When we talk about criminal justice reform in Missouri, much of the conversation understandably focuses on what happens at the front end of the system; arrest, sentencing and incarceration. When people have served time and maybe even decades in prison, the conversation around what happens next is little to none. Parole is an important part of the criminal justice system. It creates an opportunity to evaluate more than the worst decision or moment of a person’s life. Parole is one of the places where accountability, rehabilitation, public safety, fiscal responsibility, and second chances intersect. For parole to work correctly, the process must be fair, understandable, and responsive to the individual circumstances of the people appearing before the Parole Board.
According to a recent FWD.us analysis, citing data from the Council of State Governments, approximately half of Missouri’s population had already passed their parole eligibility dates as of 2023. At the same time, parole has become a smaller share of releases from Missouri prisons, declining from 72% of releases in fiscal year 2021 to 62% in fiscal year of 2025. During that same period, Missouri’s prison population increased for four consecutive fiscal years, with people age 50 or older contributing to that growth. Those numbers raise an important conversation around what meaningful parole looks like here in Missouri. As we continue to examine parole policy, there are a few areas where Missouri has an opportunity to strengthen its approach.
A parole denial carries significant consequences across the board. For an incarcerated person, it can mean additional years in prison, families continuing to navigate separation and uncertainty, and additional correctional costs for the state. A decision around these consequences should provide meaningful information about why it was made. Missouri’s Parole Board should be required to provide a written explanation providing the specific reasons for denying parole. The explanation should identify the factors considered in the decision and guidance around what an individual can do to prepare for parole consideration. Missouri law already requires the Parole Board to adopt guidelines and use a risk assessment when evaluating cases. The board also retains discretion over individual parole decisions. Missouri should establish guardrails that prohibit parole from being denied solely or primarily because of the original offense, conviction category, a static risk factor or score, or an individual’s ability to complete programming that was not reasonably available to them. National parole research supports the importance of that balance. Principles developed by the Prison Policy Initiative and the McArthur Justice Center’s National Parole Transformation Project call for clear and consistent parole guidelines, forward-looking criteria, and meaningful opportunities for people to understand and challenge the basis for parole denials.
Missouri lawmakers and the public should have enough information to understand how the parole system is functioning overall. Understanding the costs is important. Every additional month or year someone remains incarcerated has a fiscal impact on Missouri. Conversely, appropriate releases can affect correctional expenses. Lawmakers responsible for appropriating taxpayer dollars should have enough information to understand those consequences.
Missouri already has a medical parole in state law. Section 217.250 allows medical parole consideration when an incarcerated person has a terminal disease, has reached an advanced age and needs long-term nursing home care, or when continued confinement would greatly endanger or shorten the person’s life. Under the current statue, the process begins when a correctional physician certifies the person’s condition. Then it goes through the Department of Corrections medical administrator and director before reaching the Parole Board, which has discretion to grant medical parole or recommend further action to the Governor. A July 2026 analysis from the Prison Policy Initiative found that public data on the use of medical parole in Missouri were unavailable. Without basic information, it is difficult for policymakers or the public to determine whether Missouri’s existing medical parole law is functioning as an effective release mechanism.
Parole is not simply about releasing more people from prison. The conversation is about whether Missouri has a parole system that provides for meaningful and individualized consideration for people who are eligible for release. Missouri can strengthen its parole framework while preserving the Parole Board’s authority to evaluate each case individually through reforms that:
- Improved medical parole by creating a more accessible and responsive process for considering individuals with serious and terminally ill conditions.
- Strengthening geriatric parole by providing consideration for elderly incarcerated individuals that includes factors like age, time served, health and rehabilitation.
- Increase transparency for families and incarcerated individuals by providing clearer information about the parole process and what individuals can do to prepare for future considerations.
- Having better parole data to provide to the lawmakers by making information about parole hearings, decisions, denials, and relevant trends to be accessible and useful for evaluating if it’s effective.
- Promote meaningful review by making sure that parole decisions consider the full circumstances of each person
We want to hear from Missourians
As we continue to examine these policies, we must keep the directly impacted voices in the forefront. Empower Missouri wants to hear from people who have appeared before the Missouri Parole Board, family members who have supported their loved ones through the parole process, and advocates and organizations that have helped people prepare for parole consideration. Those experiences will help us gain more knowledge about the current policies/law, where gaps remain, and meaningful next steps as we strategize for the legislative session. Please feel free to reach out via email so we can continue this conversation.
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