as he is released. He can give that list to the Parole Board. If he already has a job lined up for when he is released, offer to pick up a letter from the company stating that he’s employed, so he can have it at the hearing. Mail it in or bring it to the next visit. Help establish his residence: Wherever he plans to live once he’s paroled, it must meet the criteria required by the parole office. The parole officer will probably tell the landlord that the tenant is on parole, so your inmate needs to be upfront about that when he gets his living place lined up. If he is going to live with you, write a letter to that effect for him to give to the Board at his parole hearing. Gather character references: Obviously, the Parole Board will have a file that details the history of arrests, convictions, prison write-ups, etc. In some cases, his victims may appear to speak against his parole request. With so much negative information provided, you can help counteract it by gathering character letters for him to give to the Board. Pastors, former neighbors, family members, friends and former bosses might be willing to write letters, and of course you can, too. Rather than trust everyone to mail them in, offer to pick them up and take them to the next visit, or mail them to the inmate in one packet. For those who live far away, get them to email the letter to you to print off. Be sure everyone includes contact information in case the Board has questions. This is highly unlikely, but it looks better if contacts are available. Be there in person: If it is geographically feasible for you to be there at the parole hearing, ask him if he wants you to come. It might help if the Board sees that he has people who love him and who will be a support system for him if he is paroled. Most likely you will not be asked to speak, but in case you do get the opportunity to address the Board, have some pre-written notes with you detailing why you think he understands personal accountability. Outline the programs he will enter for recovery if drugs become an issue, and other note other things that will assure the Board he is a good candidate for parole. Final thoughts: In the end it is up to the Board to decide whether or not to parole the inmate, but by taking certain steps, you can give a good picture of what kind of life the inmate has planned if he is released. Even if he is declined this time, he will most likely have more hearings in the future and he will feel better knowing that you are in his corner. How Parole Works Can An Inmate Parole To My House?