The institution of conditional early release in Polish and the Hungarian penitentiary system – selected issues

Abstract

In some of the world’s penitentiary systems, one of the alternative measures to the absolute penalty of imprisonment is the institution of parole, which allows for early release from prison. The subject of considerations in this study are three fundamental problems. Initially, the authors wanted to illustrate the legal regulations and premises regarding the possibility of applying conditional early release. The discussion of this issue is preceded by the presentation of the historical background showing the establishment of this institution in the course of changes taking place in the functioning of prison systems. Secondly, based on the statistical data of the Polish and Hungarian penitentiary services, the authors present selected information on the population of prisoners applying for parole. The study closes with the third problem, in which a discussion on the possibilities related to the use of this alternative measure in relation to the absolute penalty of imprisonment was undertaken.